Neena Gupta Opens Up On ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ Ageism Controversy: ‘Didn’t Want To Snatch Anyone’s Role’

'Saand Ki Aankh', a film about two female sharpshooters who took to the sport after the age of 60, became the centre of an ageism debate on social media. The film starred Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu, who are both in their 30s. When veteran actor Neena Gupta expressed her thoughts on directors not casting actors who are age-appropriate for particular roles, the debate blew up into a controversy.

In a recent interview, Neena Gupta opened up about the controversy saying that she does not understand why her statement led to a controversy.

Before the release of Saand Ki Aankh, a netizen had tweeted that although they love Bhumi and Taapsee as actors, casting someone like Neena, or Shabana Azmi or Jaya Bachchan would have been appropriate. To this, Neena had responded, "Yes i was just thinking about this hamari umar ke role toe kamsekam humse kara lo bhai."

Neena got talking to Zoom about the controversy this statement led to, after Rangoli Chandel supported her statement, and began to make aggressive attacks on Taapsee's acting skills. Neena said, "I don't understand why my statement on Saand Ki Aankh was such a controversy. I didn't want to snatch anyone's role. I just... I wished that an older woman like me would have played it and it doesn't mean I wanted bad for anyone else."

Saand Ki Aankh, directed by Tushar Hiranandani, and co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, tells the real-life story of Chandro and Prakashi Tomar, who are the oldest sharpshooters in the world. The film has received favourable reviews from critics, and its lead actresses have been particularly praised for their performances.

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