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Actor Susmita Mukherjee has recalled acting in “C-grade films” to repay a Rs 1 crore loan, saying she had “sold my soul” during a difficult period in her life. In a video monologue, the actor said she returned to work and made choices she was not proud of after her production company went bankrupt.
Susmita, in an interview with IANS, expressed regret over her decision to work in “films derogatory to women” due to financial hardships.
She said, “Someone asked me, ‘Ma’am, why did you act in bad films?’ I was shocked because it’s a very disturbing thing to go back to my life and say, why did I act in such sexist, C-grade films, films derogatory to women. But I worked in good films, not pornography, God, but just bad films, bad choices.”
“So I did, and did I sell my soul? Of course I sold my soul. Did I feel good about it? I didn’t feel good then. I still don’t feel good about it, but it was my helplessness,” the actor added.
The 61-year-old recalled how her setup crumbled in 2002 when she and her husband lost their media business, Prayas Production, defaulting on a “loan of Rs 1 crore” alongside fellow banners like Track Cinema and Anil Chaudhary Production. Explaining the sudden collapse, she noted that they were caught off guard as a “new era of technology had come — angel investment and venture capital,” leaving them unable to adapt and ultimately forcing them into bankruptcy.
Susmita described the severe aftermath, recalling how recovery agents would turn up at their door and “abuse us” while her children were still very young. To clear the massive debt, she was forced to return to work, admitting she “had to make those choices” as she and her husband spent three to four years working tirelessly to “repay a loan of Rs 1 crore.”
The actor highlighted that her decisions were also driven by a desire to fund her daughter’s education overseas, admitting “the Bengali mother in me woke up” as she insisted on sending her abroad despite her husband’s nationalist view that Indian institutions were sufficient. Her daughter went on to complete her “very expensive” studies in Australia and New Zealand, forcing Susmita to take up relentless work to cover the costs.
Reflecting on her career choices, Susmita touched upon the irony that the work she considered good “unfortunately, nothing came out” of it, leaving her with projects she was “not so proud of.” She emphasised that everyone must define their own index for working—whether driven by “creative satisfaction,” pure “helplessness,” or simply the need to “teach children” and sustain a lifestyle.
While opening up on her background, the actor shared that she had lived a middle-class life and used to work “month to month” as a teacher, which shaped her understanding of money. She stressed that everyone must be “very clear about the why” behind earning wealth. Explaining her own choices, she admitted that while she might not be “so proud of the projects” she took on, they were “right for that time” to meet her needs.
Known for films such as Shah Rukh Khan’s King Uncle, Ajay Devgn’s Golmaal Returns, Sanjay Dutt’s Khalnayak and Priyanka Chopra’s Dostana, Susmita said the phase was shaped by financial pressure, young children at home and the cost of her daughter’s education abroad. She added that she no longer takes up work that “doesn’t touch my soul.”
On the work front, Susmita was last seen in the Netflix crime series, Dabba Cartel (2025), featuring actors Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan, Sai Tamhankar and Anjali Anand in key roles.
Her last theatrical release was Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023), featuring actors Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan in crucial roles.
– Ends
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