In a film which has Akshay Kumar as the leading man and Aishwarya Rai as the lady in arms, it is difficult to imagine anyone else in close vicinity.
After all the duo is being seen as a lead couple for the first time (in 'Khakee', Ash shared a few romantic moments with Akshay for a while before she turned out to be Ajay Devgn's accomplice).
This is the reason why one wonders whether a certain Neha Dhupia would actually manage to make her presence felt in her upcoming release 'Action Replayy' that features the trio.
"All I can say is that Ash and Akshay have their own place in the industry and I have my own.
I have lot of respect for them and came into the film because I thought I got a great part. If I wouldn't have felt good about my character, I wouldn't have stepped in.
After all no one held a pistol on my head to do the film", says Neha who has featured alongside much bigger star like Katrina Kaif (De Dana Dan) not too many moons ago.
In 'De Dana Dan', even though Katrina was the star attraction, Neha had still managed to get some of the best scenes and managed to make an impression. Do we see something similar in 'Action Replayy' as well?
"Please don't try to make any controversy here", smiles Neha, "We are not in a boxing bout where one has to defeat another. In 'De Dana Dan' I had a good role, I enjoyed doing that and the result spoke for itself.
Same holds true for 'Action Replayy' too. This is a good place to work and as far as everyone is delivering well and continuing to come together for the benefit of the film, it works best for everyone involved. There is no intention to beat the competition here."
Still, it is a known fact that Katrina was in an extended cameo in 'De Dana Dan' while Ash has a far more full fledged role in 'Action Replayy'. Doesn't that make her nervous?
"When Vipul (Shah) offered 'Action Replaay' to me, I was truly flattered", confesses Neha, "He had options to choose other girls but he chose me. Doesn't that state so much about the confidence that he has in me? He hasn't let me down in the past (Singh Is Kinng); I am sure he won't even now (Action Replayy)".
Well Neha, we would soon know.
Friday, September 10, 2010 19:45 IST