Neha Dhupia didn’t know how badly she wanted to be part of 52 Blue — until she got shortlisted for the part. Talking about how she bagged the coming-of-age drama, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Ali El Arabi, which screened at the International Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) on August 22, Neha recalls, “I got a call, and I came to know I was on the shortlist. It’s only when you get a script like this and make it to the shortlist that you feel ‘Now I really want this part.’ Three days before the shoot, I got a call saying I was on. I had reached a point where I felt nobody was going to give me roles that I really wanted. Little did I know that there'll be a crew from Egypt which would cast me in a role like this.”
Also starring Adil Hussain in the lead, 52 Blue revolves around a young boy who wishes to overcome his humble origins to become a footballer. In the film, Neha plays the boy’s mother, a simple woman from north India who is now living in Kerala because of her husband. Her circumstances have compelled her to give up her life and find joy through her children's dreams. Talking about the role and the working process with Ali El Arabi, Neha adds, “I've always been an actor who believes that less is more. I like to put myself in a situation where I can find flexibility in treating the part the way I see it. Ali did a video call with me and told me, ‘I see this person who has seen life, and these are the kind of eyes I want.’ It's so empowering and reassuring to feel that you're in a position to face the camera this way, as opposed to being put in a box.”
Neha also recalls how Ali directed her and Adil in contrasting ways, and for good reason. She says, “Ali was vibing with Adil differently than he was with me. Adil is well-rehearsed, well-thought through, and that gives you options for flexibility, while I go by instinct. Meanwhile, Ali kept telling me ‘You don't have to do what Adil is doing. Just give me those eyes that I saw on our first Zoom call.’ When you see the film, you see a mother who's seen joy and sadness, all through the lens of her children. It was very interesting for me to learn.”
If 52 Blue happened a few years ago, Neha wouldn’t have accepted the role, she says. Or even if she did, it wouldn’t have felt as personal — but motherhood changes some things. “If this part was offered to me a couple of years ago, my understanding of it wouldn’t have been half as good. I would have acted, but some roles need to be felt and not performed — this was one of those,” she says.
In the past few years, Neha has been extremely selective in terms of her acting work. The actor candidly expresses how it wasn’t necessarily out of choice. She tells us, “The offers, in terms of what I wanted to do, have been few and far between. I am not being selective; I am just honouring the best ones coming my way. Some actors tell me ‘you are not working hard enough.’ I meet casting people, reach out to network heads. Do I need to go out or tap into projects more? Maybe I do. But eventually, they will reach out to you when they're ready for you. More than anything else, this industry teaches you to be patient.”
Neha has been around in the industry for over 22 years now. Reflecting on the countless ways in which the industry has changed, she says, “I belong to the pre-OTT era. Industries have merged now. The audience is divided; you can't fool people anymore. The content culture has taken over. There's so much more competition now — earlier, I was competing with other people; now, I'm competing with myself. We didn’t have big management teams, and we didn’t have filters.”
Neha also talks about what changed in her own approach toward her career since her debut in Qayamat (2003). “There wasn’t much self-belief back then. There were frequent thoughts of, ‘Have I arrived? Am I going to be here long enough?’ Back then, my aspiration was to look great coming out of an ocean in a swimsuit. Now I want to perform well without inhibitions. The other day, I met Suresh Triveni, with whom I worked on Tumhari Sulu — and I realised there are so many great directors I’ve collaborated with. It’s so great to be part of their cinema, and I believe I am still having my run.”
The conversation veers back to the subject of social media pressure and excessive moral-policing, especially of celebrities. Neha ponders why it's particularly unfair for actors. “People don't understand that actors have to be more careful. We work with corporations — if the audience cancels us, then people hiring us could end up cancelling us, then the brands could cancel us. One wrong comment, and you're cancelled. I'm not saying we don't have an opinion, but actors’ opinions are amplified. Sometimes it goes south, and that’s not fair. I don’t like it when I need to measure my Ps and Qs, but that’s the way of the world now. In a way, we are still newcomers and are learning everyday.”
Yet, the actor expresses gratitude to have survived for so long, taking it as a sign of something being right. “52 Blue is a great step for me. I have survived these many years; it makes me feel that something is right, and that I continue to get love from so many people. Now I can't do anything else. Now don't expect me to leave. I am not leaving anytime soon,” she concludes.