In a heart-to-heart conversation on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Neena Gupta shared the story of one of the most popular moments in her career, the filming of the 1993 song “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai.” Although the song remains a cult favorite, Gupta described the chaotic process behind the scenes, starting with a demand from director Subhash Ghai that left her “furious” at the time.
The Request: “Make Her Appear Fuller”
Gupta, who was starring alongside Madhuri Dixit in the track, recalled arriving on set and immediately getting caught in the crossfire with a critic as Ghai looked at the Gujarati costume. According to the actress, Ghai stared at the costume designer and yelled, "No! No! No! Fill it up!" As the director requested, the designer made Gupta "appear fuller" in his visual brief for the folk-like performance. This resulted in her having to wear a very padded bra, which was very rude to her as a newcomer.
“That was when I got very angry and thought to myself, how can he say something like that? He was so crass,” Gupta confessed on the podcast. It was degrading and disrespectful to be discussed in this way.
A Change in View
While the 1993 version of Neena Gupta was incensed at the director’s bluntness, the 2026 version of the actress offers a more practical perspective. Reflecting well over three decades later, she said her view of the industry has matured.
“In these years, I read it differently,” she said. "He was just doing his job. He had a specific image he wanted for the character in the song, and he was straightforward about that. He wasn’t looking at me or getting personal; he was looking at the figure he imagined. I was a new girl at the time, so I took it to heart." Yet the beauty and success of her song saved her from embarrassment, she continued, adding that even though the comment initially upset her, it was easier to accept afterward.
Navigating a “Minority” Experience in India
Gupta also discussed larger societal themes in the same conversation, including her work on the show Saans and pressures from broadcasters to change the ending of the show to suit conservative audience tastes. She said that while the urban environment may seem progressive, the “real India” is still tied to traditional and often patriarchal values. "People like us, who dress well and speak nicely, are really in the minority," she said, indicating that the problems she faced on movie sets were often representative of broader ingrained societal preoccupations with women's appearances.
So What's Next for Neena Gupta?
In keeping with her career of formidable performances, Neena Gupta was most recently reunited with Sanjay Mishra in 'Vadh 2.' Now her next film project the Netflix show ‘Chumbak’ features her in a quirky family support group, whose eccentricity promises to bring out both her humor and vulnerability, qualities she is known for and that have made her a modern-day megastar.
