Neena Gupta reveals she once played sister to Feroz Khan; says, “He was 20 years older than me”

Known for calling out patriarchy and doing roles that break stereotypes, Neena Gupta has never shied away from calling spade a spade. From doing shows like Masaba Masaba to playing some of the most popular characters on the big screen in recent times, the actress has been once again on a career-high even at the age of 60. During an interview for her forthcoming film Uunchai promotions, Neena Gupta and Sarika were discussing how they played older siblings to actors who were much older than her and how actors would romance actresses who were almost two to three decades younger than them.

Recalling the days, Neena Gupta spoke about how she had played elder sister to Feroz Khan who was 20 years older than her. The actress played his widowed sister-in-law in the film Yalgaar (1992) which featured Feroz Khan with Sridevi as his love interest. The film also featured Sanjay Dutt, Nagma, and Manisha Koirala, among others. Agreeing with her perception, her Uunchai co-star Sarika added that in recent times, actors’ characters and roles have changed as more and more actors are willing to play the role of fathers to grown-up women which was never the case earlier.

Neena Gupta was seen discussing it during a Mirchi interview, where she said, “I once played Feroz Khan’s older sister… He was 20 years older than me… I have done many roles like this because at that time, we didn’t have TV shows or anything. We only had films, and these were the only roles we’d get.” Meanwhile, Sarika added, “Playing a mother isn’t always a bad thing. It’s wrong when they ask you to play mother to someone who is just four years younger than you in real life… There are so many men who are in their 50s, and they’re playing fathers, so it’s very good. In the old times, they used to keep dancing around bushes even after the age of 70.”

Coming to their forthcoming film Uunchai, produced by Rajshri Productions and directed by Sooraj Barjatya, the film tells the story of three friends who decide to fulfill the last wish of their fourth friend at any cost – which is to climb Mt. Everest. With Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, and Anupam Kher in the lead, the film also features Parineeti Chopra as their guide and it is slated to release on November 11.