A not-so-successful film made me wise, says Neha Sharma

Her debut film, Crook — It’s Good To Be Bad, with Emraan Hashmi, sank without a trace in the box office. But after the sudden jolt, things seem to be looking up for Neha Sharma. Her next film, Kya Super Kool Hai Hum, releases this year and she’s soon to start work on a Tips film with actor Vivek Oberoi.

“I never thought Crook wouldn’t work with the audience — in fact, no actor ever has that in mind especially when it’s a debut film. It was shocking initially but I had to move on,” she reminisces, adding, “Working with the Bhatts is something I’ll always cherish.” Quiz Neha if she regrets taking up the film and her answer is a firm ‘No’. “At that point of time, a meaty role mattered to me. Bhatt films generally don’t offer such roles to women but I was glad something like that came my way. Moreover, the topic was a burning issue then,” she explains.

But for the moment, Neha’s looking ahead to a year that has a big release in a successful franchise and working with a respected production house. “Kya Supercool… is a mad comedy that sees me in a crazy role. I am thrilled with my role and the way I performed. Of course, being part of a franchise that has already done well with the audience helps,” she says. Even the Tips film with Vivek, on which Neha will start working soon, is something that she’s very excited about. “It’s a new genre for me and I’m game to all the excitement that comes with it. Moreover, Vivek is an actor I admire,” says Neha.

Ask her if she’s getting the right offers and Neha confesses, “A not-so-successful has made me wise. Choices had become limited post Crook and I was being offered films that had me play second fiddle. I realised that would take me nowhere, so I waited.” The fashion graduate started off her filmi career with the Telugu film, Chirutha. Ask her if she wants to follow it up with more South projects and she answers, “It’s a lot of hard work, especially because I don’t know the language. Acting in Hindi films is comparatively simpler on that count. But I must say I’ve learnt a lot of technicalities from my first film.”