Badhaai Ho actress Neena Gupta: My real pregnancy was very different,

Admits Neena Gupta who plays a 40-plus
character and is in the family way in her
upcoming film, Junglee Pictures' Badhaai
Ho
In your upcoming film, Junglee Pictures'
Badhaai Ho you play the mother of two
grown-up sons who suddenly discovers
that a third child is on its way. That's one
quirky slice-of-life comedy...
(Laughs) Yes, the idea of an older woman
getting pregnant, with me playing that
part, really drew me to the script. It's a
topic of discussion today but was no big
deal back when women were married off
very early and could have a child till they
were in their mid or late 40s, by which
time the other children were much older.
That's still how it is in smaller towns.
Shooting was great fun, we would all joke
around and bonded like a family. When I
returned to Mumbai, I texted all my co-
actors saying I was missing them. Gajraj
Raoji's very cute and nice, and even
Ayushmann (Khurrana) never made me
feel like I was working with a big star.
Did the role take you back to when you
were carrying Masaba?
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No, it didn't bring any memories for me. My
real pregnancy was very different, I was
aloof and alone. It was nothing like this
when the whole family, including the big
boys, hover around my character. I didn't
flashback to my real pregnancy as that was
a difficult time for me.
Last year, you made an appeal on
Instagram for "good parts to play. Since
then, we've seen you in a significant role
in Anubhav Sinha's Mulk, Amit Sharma's
Badhaai Ho revolves around you. You will
next be seen in chef- filmmaker Vikas
Khanna's The Last Color and will kick off
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's Panga next month.
Enjoying this new phase?
I am loving it and taking good care of
myself so that I can do as much work as
possible. I exercise regularly, do yoga every
morning and am regular with my daily
walks. I'm also very particular about my
diet. I don't eat outside food at all and
don't go out much. All this is because if
something interesting comes my way, I
shouldn't miss out on it because I am
unwell.
This is the best period in my career. They
used to call me the TV queen at one point
but I never got anything substantial in
films. The ones in which I had a bigger or
a significant role were either never
released or hardly seen. Nobody has
watched Subhankar Ghosh's Woh Chokri
which bagged me a National Film Award
for Best Supporting Actress. The Threshold
featuring me and Rajit Kapoor never made
it to the theatres. Badhaai Ho is an
important film for me as it's getting a big
release and I have a good role in it.
And when is The Last Color whose first
look was unveiled at the Cannes Film
Festival this year, opening?
It has a week's work left on the post
production. I saw a rough cut recently
with my husband and he was crying,
which is rare because he is a strong guy. It
affected us so much that after the
screening, even though we had made
plans to go somewhere, we were no
longer in the mood.
Are there plans to get back your
popular 1998 TV show Saans?
Along with a new set of writers I have
penned a really emotional and an
identifiable script which is something like
Saans. I am looking for a platform for it
now. My business partner has been going
around with the plan. Let's see what
happens. These days, people are scared to
try something new and this is very
different from what is playing on TV
currently. I am really looking forward to it.
Your designer-daughter Masaba and
filmmaker son-in-law Madhu Mantena
announced their trial separation in
August. Have you tried to get them to
reconcile?
I am with them in whatever they decide.
They have told me to let them decide for
themselves. They are grown-ups so it's
only right. Whatever a mother has to tell
her daughter I have told Masaba. I have
also had a word with Madhu who is frank
and nice. I am giving them time, let them
sort it out themselves.

https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/badhaai-ho-actress-neena-gupta-my-real-pregnancy-was-very-different-i-was-aloof-and-alone/articleshow/66091263.cms