Today Only Sex And Shah Rukh Khan Sell At The Box Office

NEHA DHUPIA

Jyothi Venkatesh

Today is the former Miss India Neha Dhupia’s 40th birthday. We wish her a happy birthday by reproducing this controversial freewheeling interview of NEHA DHUPIA by JYOTHI VENKATESH sixteen years ago when she was making her debut as a leading lady with Qayamat, where she boldly states that to appear in a bikini in a film isn’t a big deal at all, as far as she is concerned.

Did you plan to take up a career as an actress?
I had absolutely no plans to take up acting as a career option when I had decided to take part in the Femina Miss India contest. I am a rank outsider, the daughter of a defense officer. I did not know about anyone in the industry though I had heard of several.

People tend to dub beauty queens and models as non-actors. How do you react?
All the beauty queens who have entered the industry before me have actually paved the way for us who are following in their footsteps. Thankfully all the girls are doing well like Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Datta and Priyanka Chopra. Gone are the good old days when beauty queens and models used to be jeered at because they were non-actors.

How did you prepare yourself as an actor?
I had learnt what acting is by undergoing a crash course with Kishore Namit Kapoor while I was preparing myself for Miss India contest. I had also learnt Kathak under Pandit Veeru Krishnan.I am already well trained in horse riding since I happen to be a defense officer’s daughter. You do not have to teach a crocodile to swim!

Neha Dhupia

Isn’t it true that Gracy, who was the original choice, lost out on the film Qayamat because she refused to wear the bikini?
May be I was destined to be in Qayamat. I do not know whether Gracy was thrown out of the project because she had refused to wear a bikini or not. All I know is that I had worn a bikini in the film because the script demanded it. Let me tell you that to appear in a bikini isn’t a big deal. I have been even on the national television in a bathing suit. For Qayamat we shot the sequence on a white beach in Mauritius and the entire unit was working in swimming costumes. People have complimented me that I did not look vulgar in bikini. You can end up looking vulgar only when you prance around in wet saris but look sexy and decent even you wear less clothes depending upon when you are wearing what.

Does that mean that you have no qualms to wearing any kind of clothes to titillate the audiences?
There is a very thin dividing line between exploitation and getting into the skin of your character. Six more films like Julie should come to change the mind set of our audience. The new breed of artistes is willing to experiment. When I signed Julie, neither Mallika Sherawat nor Meghna Naidu was there on the scene. There was no danger of me getting slotted in the bracket of sex film actresses too. I am ready to wear any kind of costume whenever I am asked to by the director. Far from it, I had initially asked Harry Baweja who directed Qayamat a lot of questions. It was only when he convinced me that I agreed to wear a bikini. Can you imagine today a lot of music videos also have a lot of vulgarity?

Weren’t you scared of the syndrome of the casting couch when you decided to set your foot in films?
People ask me whether I am not scared of the casting couch in the film industry. My reply is that if you do not let anyone do anything and get away with it, take it from me, nothing can happen to you forcibly. You are liable to be exploited only if you project that ‘come hither look’.

Did you have any second thoughts when you were offered the role of Julie?
I liked the subject when Deepak Shivdasani narrated it to me because he had so much of clarity in his head. Sex was no doubt the highlight of Julie but the content of the film was rich. The role of the innocent Goan girl who, because of circumstances ends up as a sex worker was a very difficult role to portray. Many girls in similar circumstances who take up prostitution for financial reasons choose to commit suicide. I had to clearly distinguish all the different emotions. Even Rekha had played a sex worker in Mother. I was excited about playing three different phases in the same film.

Are you a feminist?
No. I am not a feminist at all. I have seen sex being used as a weapon by women all the time. I chose to do Julie not because I am desperate for work. It was an obvious effort at showing me as a complete actress. Bollywood is the only industry where you can choose a project if you want. I will not be in a situation where I will be forced to take up a film. As an actor, I do not have any qualms about showing my skin on the screen. I had made my debut with a film like Qayamat in which I did not have much of screen time. I was very sure that Julie was a film, which would never send wrong signals to the audience. The best thing about Julie was that it did not glorify the aspect of Julie becoming a sex worker.

Neha Dhupia

Were you nervous when you did the intimate kissing scenes in the film?
Both my co-stars Yash Tonk and Sanjay Kapoor were scared, not me, because they were answerable at home to their wives whereas I am single and ready to mingle.

Do you think prostitution should be abolished?
A part of me feels that prostitution should be abolished completely because it is so demeaning a profession, if you can call it a profession. However one part of me says that we should stop shying from it. It is only situations and circumstances beyond their control, which have led young girls to take to prostitution.

Did you attend any workshop to prepare yourself for the role?
Yes. The theatre stalwart Satyadev Dubey conducted a workshop to enable me to get my basics in acting. Initially if you notice I spout Goan Hindi and not bambaiya Hindi.

To what extent could you identify yourself with the character of Julie?
It isn’t very easy to live alone in a big bad city like Mumbai. I do. I could identify with Julie as far as her closeness with her father. My father calls me Doll. He was thrilled with the promos of the film when I was in London with him.

Do you think sex films will always click at the box office?
Today there is a very mature audience for films like Julie, Murder, Masti. Today people like ice candy. Today either Shah Rukh Khan or sex sells at the box office. Both Main Hoon Na and Murder got a 100% opening

Have you signed any other film after the success of Julie?
I am working in K.C. Bokadia’s new film Limit. I am also working in Ekta Kapoor’s Kya Kool Hain Hum, which is an out and out comedy. I also have up my sleeves yet another comedy like Phir Hera Pheri, to be directed by Satish Kaushik.I am also acting in Sheesha opposite Sonu Sood. Besides these, I have also signed two more big films. Big banners will produce them with big directors and big stars. I would not like to divulge the details right now because I feel it is too early and there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. Do you get me?