Neha Sharma: I’m in the business of cinema for the passion of cinema

She made her debut in the industry with a Telugu film — Chirutha — in 2007. And now, after a decade, Neha Sharma has returned to the south industry with a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual, Bejoy Nambiar’s Solo. An anthology, the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer also marked her debut in both Kollywood and Mollywood. An excerpt from a conversation we had with her…
Solo released amidst much confusion owing to theatre strike, but was critically appreciated.So, how did you land the project?
I had actually met Bejoy for another film, which didn’t happen for whatever reasons. I guess he had me in mind when he was making Solo. He called me when the film was in its formative stage and briefly narrated two stories from it. I’ve been a fan of his films and have always been interested in his kind of work. So, when I heard his narrative, I was quite kicked. It’s rare that you get to be part of a film with some really rare ideas. Usually, there’s a prototype and you make it and remake it, like filling new bottle with old wine. But these tracks were absolutely novel. So, I jumped at the offer.
Working with Dulquer must have an interesting experience…
I was unaware of how huge a star Dulquer is. I live in my own shell and honestly had no idea who I was working with in the film. Only after I started shooting did I realise that he is one of the most celebrated actors in the south. I actually Wikipediaed him on day two of the shoot. He is a professional and was wonderful to work with — I know it is quite clichéd to say so. But I can say that he is very passionate about his craft.
You shot for your portions in two languages that are quite alien to you. Was it difficult getting the lines right?
Funnily, I didn’t think about what language the film was going to be shot in while signing it. Bejoy narrated the story in English and I kind of didn’t bother then. We also didn’t do any readings, so I was not prepared for the shocker he gave me on the set — I was handed one page full of complicated dialogues in Tamil! I was like, are you kidding me? It sunk only then that the film was to be shot in Tamil and Malayalam. I’d done a Telugu film almost 10 years ago (Chirutha) and that was all! Bejoy is very particular about everything being authentic; I’ve heard that actors mouth gibberish while shooting and that it would be corrected while dubbing, but Bejoy wanted me to speak my lines. I freaked out and had cold feet on the first day of shoot. One of the toughest and draining scenes was the climax, and I was worried about getting the emotions and the dialogues right, especially since we shot in both the languages one after the other. But everyone was so supportive. Dulquer even wanted to prompt me, but Bejoy said he can’t because it could be seen on camera (laughs).
Did it bother you that your debut film in Kollywood would be a multi-heroine project?
I don’t want to sound braggy, but I’m in the business of cinema for the passion of cinema. I don’t want to be a star, I want to be an actor. I don’t know why people assume I’m the other way; maybe it’s because I have only done commercial films before. But fortunately or unfortunately, that’s the only kind of film that comes my way — commercial, big-budget ones. Maybe I have a face that suits such films, and I can choose only from what I’m offered. I’m not bothered if there are four heroines or 20 heroines in a film because I’m a very secure actor and I know the reasons why I am part of a film. Content like this needs to be made and I’m sure my work will speak for what I do. I mean, Anthony Hopkins got an Oscar for a 16-minute role! So, it’s never about the length of a role.