Actress Neha Dhupia, in conversation with Guardian 20, speaks about her 15-year-long acting career and the art of staying relevant. She also touches upon her new fashion-based television show, Styled by Neha that airs on FOX Life every Friday at 8 p.m.
Q. What has been your basic idea behind styling and carrying out a makeover as a mentor in Styled by Neha?
A. The basic philosophy behind styling is very simple: understand your personality, understand your body type and then go ahead and style yourself accordingly. Don’t always pick up the first thing that’s there in your wardrobe or something that’s in your comfort zone… People usually have an idea about what looks good on them and they continuously buy the same silhouette. One should experiment but must not follow everything that they see are trendy or are on a fashion magazine because style is very different from fashion. Style reflects your personality and makes you feel far more confident.
Q. Since we are talking about style and makeover here, how have your style and fashion sensibilities changed after becoming a Bollywood actress?
A. The changes that I had to go through when I entered Bollywood were not many. It’s just that one has a tendency—especially when you are young, you are new or when you are a newcomer—of following other people who are way more successful than you. It’s their style and their fashion that you follow because you look up to them… Coming up with your own personality, your own style is extremely important. So, it’s not okay to copy someone’s style but I have made that mistake in the past but now I stay away from it.
Q. Your maternity fashion is on point too. So what according to you is the key to getting maternity fashion right?
A. I think the key to getting maternity fashion right is definitely comfort and everything else comes after that. So I make sure that I am comfortable and then I choose colours that make me feel happy. As much as I can, I try and wear dresses with pockets so that I don’t have to carry heavy handbags. That’s my maternity fashion tip.
Q. Mothers-to-be usually get a lot of advice on parenting. How has it been for you so far?
A. It’s true, I am getting a lot of advice and I definitely don’t want to be that mum who will be giving all my friends advice about motherhood because getting advice from different people can get so overwhelming. You know there is no such thing as a bad parent, every parent is good. The mother that goes to work is amazing, the mother that decides to stay at home is amazing, the mother that decides to look at the child all the time and give a keen eye to the child is amazing, and the mother that is a little more relaxed is amazing too: all parents are good. But the kind of mother that I want to be is the one who has not set too many rules. But one rule that is going to stay is that I want my baby to be in bed by 7:30 p.m. I don’t know if that’s wishful thinking or not but hopefully, I’ll try and do that because that way I will get some rest as well but I really haven’t thought about it and I am going to take it as it comes.
Q. You have so much going on right now. What are your career plans once the baby is here?
A. I don’t know what it is going to be like when the baby arrives. I don’t know what it is going to be like when I am sitting at home nursing, feeding the baby. But I will come back to work sooner than most people do. At least I would like to believe that. Now, whether that happens or not is only a matter of time.
Q. You started your acting career when you were quite young. Now that it has been more than a decade in the industry, how do you look back on the journey?
A. I was 21 when I had done a feature in Japan and my first Hindi film was when I was 23 or 24… The journey has been great. My intention has always been to stay relevant through the work that I do and my work has been nice enough for me to make sure that even if I am not working in the biggest of projects, I am still in a situation where I am relevant and doing work that I enjoy doing.
Q. How do you think the film industry and the attitude of audiences have changed towards cinema from the time you had started to now?
A. I feel like the audience decides the kind of cinema that they want to see. In my 15-year-long career or short career, I have seen lots of ups and downs, actually a lot of change in the kind of content that’s being produced. When I started off, there were mainstream films: the ones that would have a hero, a heroine, a villain and at least six amazing tracks with one item song to go with it. And then there would be action, there would be drama, there would be chill, that would be complete packages… The journey has been so vast and diverse and I am so glad that I feel the change in the industry and it’s such a good time for actors who are coming into the business right now.
Q. In addition to the big screen, you also seemed to have realised the potential of varied platforms like Saavn and even the small screen for that matter. So what are your thoughts on these mediums as an artiste who is doing extremely well over those?
A. Well, I have dabbled in all platforms, whether it’s audio, whether its video, whether its digital, whether its film, whether its television. S0o I have done it all and I have to say that each one has its pluses and none of them have their minuses. As long as there is an audience, you must go and do work that you believe in. I am very fond of being in conversation with people and therefore I have two talk shows; one of them is called No Filter Neha and the other one is called BFF. I am very fond of adventure and therefore I do Roadies. And I am most fond of fashion and that’s why I am doing this amazing show on FOX Life called Styled by Neha.
Q. Bollywood and even the people outside the film industry are talking about the #MeToo movement. How has the movement affected you personally?
A. Firstly, it makes you angry. Secondly, it leaves you flabbergasted with the kind of names that are coming out… But the fact that it is the best clean up act that can happen in the business makes me so glad… It will definitely make the industry a better place for people who are aspiring to become actors, people who are aspiring to work…
Q. You have done a variety of roles throughout your acting career, what are the kinds of characters you want to explore now?
A. I will continue to work with good filmmakers, continue to work on good stories and continue to be a part of cinema that I would like to personally watch myself. After Helicopter Eela, I think I will be a part of a feature film once I become a mother, so it’s only a matter of time.