Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
Bollywood

No one is your friend in Bollywood: Neha Sharma

Darpan News Desk IANS, 31 Mar, 2014 04:30 PM
  • No one is your friend in Bollywood: Neha Sharma
Neha Sharma, who started her career with southern films, has done a couple of Hindi movies but she still feels like an outsider in Bollywood and says "no one is your friend here".
 
She was seen in the films "Crook", "Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum" and the recently released "Youngistaan".
 
"I don't think I've found wide acceptance. I don't even think the big banners know about me. But I am still trying to find my bearings around here," said the 26-year-old Bihari girl. 
 
"It isn't easy since I am very conservative at heart. Back home in Bhagalpur, we were a very non-filmy family. We didn't know much about movies except Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. And we knew about Sanjeev Kumar because he was my mother's favourite actor. My three siblings were all into academics. And two of them are now settled in Chicago," she added.
 
Neha is hoping "Youngistaan" would bring her the kind of recognition that she is working towards. 
 
"I did get my first film easily," said the actress who debuted with director Puri Jagganath's Telugu movie "Chirutha" in 2007.
 
"But since then it hasn't been an easy journey for me. Once I did a couple of Telugu films, I wanted to move to Bollywood. That's where the struggle began. Though I bagged 'Crook' with a big banner (Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt) and with a top leading man Emraan Hashmi, the film didn't do well."
 
 
"Though 'Crook' didn't work, I think it was a good film. 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum' received a lot of flak. But it was a commercial success. That's what counts in the film industry," she said.
 
Though Neha loves Mumbai, she is still wary of Bollywood. 
 
"No one is your friend here. Everyone is here to do her work. I am still searching for a meaning to this industry beyond the box office. Luckily, I got 'Youngistaan' just in time. I am hoping it would be a turning point for me," she said.
 
It wasn't as if Neha sought a movie career. 
 
"'Chirutha' just fell into my lap. Like thousands of other small town girls I was just another aspirant from Bhagalpur hoping to make something out of my life. I came to Delhi to do a course in fashion designing. While studying I did a bit of modelling. That's how Puri Jagannath saw my pictures and called me. I was game for a movie career," she said. 
 
"Chirutha" gave her the chance to travel abroad. "It was shot in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. That was incentive enough for me to do the film," she added.
 
But to start her movie career with a negative character was tantamount to professional suicide.
 
 
"Every well-wisher advised me against it. No actress in Telugu cinema who has played a negative role at the start of her career has been accepted as a goody-goody heroine. I took the risk, and it worked. 
 
"I became the first Telugu debutant to get mass acceptance in a negative role. In comparison, my character Anwita Chauhan in 'Youngistaan' was a piece of cake. Or should I say... a gulaab jamum?"

MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

Hrithik best dancer in the industry: Shahid Kapoor

Hrithik best dancer in the industry: Shahid Kapoor
hahid Kapoor, all set to host the 15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards with Farhan Akhtar, is known for his dancing skills, but the actor says he is not even a patch on Hrithik Roshan.

Hrithik best dancer in the industry: Shahid Kapoor

Sunny Deol focussed on 'Ghayal Returns', delays other projects

Sunny Deol focussed on 'Ghayal Returns', delays other projects
Actor-producer Sunny Deol, who has decided to direct the much awaited film "Ghayal Returns", says he is completely focussed on the project, and other films can wait for the moment.

Sunny Deol focussed on 'Ghayal Returns', delays other projects

Jacqueline enjoyed 'Kick' shooting in Delhi

Jacqueline enjoyed 'Kick' shooting in Delhi
Sri Lankan beauty and Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who has wrapped up shooting the Delhi schedule of her upcoming film "Kick" with Salman Khan, says she had a lot of fun while filming in the capital as got to see many places that she had never seen before.

Jacqueline enjoyed 'Kick' shooting in Delhi

I'll be performing in US after a decade: Hrithik on IIFA

I'll be performing in US after a decade: Hrithik on IIFA
Hindi film superstar Hrithik Roshan will perform at the 15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards taking place in Tampa Bay, Florida. He is looking forward to the event as he will be performing in the US after a decade.

I'll be performing in US after a decade: Hrithik on IIFA

Raj Babbar loses cool, slams cops for shooting his video

Raj Babbar loses cool, slams cops for shooting his video
Actor-politician Raj Babbar says he was not being high-handed when he questioned police officials for videographing him as he was "informally" addressing "my party colleagues at a private gathering".

Raj Babbar loses cool, slams cops for shooting his video

Shatrughan Sinha to get special honour at IIFA

Shatrughan Sinha to get special honour at IIFA
Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha will be honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema award at the forthcoming edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony to be held in Tampa Bay, Florida next month.

Shatrughan Sinha to get special honour at IIFA