STARS DRIVE THE BOX-OFFICE NUMBERS: 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 boxoffice 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.