Manisha Gupta: The Art Of Reinvention Has No Age Limit | EXCLUSIVE

Some journeys are carefully planned, while others unfold through unexpected opportunities. Manisha Gupta’s remarkable story is a celebration of the latter.

A university topper in Mathematics, an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) expert, a consultant associated with the United Nations, a writer, painter, screenwriter, filmmaker, happiness entrepreneur and now an actor, Manisha Gupta embodies the spirit of curiosity, creativity and lifelong reinvention.

With no prior connections in the film industry, Manisha Gupta stepped in front of the camera just before turning 59, proving that ambition and talent are not bound by age or convention.

From exploring diverse creative expressions to making her presence felt through films and international streaming projects, her journey reflects an enduring willingness to learn, experiment and embrace the unexpected.

Her acting journey has taken her across films, television, OTT platforms and commercial campaigns. Her film credits include TASKAREE and SIKANDAR KA MUQUADDAR.

On television, she has appeared in popular shows such as ANUPAMAA, PUSHPA IMPOSSIBLE, YEH RISHTA KYA KEHLATA HAI, MANNAT and VASUDHA. She has also been associated with SURAAG 2.0, featured on DD National and Waves OTT.

Expanding her presence into the world of advertising, Manisha Gupta has appeared in television commercials and campaigns for prominent brands including TATA NEU, SIYARAM’S DEVO, NATURALs Ice Cream, PHOENIX Marketcity – Kurla, CHANDAK, RUNWAL and ZOMATO’s DISTRICT.

Her experiences across disciplines, cultures and creative platforms have shaped a distinctive outlook on life and storytelling.

Whether championing India’s traditional knowledge and cultural heritage, creating thought-provoking cinema, promoting happiness and mental well-being, or exploring the nuances of acting, she brings together analytical thinking and artistic imagination.

In this exclusive conversation with Downtown Mirror Woman, Manisha Gupta opens up about her unconventional entry into acting, her multifaceted professional journey, her Japanese influences, the power of creativity, and her philosophy of happiness.

Most importantly, she shares an inspiring message for women who believe it is too late to begin again: the possibilities of life are limitless when passion meets determination.

Q1. You entered the world of acting quite unexpectedly, making your first appearance in front of the camera just before turning 59, without any industry connections. What was the moment that made you think, “Why not me?”

Manisha Gupta. Yes, I became an actor accidentally, just before turning 59, and that too without any industry knowledge or connections!

During the course of one of my regular workdays, I came across a photograph of a well-known Indian woman personality. Assuming it was a news item, I proceeded to read the accompanying write-up, only to realise that it was actually a casting announcement for a female character resembling that personality in a feature film by a renowned production house.

I felt I fitted the role quite well in terms of appearance, personality traits and skills, so I sent the agency some of my photographs. I was asked for an audition, which I did make without having the slightest idea of what an audition entailed or how it worked.

Although that particular project did not materialise, it planted a seed of an idea in my mind: perhaps I could explore this new field by drawing upon my existing skills and knowledge.

Soon enough, acting opportunities in good projects began coming my way, and here I am! When my first project was released and I saw myself on screen in a completely different avatar, I felt elated. I remember thinking, “Why not me?” and, more importantly, “Yes, I can do this!”

Q2. Society often makes women feel that opportunities diminish with age. How does it feel to challenge that perception by securing roles in major productions and projects on global streaming platforms in your late 50s?

Manisha Gupta. It feels absolutely wonderful, although it still seems unbelievable at times, until the next shoot happens and I find myself facing the cameras all over again!

But then, I guess society doesn’t really tell us anything. We are the society! A woman is the basis, the very foundation of a society, a nation and, ultimately, the world. The stronger the foundation, the stronger the structure that stands upon it.

As for opportunities, I believe there are plenty for anyone who continues to work hard and recognises the little hints that life, or perhaps God, throws one’s way. In my case, stumbling into acting was purely by chance.

Once I entered this field, I channelled my focus, effort and energy into understanding its various aspects and learning, as well as unlearning, what was necessary to work in an entirely unfamiliar environment.

Understanding the soft infrastructure and the functioning of this new professional world is something I continue to focus on. I am happy to have worked with reputed production houses and directors and to have been a very small part of some significant projects on global streaming platforms.

In fact, I made my debut in an international English-language web series, an Indonesian series that is yet to be released.

Every project has been a wonderful learning experience, not just in terms of acting but also in understanding cinematic storytelling as a whole, including screenwriting, direction and the many creative processes involved. There is so much to learn, and every person on a film set has something to teach.

Q3. Your short film THE AUDITION…?? earned you a Best Actress award. Did that recognition feel like the validation of a hidden talent or the culmination of a lifetime of observing human behaviour?

Manisha Gupta. I guess it was a combination of both!

This is the first short film I made after becoming an actor. I have made close to 40 short films over the last nine years, many of which have received awards and accolades at film festivals across the world.

However, this particular film won me a Best Actress award, making it my first recognition in that category. Naturally, it holds a very special place in my heart.

Q4. Transitioning from the relatively introspective worlds of writing and painting to the dynamic environment of a film set must have been quite an experience. What was the steepest learning curve in this journey?

Manisha Gupta. Looking back, I feel God planned this learning curve in a rather logical fashion.

I began as an introverted writer and painter. Then I stumbled into the field of Intellectual Property Rights, where I undertook consulting assignments for the United Nations. I presented my pioneering roadmap and strategy for protecting India’s Traditional Knowledge and IPRs to audiences comprising senior government officials, established lawyers and other dignitaries.

Subsequently, I trained people from diverse professional backgrounds in IPRs and addressed conferences attended by highly accomplished and knowledgeable audiences. In retrospect, that was the steepest learning curve of all — the actual transformation of my personality.

My transition into acting, performing in front of cameras and working on film sets, has therefore been a rather natural evolution.

The fundamental difference is that earlier, I was always playing myself. Whether as a writer, painter, speaker or trainer, it was always ‘me playing me’. The script, the content and the delivery were mine, based on real experiences and facts.

As an actor, however, I am required to play someone else — a character created by another person, with a completely different identity and fictional existence.

Of course, a little bit of me always finds its way into the portrayal, but the character must largely conform to the director’s and project’s vision.

It’s never too late to begin again: the possibilities of life are limitless when passion meets determination – Manisha Gupta

Q5. From topping your university in Mathematics and Computer Programming to working in Intellectual Property Rights and consulting for the United Nations, your professional journey reflects a remarkably analytical mind. How does that scientific approach complement your creative pursuits and acting?

Manisha Gupta. Having a mathematical and scientific temperament, a background in computer programming and an inherent passion for the arts and creative industries makes me feel well equipped to approach creativity in a methodical and logical manner.

Whether I am creating my abstract paintings or portraying a character on screen, I try to utilise all my skills, imagination and creativity in the best possible way.

I believe in drawing upon all my mental and creative faculties and constantly stretching myself to explore my fullest potential in whatever I undertake.

Q6. Your work with the United Nations involved protecting India’s intangible cultural heritage and the rights of traditional artisans. How did your interactions with grassroots communities influence your understanding of storytelling?

Manisha Gupta. During my UN assignments, which involved protecting India’s intangible cultural heritage, Traditional Knowledge, intellectual property rights and common brands in MSME and artisanal clusters, I had the opportunity to interact with grassroots communities of artisans, craftspeople, farmers and others.

These interactions helped me understand the nuances of their creative communities, their inspirations and the foundations of their creations.

I realised that storytelling was at the heart of their creativity. It was through stories that generations communicated their knowledge, skills, crafts, traditions and values to younger generations, even without any formal education.

The weave of a particular state or region, the patterns and designs, the motifs, colours, fabrics and materials used, and even the characters portrayed — everything originated from a story and carried a story.

I learnt how effortlessly and meticulously Traditional Knowledge flowed across generations within these grassroots creative communities through their extraordinary sense and power of storytelling, preserving our rich heritage for generations to come.

Q7. As a jury member at two international film festivals in New York, you have the opportunity to evaluate cinema from across the world. What is the one element that makes a story truly memorable and emotionally moving for you?

Manisha Gupta. When it comes to stories, anywhere in the world, emotion is that one essential element that touches people’s hearts. As they say, it is emotion that moves people.

Q8. Your 2007 exhibition, India-Japan Friendship Through Art, received the endorsement of the Japanese Embassy. How did your experience of living in Japan influence your artistic sensibilities, both as a painter and later as a filmmaker?

Manisha Gupta. The opportunity to live in Japan when my husband became a Monbusho scholar was one of the best experiences of my life. Experiencing Japanese traditions, culture, aesthetics and, above all, their pursuit of perfection had a profound impact on me, particularly because I have always been a perfectionist, a painter and, later, a short filmmaker.

The moment I arrived in Japan, I felt an instant connection with the country and its people, almost as though I had always belonged there.

Living in Japan reconfirmed and enriched my existing aesthetic sensibilities and perfectionist tendencies. I also made a conscious effort to learn the Japanese language, which fascinated the artist in me because of its pictorial character.

While I was still in Japan, I had already conceptualised a series of paintings, which I eventually created after returning to India. Nine years after my return, I had the opportunity to exhibit this series during the Indo-Japan Friendship Year in 2007.

The series comprised ‘Kanjis’, the pictorial elements of the Japanese language derived from images. I was perhaps the first artist to depict these Kanjis in pictorial form in my paintings.

From the Land of the Rising Sun, I carried back a great deal of intangible baggage, of course! It included greater precision, perfectionism, politeness, persistence, patience and discipline, along with the strength to rise from the debris of failure, rebuild a better structure after destruction, rethink, regain and, no matter what, stand tall majestically like Mount Fuji for the world to see.

After all, Sakura will bloom every spring, even in the autumn of your life!

Q9. You recently performed live on stage at an Indo-Japan event. How did you bring together the distinct cultural influences of India and Japan in your performance?

Manisha Gupta. Performing live on stage in Delhi during an Indo-Japan event, barely three months after entering the acting profession, was a wonderful opportunity.

The last time I had performed in a play was in Japan, 26 years before this event. That was a Japanese-language play in which I played the heroine.

As for the cultural energies of India and Japan, I believe there are many similarities between the two countries. However, Japan is a homogeneous society, whereas India is characterised by immense diversity. Japan places considerable emphasis on group harmony, while India embraces both individual resilience and collectivism.

Combining the learnings and experiences of both cultures creates a much wider and more holistic perspective, particularly for someone working as a creator and performer.

Q10. During the pandemic, you launched liHfe, an international film festival dedicated to happiness and mental health, attracting entries from 44 countries. What did these creative submissions reveal about the universal human quest for happiness and peace of mind?

Manisha Gupta. My happiness start-up, LOGIHQ, launched an international film festival, liHfe (LOGIHQ International Happiness Film Festival & Exhibition), during the difficult and emotionally challenging times of the global COVID pandemic. The festival focused on happiness and mental health and provided a platform for creative individuals across the world.

We received beautiful entries from creatives of all ages and from different parts of the world.

I conceptualised the festival with the intention of motivating people to create something — art, poetry, films, photography, paintings or anything else that could be pursued within the confines and constraints of the global situation.

The idea was to divert their attention and energies towards creative pursuits and, as a by-product, encourage a positive frame of mind.

From personal experience, I know that every form of creative expression has a profoundly positive effect on our brain, the power centre that controls our entire being. Activities such as art, writing and painting can have a therapeutic effect.

The submissions clearly reflected the innate human survival instinct and the strength and willingness to keep struggling, even when no solution seems to be in sight. They demonstrated the importance of perseverance and continuing to move forward.

Sometimes, all one needs is a little encouragement and motivation to channel one’s energies in the right direction. That was precisely the objective of liHfe.

After all, liHfe stands for Life with Happiness!

Q11. As a certified Therapeutic Art Life Coach who has extensively explored cognitive psychology and brain chemistry, what would you describe as the ‘Manisha Gupta formula’ for finding genuine happiness in today’s fast-paced, high-stress world?

Manisha Gupta. Well, the ‘MG Formula’ for happiness is quite simple — hard work!

Work for your body, mind and soul, because that is what helps boost happiness-related chemicals such as serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in regulating our mood and happiness.

I believe happiness cannot be the primary goal of life. It can only be a by-product of other activities. Happiness means different things to different people, but I believe hard work is its foundation.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get working. Carpe Diem, my friend — seize the day! Life is in the here and now.

Here are my haiku and tanka (Japanese-style poetry) that say it all about happiness.

‘WORK’ FOR HAPPINESS…??

Struck by depression…??
Act, exercise body, brain —
‘Work’ for lifting mood!

HAPPINESS MAGIC…!!

Low serotonin…??
Just exercise heartily
Love your family
Breathe fresh air, soak in sunshine

Happiness magic unfolds.

But… “Happiness is a fleeting rainbow soap bubble… catch it if you can!!” And the best way to do so is by keeping your Ikigai alive!

Q12. Your screenplays often explore socially relevant and complex subjects such as climate change, artificial intelligence and mental health. How do you strike a balance between delivering a meaningful social message and retaining the entertainment value that keeps audiences engaged?

Manisha Gupta. It is true that my screenplays deal with socially relevant issues that are close to my heart and encompass my areas of work and awareness.

However, I like to explore these subjects from unconventional angles. For instance, a women’s issue could be addressed through a science-fiction genre. It may sound unusual, but given my background in science, mathematics and computers, I love bringing these different elements together.

Q13. Looking back at the young woman who topped her university in Mathematics, could you ever have imagined that your life would take such an extraordinary and diverse direction?

Manisha Gupta. Never! Not even in my wildest, most creative and imaginative dreams!

In fact, even when I topped the university in my M.Sc. Mathematics, I never anticipated it. I came to know about my achievement only when the postman delivered my merit certificate one quiet, sunny and lazy afternoon in Dehradun.

There were no computers, internet or anything of that sort 39 years ago!

Q14. If you could sit across the table from a woman in her 40s or 50s who feels stuck or believes her time for new beginnings has passed, what would you tell her?

Manisha Gupta. I would tell her that this is perhaps the best time of her life!

With many family responsibilities, including those towards children and elders, having been taken care of meticulously and diligently, this is the time to pursue her own interests, ambitions and aspirations, even if they had to take a backseat during her earlier years.

And I would like to offer a variation of Shah Rukh Khan’s famous dialogue from the film Chennai Express: “Don’t underestimate the power of a WOMAN!”

More than anyone else, women themselves need to realise this. We can achieve anything at any stage of life. All we need is passion and the determination to pursue what we believe in.

Q15. Having explored so many professional identities — from scientist and author to UN consultant, award-winning filmmaker, happiness entrepreneur and actor on global streaming platforms — what lies ahead for Manisha Gupta? What is the next frontier you are looking forward to exploring?

Manisha Gupta. Well, I still don’t know what lies ahead!

My entire professional life has been a series of accidents, truly. But, as Steve Jobs said about ‘joining the dots’, one realises only in hindsight why certain things happened when they did.

From pursuing an M.Sc. in Mathematics and Computer Programming to stumbling into a career in Intellectual Property Rights 23 years ago, then becoming a screenwriter and short filmmaker around 10 years ago, and eventually entering acting less than three years ago, my journey has been full of unexpected turns.

I believe in flowing with the river of life, constantly learning and accumulating knowledge, skills and experiences, and unlearning whenever required.

I intend to continue drawing upon all my past experiences and insights, while eagerly waiting to stumble upon my next potential career!