She emerged from the blue waters in a gold bikini in her debut film Qayamat, which released five years ago. The culture police wrote her off, and her seniors and fellow contemporaries didn’t take to her two-piece ‘hip’ avatar very kindly. “The actresses who didn’t want to show skin, and swore that they’d never wear bikinis and swimsuits then, are doing just that these days. People are hypocritical, and have double-standards,” says Neha Dhupia, shrugging. “And those who reprimanded me are applauding them like there’s no tomorrow! But you know what? I don’t think wearing a two-piece is cool anymore. I've been there, done that years ago!” claims the actor who has shifted from the show-substantial-skin mode to more serious cinema! A compromise on hard-core commercial flicks, may have brought with it lesser fame, money and close to zero GQ (Glam Quotient)? “Maybe, but the satisfaction is immense, and the contentment I derive from my work today is multifold. Being a part of simple, beautiful films like Mithya, Maharathi, Dasvidaniya... and working with the likes of Vinay Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Paresh Rawal... has given me more than what money ever could. They’re stalwarts and they do no wrong! “I’ve dabbled in ‘commercial films’ at the beginning of my career,” explains Neha, “But priorities change over time. Yes, I could’ve made an obnoxious amount of money by taking up more commercially viable projects. But what am I going to do with so much money? I’m earning enough,” she says. Working with actors who are twice her age, and not necessarily conventionally good-looking, boyfriend Ritwik Bhattacharya must be heaving a sigh of relief. “Listen, if I’m working with Naseer and Paresh, I’ve also worked with the Akshay Kumars, Ajay Devgans and Emraan Hashmis. But I’ll never give Ritwik a reason to feel insecure. Not even if I get to do a film with Brad Pitt,” winks Neha!
