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First look

Neetu Chandra is eager to try out different genres and that's evident in her choice of films

ROLE CALL Neetu Chandra has a shot at regional films

Neetu Chandra would have remained one among the many pretty faces struggling to get a toehold in the film industry had she allowed herself to be slotted. Acting in ad films was her passport to cinema. What do you expect from someone who debuted as one among the three heroines in Garam Masala? More masala flicks? Well, no. Luck favoured Neetu and she was smart enough to grab those good offers.

Soon after Garam Masala came the offer from director Sekhar Kammula. Neetu was soon on board, essaying a full-length role, parallel to that of Komalinee Mukherji in Godavari.

"I was purely lucky to get such a wonderful role. I am new to Telugu films but there was help on all quarters. For instance, though I only had to lip sync and someone else dubbed for me, I used to practice the lines by talking to the members of the crew and they helped me improvise on the pronunciation. And I liked the girl-next-door kind of role I was asked to play," says Neetu.

Neetu hails from Ranchi and Telugu films are a different world altogether. But she says, "Language is not an issue. One of my forthcoming projects is a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual that also stars Mohanlal. It's not easy for a newcomer to pick and choose. But I am trying to do the best of what I get."

She has also been signed to act in Madhur Bhandarkar's last of the trilogy, Signal, which includes Konkona Sen. So, where does Neetu fit in? "Konkona is doing a cameo. I have a significant role, that of a small-town girl coming to Mumbai to eke out a living. In a way, Godavari helped me get the role in Signal. I showed Madhur the photos that were shot during the making of the film and he was impressed," replies Neetu.

Will we see her more often in Telugu films? "Godavari has been receiving good reviews and I've been getting positive feedback. So if more good roles come up, I'll be game," she says.

SANGEETHA DEVI. K

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