Neha Dhupia: ‘It’s hard to cast women in their 40s’

Neha Dhupia

The roles of a chat show host and producer come easy to Neha Dhupia, but she asserts that she will always be an actor first. Naturally then, she is delighted to showcase her acting on an international stage with Blue 52. Egyptian director Ali El Arabi's film revolves around a 22-year-old boy Ashish, who, raised in Kerala by a controlling father and a loving mother, escapes to Qatar with the hope of meeting his idol Lionel Messi at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

"After all these years, I managed to get an international film. Maybe the time is right for me now," smiles Dhupia, excited about her international debut. Adil Hussain and she play the protagonist's parents in the drama that was shot in Kochi and Qatar. "I felt so liberated every day on that set. My look was different; it was exactly how I wanted to be cast for a long time. It didn't happen in India for me. I'm hoping more filmmakers see the movie and think of me in different roles. Adil is such a wonderful actor and a great teacher. You feel cocooned in his company."

Adil Hussain plays her husband in director Ali El Arabi's film. Pics/Instagram

Blue 52 gave her not only a rich experience, but also an age-appropriate, meaty role. The actor reflects that in India, female artistes in their 40s are hardly seen in diverse parts. "I'll be honest. It's very hard to cast women in their 40s. We don't want to play mums to old kids, and we aren't getting cast as young women. I'm offered acting jobs, but the ones I want to do are few and far between."

Dhupia juggles her acting commitments with her production, No Filter Neha. She has taken the chat series' latest season from a podcast to a video show. What does she say to the same celebrity guests over and over again after six seasons? "You never run out of conversations. For instance, Vicky [Kaushal] wasn't married when he came the first time, and now, he has a wife. This time around, one of the most pleasant things I heard was from Ananya Panday. She spoke about learning from Deepika Padukone on Gehraiyaan [2022]. She learnt how sometimes if your hair or dialogue delivery is not right, [one must] ask for a second take. I had never asked for what's mine on set. But Ananya [noted that] as long as no one is being inconvenienced, it's okay to ask. It's a part of giving your 100 per cent."