The actress who has over the years worked with no less than 13 National award-winning filmmakers, and has recently featured in a Hollywood film in a lead role, has been facing a drought when it comes to getting work back home. Recently in an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Neetu Chandra narrated her heart-wrenching story of how she has been running pillar to post to find roles.
In the course of the conversation, when talking about her struggle, Neetu touched on the topic of suicide and why so many people who are struggling find it as an easy escape. Speaking about it she says, “Maybe my confidence was intimidating to a lot of people, but such people are looked up to today. Starting from Smita Patil ji, to Shabana Azmi ji, they have not made their name and fame by doing song and dance sequences. They made it big thanks to their performances. I have done a stage performance of Umrao Jaan, where I have played the role from youth to old age. For two hours I have been on stage for it, and the show was backed by big names. So how do you expect me, who has done performances like this to just give it up and do song and dance sequences? I don’t have a problem doing it, I will do it and I have done it in the past. But today, I am just looking for good work… and life has become such a struggle. I connect with these actors who have been fighting at every level. My mother has been my support. Today I am alive just because I live with my family. Even if you are doing a song, you have to come from a certain background – that is when the stage is set, the supporting members in the song are selected, the music, the marketing budget, and promotions are all decided accordingly. And in case the song isn’t great and the audience don’t like it, it will be played so often that people start liking it eventually. I never got all this, despite being part of three national award winning films.”
Continuing further Neetu asked, “So now tell me what is someone like me supposed to do. Should I suffocate myself to death? Does a person’s worth become known only after their demise? Like what Sushant (Singh Rajput) did, there are so many people who are going through the same thing. This same thought has crossed my mind as well. Being a girl, fighting in a male-dominated society, and industry… I have been fighting; I don’t want to give up. People say, you are very strong, but being strong does not pay my bills. Everyone needs work and money, from the lowest level to the top most everyone wants the same thing. Work and payment.”
Concluding describing her ordeal, Neetu pointed out the duality of the society we live in today. Citing examples where people say that an individual needs to speak up when facing issues, while at the same time denouncing those who do actually stand up to talk. “Now with me saying this today there are people who are going to say, Neetu spoke about this to gain sympathy, she was only doing this for PR’, and if I don’t speak these same people will say, ‘she should have spoken out’. So where should actors like me who are fighting for work go?”
