by Subhash K Jha

"I almost feel like a debutante again. I'm glad that skin thing is over," laughs Neha.

Chup chup ke... Neha Dhupia has changed her image. "Priyan's film Chup Chup Ke gave me a new deglamorized avatar. Everyone thinks of me as a girl with the bronzed body. People were shocked to see me wearing a salwar-kameez throughout the film.

There's no fun being an actress if you don't keep re-inventing yourself. I went through this supposedly sexy phase. Now I'm doing roles where there's more meat than meets the eye...

And let me tell you Chup Chup Ke was fun for many reasons, including Bebo who was absolutely hassle-free. In fact I stand by her behaviour."

While Kareena plays the mute mademoiselle in Chupe Chupe Ke Neha is the chirpy talkative one. "So it's a nice cute balance between us."

She can't get over the fact that Priyadarshan offered her a deglamorized role. "I was that 'hot' babe in Priyan's earlier film Garam Masala. I had a brief role there. That I guess lead to bigger things in Chup Chup Ke."

Priyan had promised her a more prominent part next time. "But in this industry who keeps promises. Priyan did. I respect that."

She's also excited about her new un-sexy image in other films. "Gradully the sexy wave has peaked. I was comfortable enough with Deepak Shivdasani's Julie. It was an author-backed role for me. I relished doing it.

But somewhere by the time I came to Sheesha the steamy thing ran out steam. Audiences got tired of watching such films. But I'm not ashamed of what I did."

Neha admits Sheesha had an excess of the skin and smooch formula. "You know in hindsight it's easy to say what went wrong with a film. There were any things that I could feel going wrong with Sheesha when we were doing it.

Some bits of the film were definitely over-the-top. But there was nothing I could say without sounding arrogant and out-of-turn. Unfortunately for the film and fortunately for me Sheesha didn't work.

Otherwise I'd get more such offers. As for my recent turn in Harry Baweja's Teesri Aankh, let's just put it this way. Me and Harry Baweja go back a long way. He had launched me in Qayamat. When he offered me this new film I couldn't question him about the role. Some things in life, you do blindly."

She's very excited Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local where she's totally deglam. "It's about these two strangers me and Abhay Deol. The fresh pairing is exciting. We meet and spend two hours together. It's a comedy of errors. It's a really funky film."

Finally Ujjawal Chatterjee's Uthaan. The director claims it's inspired by Jessica Lal's life. "Not what I've shot," shoots back Neha.

"My character doesn't have anything to do with Jessica Lal. I play an ambitious model who chooses between love and career. It's a simple story and fortunately I didn't have to do anything cheesy."

After-hours? "I've moved into my new place. I really spend a lot of time working out. I spend at least two hours in the gym. I like to spend time cooking, I'm very domesticated. I'd rather stay at my new home and watch tv or read a book than go out and party."

No one special in Neha's life right now. "There have been relationships off and on. But nothing spectacular and nothing right now. I don't want to fall in love. I want to rise in love. I don't want to go ballistic when I fall in love. The only thing that I want to surrender to is my work."