Exclusive: Neha Dhupia Will Scream From A Rooftop & Say “Will Never Do Surgeries” – Bad Newz Actress Recalls Her Pehli Kamai, Biggest Takeaways From Career & More!
Neha Dhupia in an exclusive and heartfelt conversation with Koimoi talked about her career choices, pressures, shifting gears and more.
Neha Dhupia In An Exclusive Conversation Recalls Her Pehli Kamai, Biggest Takeaways From Career & More! (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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In the last few years, if there is one person who has been supporting films and making her own space and ruling, it is Neha Dhupia. She has been doing it consistently, one film at a time and one character at a time. Be it playing a fierce cop in A Thursday or turning up a support system and guide in Tumhari Sulu and Helicopter Eela.
Even with Bad Newz she slayed in her suave avatar of Ma Corona. Talking about this gradual shift of playing lead actors and then choosing to play supporting characters in films like A Thursday and the recently released Bad Newz, the actress talked at length about her journey.
In an exclusive conversation with Koimoi, Neha Dhupia asserted, “I mean, the transition is something that you need to come to terms with, and it’s never easy, right? You play the lead, the most important person, when it comes to screenplay, film, poster, everything. But then you strategically understand that your relevance does not always lie in being in a film. I chose just being a good, important part of most films because that gave me A, longevity, B, relevance, and C, and it gave me more offers. So, you know, the switch had to be done.”
Neha Dhupia plays Kiara Advani’s aunt in Bad Newz, and if you haven’t watched her slaying the part with absolute ease, you can watch the film premiering on Star Gold on December 22.
Neha Dhupia On Shifting Gears In Her Profession
Talking about playing a strong supporting character in the film and taking the other road confidently, Neha Dhupia discussed why she chose to shift gears at the right time and further said, “Obviously, if you get main lead roles and things like that, you want that, but was I getting those many main lead roles? No, because I’d already, like, you know, I’ve been working for almost over two decades now. So, I’ve been around for 20, 21 years. So, my whole point is that, you know, you’ve got to be really, really, you know, if that was the case, I would be, like, on superstar kind of stature. But I’m not. But the one thing that I’m extremely proud of is the journey I’ve had, the hustle I always will have, no matter what, the voice I have, and the person I choose to be. So, if I look at the sum total of all of that, the choices from main lead to supporting have been interesting. They’ve been diverse. They’ve been a great experience. Most importantly, they’ve been a very big experiment in my life creatively.
Neha Dhupia In An Exclusive Chat Recalls Her Pehli Kamai (Photo Credit – Instagram)
Neha Dhupia’s Pehli Kamai
When asked about her first salary, the actress proudly recalled working for a 2-day job at an exhibition. She took a trip down memory lane and narrated her first job, making it sound as important as any other job. “Of course, I remember my pehli kamai. I was working on an exhibition, and I got 500 rupees a day. And I got a two-day job, and I had 1000 bucks when I was, I think, in college. And I had; I felt like this 1000 rupees was so much because I ended up buying gifts for my brother and mom, my dad, and my grandmom. We went for, like, I think it was chana bhatura, which is like 10 or 20 bucks a plate because in Delhi, that was like the great meal you have. Still, I felt like the 1000 bucks were a lot. Then I had, like, I think, 150 bucks left. I deposited that in the bank. So, at that time, 1000 bucks felt like, oh my God, you have so much money.”
Are Surgeries & Going Under The Knife Essential?
Neha Dhupia was a successful model and Miss India in 2002, so who better than a celebrated supermodel to discuss the good and the bad of the much-discussed surgery and the ever going debate around them? The actress honestly answers, “For the ones who’ve done it, and for the ones who choose to do it, I’d have to let it be their choice. I can only answer it from my end. Will I do it? No, never.”
But taking the discussion further, the Bad Newz actress felt it was important to let a 20-year-old girl understand that giving in and succumbing to the pressure might not be the correct way. She even discussed the issue since a lot of actresses have chose to reveal that they were asked to go under the knife during their struggling days. She explains, “Was I in self-doubt in my 20s? About my physicality? I must have been. Did I let that moment of pressure pass? Yes. My mind took over, and I realized that, you know, the pressure, the temptation of an offer to think from someone else’s mind, the concept of beauty, all of that is how you define yourself. I may have had the bandwidth, the intelligence, the approach, the attitude to look at it differently. Some people don’t.”
She even brutally yet very importantly points out the casual blaming and says, “To go under a knife, to have surgical changes done to yourself, I mean, anything, to like inject things in your face because people have asked you to do those. I don’t know; please change the medical terminologies the way you need to and make it sound correct. Also, those are the choices that people make. But then, in hindsight, to blame someone else for the choices is not okay because, at that point, you had the power to overcome the temptation of the professional offer as well, right?”
Neha Dhupia Roots For Body Positivity
The actress further discussed her journey as a mother and how her body changed during that time. She said, “I embrace everything that is God gifted, is natural, is the way I am. I’ve seen my body change. I was 23 kilos out when I gave birth. I lost 23 kilos. Looking at this reel that I put up, which is the film, and I’m like, I look so different now. But it doesn’t matter. That was the phase of my life that I was in. Am I going to embrace it? Of course I am. Is it the most beautiful thing? Of course. I mean, look at my son now. He’s as cute as a button. Do I regret putting on that much weight because I was giving birth to him? No, but that’s the person I am.”
Neha Dhupia further emphasized on the importance of self-worth and working endlessly to meet your goals and said, “Am I happy? Do I seek or derive pleasure out of losing the 20 kilos, taking my time, showing up at the gym every day, not going through anything wrong or any kind of oral medication to lose weight, or going under the knife? I did none of that. I’m very proud of it. But am I judging people who are doing it? No, I’m not, because I don’t have time to judge more than anything else, nor do I have the bandwidth.”
Neha Dhupia In An Exclusive Chat Reveals If She Would Go Under The Knife? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
Will Neha Dhupia Go Under The Knife?
The actress while discussing about surgeries and how they might make a young teenager feel about her looks clearly asserted, “I can scream from a rooftop and say, no, I will never do surgeries. I will never ponder in life. I will never do anything which changes the way I look. And I will always embrace the person I am. I’m very confident in my skin.”
Reaching out to every young girl out there, the actress was more than happy to share her personal journey and suggested they have patience and give time to themselves. The mother of two said, “I want every young girl to share that you’re beautiful just the way you are. I want every young girl, who’s probably sitting somewhere at the end of her teenage years or in her early twenties, who’s under pressure to look a certain way, to perform a certain way, to give it time. You have the magic in you. Let it all shine through. You don’t have to use any sort of crutch in your life, especially an artificial one or even a professional one, to show them that you’re better. You just have to believe in yourself. I promise you that’s all you need. And believe me, this is such a strong emotion because once you believe in yourself, nobody can take that away from you.”
Neha Dhupia’s Biggest Takeaway From A 21 Year Old Career
Talking about her biggest accomplishments and learnings from an illustrious career in the industry, the actress said, “My biggest takeaway is that you’ve got to move ahead with the times. You’ve got to work when you’re younger. You’ve got to stay relevant. You have to make smart choices. And I feel you can’t be in your own bubble. You have to have a huge reality check. You are where you stand. And, you know, how easily replaceable you are. So, you know, these are the little things. And also not too seriously. Believe it or not.”
She continued, “You have to take yourself a little less seriously or take yourself a little lightly so that you can have a laugh at yourself as well. The day you start learning from your failures as much as you enjoy your success, that’s when you find the right balance in this business at least. Because it’s so like, you know, within the same week, there are actors who see success and fail on the same Friday as well.”
Neha Dhupia’s Regrets
The actress admits she has none. “So when I look back, I feel like what would happen at the right time, maybe slightly later. But for me, that was the right time. And I don’t know, a couple of projects that I probably said no to end up becoming a very big success. And maybe I should have done that. But if I hadn’t done that (rejecting the offers), then I wouldn’t have done other stuff. I wouldn’t have done OTT, or I wouldn’t have diverted into having my own podcast or going on a reality show. But those are also life learnings and experiences.”
Well, we hope that Neha Dhupia’s journeys and life lessons definitely help someone who is reading this and has been looking for just that little motivation on a very tough day.
For more such interviews and exclusive stories, stay tuned to Koimoi.
