Neha Dhupia has a strong background in Bollywood. Recognised for the strength of her performances in item numbers, she has also proven she can act with performances in Shootout at Lokhandwala, Singh is Kinng and Dasvidanya. Even so, she found herself somewhat overwhelmed on the set of Maharathi, based on the renowned Gujurati drama, when faced with working with actors she has admired for years such as Naseruddin Shah and Om Puri.
In the movie, in one scene, the script calls upon her to berate Naseruddin mercilessly. “I have immense respect for Naseerji and screaming at him turned out to be very difficult,” she says.
Neha has been deliberately steering her career towards more intense and less commercial cinema. Doesn’t this mean the former Miss India earns less money? “Maybe, but the satisfaction is immense, and the contentment I derive from my work today is multifold,” she explains, “Being a part of simple, beautiful films like Mithya, Maharathi, Dasvidaniya… and working with the likes of Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Paresh Rawal… has given me more than what money ever could.”
Other than Maharathi, Neha has a number of films lined up including Cellphone, Hot, Raftaar with Emraan Hashmi – in which she has her hair cut short, Pappu Can’t Dance and Kuch Love Kuch Drama.
