I’ve wanted to be a heroine for as long as I can remember: Neha Patil

As a child, Neha Patil dreamt of only one thing — being an actress. “I would watch heroines on screen and wished to be like them one day. I don’t come from a filmi background and, therefore, at that point, I did not really understand what went on behind the scenes. I just wanted to see myself there,” says Neha.
However, the youngster also tells us that, “The biggest challenge of becoming an actor is getting the right opportunity.I am the only one from my family of doctors and police officers who chose to take up a career in the film industry. I have known of people having to struggle a lot to get their break. I consider myself lucky to have got so many films without having to bend over backwards,” she explains.
With an interesting list of films to her credit already — Story Kathe, Olavina Vole and the Guinness record-breaking film Police Story 3 — Neha’s next is a rebellious role in Thippajji Circle. “I play Pooja Gandhi’s daughter in the film, one who opposes the entire concept of the devadasi system. In that era, it was common for daughters to follow in the footsteps of their mothers. But my character does not wish to live her life the way her mother had, so this was a turning point — not just in this story, but in history as well,” says Neha, who stars opposite Dhruva Sharma in the film.
Incidentally, Neha’s first signing — the Kannada film Sitara — was stuck in the cans for a long time after the producer of the film met with an untimely demise. “It is a heroine-oriented film that will hit the screens sometime this year as the film has finally been picked up by a Tamil producer. I am also looking at a Tamil release, Ora Oorle, later this year,” she signs off.