Neena Gupta, the National Film Award-winning actress has won acclaim for her nuanced performances in both commercial and indie films. Yet, despite her celebrated career, Neena Gupta too has faced setbacks—one of the most significant being a role she missed in a major Hollywood production.
Appearing on the talk show What Women Want Season 5, Neena Gupta opened up about a big opportunity that didn’t materialise.
She revealed that she had auditioned for the role of Priya Singh in Christopher Nolan’s 2020 sci-fi action epic Tenet. Speaking candidly, she said, “I auditioned for Tenet (for) director Christopher Nolan. I went to LA for one day to meet him, and came back. First, I did the audition here and sent it to him. They selected five ladies."
Ultimately, it was Dimple Kapadia who bagged the role. Neena jokingly added, “Main Dimple ko milungi to bolungi ki tu gai bhi nahi. It is a director's image of the character. You cannot say anything about it.” She also quipped, “I fail in auditions. If there’s no audition, I ace it. But I always get rejected during auditions.”
Dimple Kapadia, who portrayed the mysterious Priya, wife of a Mumbai arms dealer in the film, previously admitted that she initially thought the casting call was a joke. She auditioned reluctantly and later met Nolan in Mumbai. Reflecting on the experience, she said, "I went just to get a picture with him, but when I got the part, I was so nervous."
Tenet, a complex thriller that deals with time inversion and espionage, was not only a global box office success but also marked Kapadia’s Hollywood debut—an opportunity that Neena Gupta, despite her immense talent, narrowly missed.
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