Stars drive the box-office numbers, says Neha

Neha Dhupia will next be seen in the movie Tumhari Sulu, co-starring Vidya Balan. Neha, who will be sharing the frame with Vidya for the first time, admires her body of work. “I have always enjoyed her work. She takes a lot of risks and only good actors can do that. If you know you can carry off a role, then you give yourself that leap of faith. And she does that. More importantly, she is a good human being, and you want to work with people like that. When I did a few readings with her, [I found] she is really good, and what she brings to the table is something else. I really admire her as an actor,” says Neha.

While the content in movies seem to get better by the day, ask her if stars still drive the box-office numbers, and she says, “I think for making bigger cinema they [stars] are taking risks at their levels. Stars drive the numbers, that’s the reality. They get the show. You could be doing a great film, but it doesn’t change the reality. I am proud of the fact that I did a film like Moh Maya Money (2016). But for smaller films, that’s the truth when it comes to numbers.”

So is there a long way to go for niche films to enjoy box-office draw without star power? Will there be a time when both kinds of movies will not only co-exist but also flourish equally? “I think the phase was there, right now it is not. I feel even the bigger stars are willing to do these niche films. So, when a niche film or script is backed by a big star, the combination is lethal,” says the actor.