Aashram 3 actor Esha Gupta says she didn't even talk about money when she was offered the MX Player show

The Prakash Jha's series, led by Bobby Deol, also stars Aaditi Pohankar, Darshan Kumar, and Tridha Choudhury, among others in pivotal roles.

Esha Gupta/Instagram

Aashram 3 actor Esha Gupta is enjoying her new found fame with the MX Player. The actress played a very important role in Prakash Jha-directed show, which also features Aaditi Pohankar, Esha Gupa and Tridha Choudhury in pivotal roles. Esha Gupta recently opened up about the her decade-long journey in the industry, Aashram series, playing roles with grey shades and how fair skin is still considered more beautiful.

Speaking to ETimes, Esha said she chooses to do roles with grey shades because it is easier to portray the damsel in distress as compared to the grey character or the strong one. The actor, who has completed a decade in the entertainment industry, added that things have changed and there is now more pressure to do good and different kinds of content. Compared to earlier films, which offered repetitive content with hero-heroine from different class or caste statuses falling in love. "The good thing is that now people actually want to see the reality or the different altercations that are being shown through web content. So OTT makes you want to be more relevant, be more audience-driven and give the viewers great content," she said.

She said that she is now in a position where she doesn't have to pick any project for money. Money is not her priority anymore. She is looking for quality over quantity now. She said she wants to be respected for the work she does and be part of great content. She doesn't want to take up roles that are not important to the story, even if it comes from a big production house. "But when I was offered Ashram, I don't think my agency even spoke about the money. We were just focussed on wanting to lock the deal. Because you just want to be a part of the project," she said.

She feels that one can earn money doing different things like events and public performances but when it comes to movies, it is very important to do the right projects. Her choices of projects have evolved too. The actress has played many negative and grey characters. She played a negative role in Rustom. Recalling how she got the offer, she said the casting director had called her but were unsure of giving her the role. "I was getting to play someone who was going to be screwing Akshay Kumar's character's happiness throughout the film. I wanted to be a part of that," she said, adding that many female actors are still not okay playing negative roles as they believe people would hate them for it.

Being an outsider, she looks at the nepotism v/s outsider debate differently. She said she used to think that she isn't getting work because the industry is not welcoming but later realised had she been stuck thinking that way, she wouldn't have landed the role in Jannat and Rustom, which went on to become big hits. She added that being an outsider, it is really difficult to find someone to rely on as not everyone is 'real and genuine'. She has finally found that in her agent, who is now her best friend. She still sometime wishes if she were from the industry so that giving a flop or throwing some attitude wouldn't have become a big deal and she would have been offered back to back films.

From waiting tables at McDonalds to play an important role in Aashram 3, she has come a long way and she too would like to believe that she has achieved success in life.

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