I watched Badhaai Ho again recently and, trust me, there is nothing sexual in it. It talks about how, at a certain age, people need companionship more than anything. When you are young, you are busy raising your kids and earning for them. But as they grow up and go their own ways, you need your partner. Why not romance at this age then?"

Gupta is still basking in the glory, even though things were not the same last year. She recalls, "After I got married in 2008, I came across many people who thought I had moved to Delhi and given up working. About one-and-a-half years ago, I was heading to Zoya Akhtar's home and her colleague asked me when I would return to Mumbai. That killed me. I was not getting offers. That day I went home and put a post on Instagram asking for good roles. Back then I had 11,000 followers; today I have two lakh."

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Her portrayal won Gupta the Best Actor Critics trophy at Star Screen Awards this month. She thinks this is telling of a huge change in the film industry. "The fact that the jury accepted my role and gave me the award is a big step for actors my age. This proves that to win a best actor award, you don't need to be young. While older men still get such significant awards, women don't. And the problem is in social perception." Gupta says her co-actor Gajraj Rao and she were surprised to have been nominated along with Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor. "Giving both of us an award is a beginning of a big change."

Her next - The Last Colour - will premiere at Palm Springs Film Festival. "I have always got things much later in life. But I am happy this was in my destiny," she smiles.

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