Back from shooting for a Greek-English film in Cyprus, Neetu Chandra is busy gearing up for her next project. She will be playing a Kathak dancer of the 1930s British India in the film.
And since the actress has always taken an active interest in dance, preparing for the role was never going to be difficult. "I have always been inclined towards music and dance. As a result, I move in a certain rhythm, " Neetu says matter-of-factly.
According to her, learning Kathak defined her personality during her school days when she was introduced to it. While she also regularly practises martial art, 28-year-old adds, "I have been practising classical dance forms too. I have been dancing since I was a kid. Kathak is the base of all dance forms and it instills discipline in the person who whole-heartedly practices it."
Down under
Neetu has three upcoming releases this year, and incidentally they are in three different languages. Noted South film director Ameer Sultan's next is one of them. The actress has also done several Tamil and Telugu films in the recent past. Has she firmly set her eyes on concentrating in South films for the time being?
Neetu points out, "People just assume I'm stuck down South, " and adds that Tamil cinema is the backbone of present-day Hindi film industry, "So many remakes are being made in Bollywood. By that logic, I should be more than happy to be working with the very original!"
Hero Hooda
While being not so forthcoming to talk about her relationship with beau Randeep Hooda, Neetu feels he is an inspiration for newbies in Bollywood. She says, "He's an example for newcomers from non-filmi background. But we ought to remember that it took him nearly a decade of struggling to get where he is today."
