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Neha gets serious

Neha Dhupia has some unconventional films lined up for release

PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY

SUNNY DAYS AHEAD Actress Neha Dhupia

What's common to Bipasha Basu, Mallika Sherawat and Neha Dhupia? Films such as Jism, Murder and Julie gave them their passport to fame.

Soon Bipasha and Mallika switched to "quality and performance-oriented" roles.

And chose films such as Corporate and Pyar Ke Side Effects. Neha is not far behind. As she puts it: "I've almost re-launched myself. Four of my films will be released in the next few months and each one is quite different."

New projects

An oft-repeated statement? Not really, if you see what she has in store. Coming up first is Ek Chalis Ki Local with Abhay Deol. "In the film, Abhay and I play strangers, who meet one night after having missed the local train back home. The story unravels during that one night and shows how our relationship grows. There's a plenty of comedy. I play a girl from Borivili. We shot on the Mumbai suburban trains and in the chawls. It was pretty crazy."

In contrast is her other project, Delhi Heights, a Sivaji Productions' first Hindi film. Soaking in the flavour of Delhi, the film looks at the lives of a young couple, played by Neha and Jimmy Shergill.

"Here, I'm a woman of today, who knows her mind and tries to strike a balance between home and career."

Her other films include Shootout at Lokhandwala (with Sanjay Dutt) and a untitled Rajat Kapoor-directed one where she shares screen space with Naseeruddin Shah.

Ask her about Qayamat where she grabbed attention for sporting a bikini and Julie, she says: "It wasn't easy. I got similar offers. Believe me, it's tough to refuse work and revenue that come your way. But somewhere along the way, I had to do a rethink about where I was headed. I want to be known as an actor first and then a star. So I started looking out for quality work. This is the only profession where I can play a housewife one day and a dentist the following day."

SANGEETHA DEVI K.

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