Neha Dhupia is many things. As one of the hardest working women in entertainment – she acts, hosts, judges, models, and produces – Neha has captured the attention (and criticism) of practically everyone.
The actress recently completed two decades in the showbiz- “Everything is so transitional," she admits, after a roller-coaster 20 years that saw her rose to prominence following the Miss India 2002 pageant victory and the subsequent starring roles in acclaimed films like Julie, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Mithya, and Phas Gaye Re Obama.
Now 41 years old, Neha is enjoying a great second innings in the industry, with more and more interesting roles coming her way, be it Tumhari Sulu, Lust Stories or her last onscreen outing, A Thursday. In this interview, she spoke at length about her biggest takeaways from her journey so far, advocating for body positivity, and the pay disparity in Bollywood.
Learnings From Success And Failure
Neha says that in Bollywood the smallest of things are defined by how successful you are in your career or how many hits you have given in recent time. She explains, “Every time you fail, it’s not entirely your fault. And every time you succeed, it’s just not your success. You have to give it to a team and everything. If you look at the flip side, and that’s what I’ve learned in life, and maybe this is a wisdom I have now when I’m 41, that there’s a joy in failure, because there’s no fear after that you hit rock bottom, and you’ve got nothing to lose. Except you’re right on top, you can fall and fall flat on your face. Both things have a flip side. Everything is so transitional."
“Strangely enough, like someone’s dress is beautiful, and that person is beautiful because their box office numbers are high. I know the business we come from. You could be like being you and can look the best in the room, but still you’re going to be not praised because you must have had a release eight months ago that didn’t do well. Everything is defined by success including the conversations or the hierarchy of you saying hello. All of it is defined by even the smaller things. And I’m very aware of it. And I never take it seriously."
Embracing Ageing And Getting Comfortable In Her Own Skin
Neha has also been open about how she embraces her body through every change regardless of her pregnancies with her two kids and postpartum. “Even in Miss India 20 years ago, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m short. I’ll never win!’ Because the height criteria was 5 feet 7 inches and I was 5’7". Sometimes in my 20s, I would think I was not a size zero so I wouldn’t get a movie. But now when I look at it when I’m a size 10, I look back and say, ‘Hey, 4 wasn’t so bad!’ But now I embrace it. I know I have put on weight but I had two children. For me, body positivity is about being happy and being extremely fit in the body you’re in. Even this morning, I woke up and ran seven kilometers and I started playing with my children after that because I’m getting back into fitness. But just because I’m getting back into it, am I going to embrace this body that’s given me these two beautiful children? Of course, I am. I see this with nothing but complete humility, as a size 10, I’ve achieved way more than a size zero. So there’s nothing to not be I’m not. At least I can say I’m not unhealthy. I have no issues. I’m working. I’m working out every day. I’m working towards achieving a certain level of fitness and at the same time, I feel great about it," Neha elaborates.
More Men Than Ever Are Working Towards Becoming Better Allies To Women
Neha further says that things are slowing getting better for women in the film industry with more men than ever in positions of power aiming to level the playing field. She says, “I was in an all male, not male, but the men were the writers, they were the directors, they were the producers between Ronnie Screwvala and everybody else, they opened an entire new narrative of casting an eight month pregnant woman as an eight month pregnant cop. One thing is, being on a set and working when you’re pregnant, one thing is embracing your pregnancy, reaching out to your director, producer, and then them changing the narrative after shooting, to say that we will do it as long as you are okay. And I was just like, ‘Yes, of course!’ There was a lot of hand holding and there were days that through the process of filming, I got so pregnant, I couldn’t even climb the steps of my vanity van. But there were people holding me through it, and I didn’t want to give up."
“So, it’s not just the women, it’s the men also who are understanding it more. So you have to give it to the industry together. And I feel that a large part of this is that we need to stop discriminating and asking women a certain set of questions and men a certain set of questions, and expecting women to behave certainly and men to behave a certain way. I feel like we really need to harp on equality everywhere we go," adds Neha.
Bollywood Bridging The Gender Pay Gap, Brick By Brick
“I think there are a lot of women and I can name them like Deepika (Padukone), Kareena (Kapoor Khan) or Alia (Bhatt) and so many are leading the way. I don’t know how true it is, and I don’t know how false it is, but there have been reports that women are getting paid more than the men on set. And they are great rumours to have. So that’s fantastic. The fight is always going to be there, but I just feel like the gap has been bridged. Also, more than voices being amplified, your work needs to speak. Look at Vidya (Balan)! How can I forget her name? There’s so many women who kind of dominate in so many different ways. Has it been hard or difficult for me? I’m at a stage in my career where I only go to a film set when I think it’s worth leaving my children and going. My incentive to work is good work. And the paycheck is, of course, important and I’ve never been a high roller so I don’t know the feeling."
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