Girish Karnad told Neena Gupta that she was finished after Saath-Saath. here’s why
Reflecting on her acting journey, Neena Gupta described her 1982 film Saath-Saath as the biggest mistake of her career. Despite the film’s success, the actor revealed that supporting roles tarnished her image, preventing filmmakers from ever casting her as a lead heroine.
Veteran actress Neena Gupta talks about the professional hurdles she faced long before her re-emergence in 2018 Congratulations. While now he is famous for his work in projects like panchayatHe recognized his role in the 1982 film together as the biggest disaster for her aspirations as a leading lady.
Nina, in an interview with ANIrevealed that despite the film’s commercial success, her portrayal of a bespectacled, “know-it-all” girl inadvertently typecasted her, leading to industry insiders ignoring her for heroine roles. He recalled his conversation with late actor-director Girish Karnad at the film’s premiere. While she was celebrating what she considered her big break, Karnad – who knew her from her days at the National School of Drama (NSD) – offered a harsh reality.
“The biggest mistake I made was together. I played the role of a ‘Lallu ladki’ (a foolish, know-it-all girl). The film became such a big hit, I felt I had arrived. There was a party for the premiere and Girish Karnad, who knew me from NSD, came to me. He told me, ‘Now you are finished. You will never get a heroine role. And that’s exactly what happened,” the actor said.
The actor was last seen in director Anurag Basu’s anthology film ‘Metro…In Dino’ (2025). The film stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Anupam Kher, Gajraj Rao and others in lead roles.
Neena will next be seen in director Jaspal Singh Sandhu’s film. slaughter 2Co-starring Sanjay Mishra. Produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg’s Luv Films, the film also features an expanded ensemble cast including Kumud Mishra, Shilpa Shukla and newcomers including Amit K Singh, Akshay Dogra and Yogita Bihani.
slaughter 2 Set for theatrical release on February 6, 2026.
