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Neena Gupta: I am totally real
After quitting Kitani Mohabbat Hai, veteran actor Neena Gupta is back with the show Ladies Special (Sony TV), where she is seen portraying the role of Shubha Joshi. We caught up with Neena who told us more about the show, her character and the days when she too had to travel by train.
What is the show all about?
It is about four women and their common place to meet, the train. Shilpa and I are both working, the other girl has also started working and we keep meeting during our daily train journey. We all have very interesting lives with problems, tensions and happiness. It is a very well written program and we are doing it very realistically. I am sure people will connect with the show.
What inspired you to take up the show?
My role, which is amazing. Sanjeev (Sharma, producer) is an old friend and when he came to me with the project I found it so interesting. I simply couldn't say 'no'. After Saans, I feel it is very important and I am enjoying it. From Saans till now, I have done a few things but I didn't enjoy them. Now, I look forward to doing a show after 10 years!
Tell us something about your character.
I am playing Shubha Joshi. I have a Maharashtrian friend whom I took as inspiration for the character because I thought that Shubha was Maharashtrian. But now, I have been told that she could be anybody. In Mumbai, you say kanda batata for onion and potato. So when you live in Bombay, you tend to speak some Marathi. Shubha Joshi has the same habits. But mostly, the show will have Hindi dialogues.
Do you share any similarities with your character?
No, no similarity as such.
Tell us something about your look.
It is a very simple, plain look. The same as what you see in the posters and the promos. I'm totally real.
Have you ever traveled by local train?
Yes, yes… in fact, thousands of times during my struggling days. At that time, I had no money. I had to go and meet producers and by the time I had reached there, my haalat used to become very bad. I had problems using the train but I could not afford a car. Initially, I used to live in Bandra East and I could never make out which side was West and which was East. I'd get out at the wrong side and would have to climb back from the right side! The experiences were fun!
Does Ladies Special aim to give the entire country a feel of what the Mumbai locals are like?
Absolutely. We do what people do in a local train such as eating, picking up various things, reading newspapers. The other day, a junior artist told me 'Local train main toh poora beauty parlor hota hai'. I told the director about it and he has promised to include it in the script. We have our dabbas and we'll be seen sharing our dabbas too on the train.
Will the story only concentrate on the lives of these four women?
I have shot for 10 episodes till now and there are scenes with even the junior artists. The junior artists also have dialogues. I did a scene where the whole ladies' compartment was involved. So we are not saying that you will only get to see four of us in a scene; many other ladies too will surround us.
Can four women really become such great friends on a train that they share each other's problems?
We are not showing the four of us to be very good friends. Till now, we haven't even all met each other. I have just met Pooja, who has many problems. For instance, Pooja is from Dhanbad and is new to the city. She takes a local train for the first time and is unable to climb due to the rush. So I pull her in and tell her to be careful about her purse and how to hold on to the handles. The situation is built in such a way that she becomes like my daughter and that's how I get close to her.
Off-screen, who do you get along with best?
We have only shot for 10 episodes and I haven't even met them often off-screen. I know Shilpa because she worked with me in Palchhin. I have been in the maximum amount of scenes with Pooja, so I know her too.
Ladies Special airs Monday to Thursday at 9:30 pm on Sony TV.
After quitting Kitani Mohabbat Hai, veteran actor Neena Gupta is back with the show Ladies Special (Sony TV), where she is seen portraying the role of Shubha Joshi. We caught up with Neena who told us more about the show, her character and the days when she too had to travel by train.
It is about four women and their common place to meet, the train. Shilpa and I are both working, the other girl has also started working and we keep meeting during our daily train journey. We all have very interesting lives with problems, tensions and happiness. It is a very well written program and we are doing it very realistically. I am sure people will connect with the show.
What inspired you to take up the show?
My role, which is amazing. Sanjeev (Sharma, producer) is an old friend and when he came to me with the project I found it so interesting. I simply couldn't say 'no'. After Saans, I feel it is very important and I am enjoying it. From Saans till now, I have done a few things but I didn't enjoy them. Now, I look forward to doing a show after 10 years!
Tell us something about your character.
I am playing Shubha Joshi. I have a Maharashtrian friend whom I took as inspiration for the character because I thought that Shubha was Maharashtrian. But now, I have been told that she could be anybody. In Mumbai, you say kanda batata for onion and potato. So when you live in Bombay, you tend to speak some Marathi. Shubha Joshi has the same habits. But mostly, the show will have Hindi dialogues.
Do you share any similarities with your character?
No, no similarity as such.
Tell us something about your look.
It is a very simple, plain look. The same as what you see in the posters and the promos. I'm totally real.
Have you ever traveled by local train?
Yes, yes… in fact, thousands of times during my struggling days. At that time, I had no money. I had to go and meet producers and by the time I had reached there, my haalat used to become very bad. I had problems using the train but I could not afford a car. Initially, I used to live in Bandra East and I could never make out which side was West and which was East. I'd get out at the wrong side and would have to climb back from the right side! The experiences were fun!
Does Ladies Special aim to give the entire country a feel of what the Mumbai locals are like?
Absolutely. We do what people do in a local train such as eating, picking up various things, reading newspapers. The other day, a junior artist told me 'Local train main toh poora beauty parlor hota hai'. I told the director about it and he has promised to include it in the script. We have our dabbas and we'll be seen sharing our dabbas too on the train.
Will the story only concentrate on the lives of these four women?
I have shot for 10 episodes till now and there are scenes with even the junior artists. The junior artists also have dialogues. I did a scene where the whole ladies' compartment was involved. So we are not saying that you will only get to see four of us in a scene; many other ladies too will surround us.
Can four women really become such great friends on a train that they share each other's problems?
We are not showing the four of us to be very good friends. Till now, we haven't even all met each other. I have just met Pooja, who has many problems. For instance, Pooja is from Dhanbad and is new to the city. She takes a local train for the first time and is unable to climb due to the rush. So I pull her in and tell her to be careful about her purse and how to hold on to the handles. The situation is built in such a way that she becomes like my daughter and that's how I get close to her.
Off-screen, who do you get along with best?
We have only shot for 10 episodes and I haven't even met them often off-screen. I know Shilpa because she worked with me in Palchhin. I have been in the maximum amount of scenes with Pooja, so I know her too.
Ladies Special airs Monday to Thursday at 9:30 pm on Sony TV.
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