Veteran actress Neena Gupta has opened up about the persistent challenges older actors face in the entertainment industry, pointing out a shortage of meaningful roles written for people her age.
Speaking candidly at the FICCI Frames 2025 summit, Gupta reflected on a brief period in her career when she was offered several strong and age-appropriate roles, particularly from small-budget OTT projects. She said these roles excited her and gave her a creative boost. However, many of those promising projects failed to materialise.
“I got a lot of roles. I enjoyed it a lot. In my age, the makers couldn’t write anything. They couldn’t write anything for us,” she said. “And then what happened? Suddenly, the projects I had agreed to never came back. I asked my manager what happened. These were great roles and I was very excited.”
Gupta went on to explain how smaller OTT producers were often the ones creating interesting roles for older actors, but they were sidelined when bigger producers stepped in.
“So, what happened? Suddenly, all the big film producers, successful film producers, they entered into it. Because kids used to get money. They entered into it. And the small budget OTT film producers, who used to tell me stories, they were left shocked,” she shared.
While she clarified that she still has work, the actress’s comments reflect a larger trend in the industry — where established talent above a certain age often finds limited representation on screen.
Now in its 25th year, FICCI Frames is Asia’s leading media and entertainment conference, held in Mumbai on October 7–8, 2025. The event features industry leaders in conversation about trends, challenges, and innovations in film, TV, and digital content.
This year’s lineup includes key names like Ekta Kapoor, Shoojit Sircar, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Hansal Mehta, and Kiran Rao, as well as actors such as Huma Qureshi, Pratik Gandhi, Divya Dutta, Rajpal Yadav, and Neena Gupta herself. On day one, Akshay Kumar and Ayushmann Khurrana also took the stage to share their experiences with attendees.
Gupta’s honest reflections resonated with many in the audience, spotlighting the urgent need for more diverse and inclusive storytelling in Indian cinema.
