‘ The talented ones sustain’
A few days back my dad asked me when I plan to get
a real job and I wondered how do
I explain this is what I want to do
Ex- Miss India Neha Dhupia completes a decade in Bollywood this month and as we catch up with her she fondly recalls her journey. Neha says, “A decade is definitely a great number. For me the journey has been more than just hits and flops and box office figures. It’s the relationships I have made right since my first film Qayamat and experiences I have had on the sets that are most memorable. At times I feel I know a lot about films, while at other times I feel there is so much to learn. So it’s mixed emotions for me right now.”
The actress has two interesting films coming up this year — Karan Johar’s Ungli and Santa Banta co- starring Boman Irani and Vir Das. An excited Neha says, “I play a journalist in Ungli and it’s an exciting film directed by Rensil D’silva. In Santa Banta, my husband gets kidnapped and the audience will have to see if Boman and Vir’s characters can rescue him. It’s a comedy with a high drama quotient.”
While a number of former Miss India’s are making their Bollywood debut this year, the actress wishes them luck but also has some advice to offer. She says, “Firstly I would like to congratulate all of them for getting their first film. However, the first film is easy to get, it is the second and third that determines how much faith producers have in your acting abilities. It is the talented ones that sustain in the industry.”
Recalling her own journey the actress gets nostalgic about her pre- Miss India days. “My ambitions were very different before I won Miss India. My only concern was getting one more modelling assignment or walking the ramp for a known designer. I am the first person in my family who is in the glamour industry. My win came as a surprise to everyone. Infact, a few days ago my dad asked me when I plan to get a real job and I wondered how do I explain that this is my job and it’s what I want to do all my life,” laughs Neha.
While Neha is a Punjabi, with her father being a part of the Navy she has travelled all over the country and says that she has fond memories of growing up in Kerala. She says, “I was born and raised in Kerala and I am still in touch with a lot of friends from Navy backgrounds. I believe your awards and DVDs will get rusted but it is these relationships that will remain. I started working in my early 20s and try to be in touch with everyone who has been associated with me.”
While Neha has had some linkups in the past, she tells us that she is currently single. “Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone special in my life right now,” says the actress as she signs off.