Veteran actress Susmita Mukherjee has opened up about one of the darkest phases of her life, revealing that she accepted films she wasn’t proud of after her production company went bankrupt in 2002Burdened with a Rs 1 crore loan and facing constant pressure from recovery agents, the actress said she made those difficult choices to repay her debts.
Updated: August 6, 2026, 4:10 PM IST
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Sushmita Mukherjee (PC-Instagram)
Veteran actress Susmita Mukherjee has opened up about one of the most difficult phases of her life, revealing that she accepted several C-grade films to repay a Rs 1 crore loan after her production company went bankruptIn an emotional video shared on social media, the actress admitted that while she is not proud of some of those projects, she had no other option at the time.
Speaking candidly, Susmita said many people have often asked why she appeared in films that were sexist and degrading towards women. “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 womenBut I worked in good films, not pornography, God, but just bad films, bad choicesSo I did, and did I sell my soul? Of course I sold my soulDid I feel good about it? I didn’t feel good thenI still don’t feel good about it, but it was my helplessness,” she said.
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Susmita Mukherjee reveals recovery people used to abuse her
Explaining what led to those decisions, the actress recalled that in 2002, she and her husband lost their production company, Prayas Production, after the business collapsedShe said, “So debtors at the door used to come, recovery people used to come, they used to abuse us, it was a very bad time, my children were very youngSo I was forced to start working againAll the money that used to come, I had to repay a loan of one croreMy husband and I worked very hard to repay that loan after 3-4 yearsSo that’s why I had to do all that work, I had to make those choices.”
Susmita revealed that debt recovery agents frequently visited their home, demanded money and even abused themAt the time, her children were very young, leaving her with no choice but to return to acting and accept whatever work came her wayShe said every rupee she earned went towards repaying the loan, a process that took nearly three to four years.
Susmita Mukherjee provided the best education for her daughter despite financial problems
Mukherjee also shared that she wanted to provide the best education for her daughterDespite her husband’s reservations, she decided to send her abroad for higher studies in Australia and New ZealandThe actress further added, “Along with that, the Bengali mother in me woke upShe was doing well in her studies, so I started sending her abroadMy husband was a nationalistHe said, aren’t there good schools and colleges in India? But somehow or the other, I felt like it, so I sent her abroadSo she studied very expensively, she went to study in Australia and New ZealandSo I had to earn for that tooSo I made those choices.”
Looking back, Susmita said she has no regrets because those sacrifices helped her children build successful livesAlthough she isn’t proud of many of the films she did during that period, she believes those choices were necessary to keep her family afloat.
Today, she says life has changed. The King Uncle actress revealed that she now accepts only projects that genuinely connect with her and refuses to compromise on work that doesn’t satisfy her creativelyShe added that actors don’t always have the luxury of choosing every role, and sometimes they simply work to support their families.
Sushmita Mukherjee started her acting career in 1987She has worked in more than 60 filmsShe has appeared in the movies like ‘Main Zinda Hoon’, ‘Khalnayak’, ‘King Uncle’, ‘Sir’, ‘Dillagi’, ‘Kyaa Kool Hai Hum’, ‘Golmaal’, ‘Ugly Aur Pagli, ‘Dostana’, and many more.
