Susmita Mukherjee on C-grade films: 'I sold my soul' to repay ₹1 crore loan
Synopsis
Susmita Mukherjee's viral confession cuts through Bollywood's carefully curated image — a celebrated actress admitting she took degrading work not for fame but to pay off a ₹1 crore debt after her production company folded in 2002. It is a rare, unvarnished account of how financial desperation, not creative choice, drives careers in the industry.
Key Takeaways
Susmita Mukherjee revealed she did C-grade films to repay a ₹1 crore loan after Prayas Production went bankrupt in 2002 .
She and her husband cleared the debt over 3–4 years while facing creditors and recovery agents at home.
She also funded her daughter's education in Australia and New Zealand , adding to her financial pressure.
The actress said she 'sold her soul' but holds no regrets, stating her family is now financially stable.
Mukherjee now accepts only work that, in her words, 'touches her soul', after a career spanning over four decades .
Veteran actress Susmita Mukherjee, best known for her role in Golmaal Returns, has opened up about one of the darkest chapters of her career — taking up C-grade films to repay a ₹1 crore loan after her production company collapsed in 2002. In a candid video shared on social media, the actress described the financial and emotional toll that forced her into choices she still finds difficult to revisit.
The Collapse of Prayas Production
Mukherjee revealed that in 2002, she and her husband lost their media venture, Prayas Production, to bankruptcy. 'Along with us, Track Cinema and Anil Chaudhary Production, we all went bankrupt. Because at that time, a new era of technology had come. Angel Investment and Venture Capital, we didn't know anything about technology. So obviously, we went bankrupt,' she explained. The debt amounted to ₹1 crore — a significant sum that brought creditors and recovery agents to her doorstep while her children were still young.
Why She Took the Work She Did
'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,' she said. She and her husband worked for 3–4 years to clear the debt, channelling every earning toward repayment.
Funding Her Daughter's Education Abroad
Alongside the debt burden, Mukherjee also prioritised sending her daughter to study overseas. 'She was doing well in her studies, so I started sending her abroad... she went to study in Australia and New Zealand. So I had to earn for that too. So I made those choices,' she said. She noted that her husband, whom she described as a nationalist, had initially questioned the need to study abroad when India had good institutions — but she followed her instinct.
No Regrets, But No Pride Either
Despite the hardships, Mukherjee says she carries no regrets. 'Of course, I have no regrets, not at all. I taught them well, they are on their feet,' she said. At the same time, she was unflinching about her feelings toward that body of work: 'I am not so proud of a lot of work I have done.' She framed her experience as a lesson in understanding one's own motivations for earning — whether for security, creative satisfaction, family, or ambition.
Where She Stands Today
Mukherjee says she is now selective about every project she takes on. 'But now I don't do any work that doesn't touch my soul. Now I do exactly what I feel like, with respect, I earn well and I'm happy with the projects I'm doing,' she said. Over a career spanning more than four decades in Hindi films, television, and theatre, she has appeared in projects including King Uncle, Khalnayak, Dillagi, Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, and Golmaal Returns. Her account is a rare, unfiltered look at how financial desperation shapes creative choices in an industry that rarely discusses it openly.
Point of View
Particularly women, routinely absorb financial risk that the industry's production ecosystem creates but rarely acknowledges. The fact that a ₹1 crore bankruptcy in 2002 pushed a working actress into work she describes as 'derogatory to women' says as much about the absence of safety nets in Indian entertainment as it does about individual choice. Her story is not an outlier; it is simply one of the few told on the record.
NationPress
6 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Susmita Mukherjee do C-grade films?
Susmita Mukherjee took up C-grade films to repay a ₹1 crore loan after her production company, Prayas Production, went bankrupt in 2002. She described it as a matter of helplessness, not choice, and said she and her husband spent 3–4 years clearing the debt.
What happened to Prayas Production?
Prayas Production, the media company run by Susmita Mukherjee and her husband, went bankrupt in 2002 along with Track Cinema and Anil Chaudhary Production. She attributed the collapse to a lack of understanding of emerging technologies like Angel Investment and Venture Capital at the time.
Does Susmita Mukherjee regret doing those films?
Mukherjee says she has no regrets about the choices she made, given the circumstances. However, she has been candid that she is 'not so proud' of much of that work and still does not feel good about it.
What is Susmita Mukherjee known for?
Susmita Mukherjee is a veteran actress with over four decades in Hindi films, television, and theatre. She is known for roles in King Uncle, Khalnayak, Dillagi, Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, and Golmaal Returns, among others.
What kind of work does Susmita Mukherjee do now?
Mukherjee says she is now selective and only takes on projects that resonate with her personally. She has stated that she no longer does work that does not 'touch her soul' and is satisfied with her current projects.
