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flag Neena Gupta auditioned for *Bandit Queen* in 1994 but was rejected for being "too good-looking" and fair-skinned; the role went to Seema Biswas.

flag Neena Gupta has revealed she auditioned for the lead role in Shekhar Kapur’s 1994 film *Bandit Queen*, which went to Seema Biswas. flag Gupta, who moved to Bombay in the early 1990s, sent photos with a rugged, transformed look, including hair stuck in her nose, but was told she was “too good-looking” and too fair-skinned for the role of Phoolan Devi. flag Despite the rejection, she praised Biswas’s acclaimed performance. flag Gupta, a respected Indian actor, continues to work in film and streaming, with her upcoming movie *Vadh 2* releasing February 6, 2026.

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