Neetu Chandra made her foray into theatre by essaying the iconic character Umrao Jaan about a year ago. The actress says the offer came to her when she needed a platform where she could showcase her acting skills. “Umrao came to me when I was rejecting scripts. Though I was doing main leads, I had nothing much to offer. But I liked performing on stage. I could feel Umrao and connect with the character,” she says.

And so did the audience, particularly the Bollywood fraternity. Calling her performance charming and endearing, director Imtiaz Ali has congratulated Neetu. Ekta Kapoor says, “Neetu’s performance is one of the finest in theatre. She displayed exemplary class and finesse in portraying Umrao Jaan.” Says Satish Kaushik, “Neetu is marvellous, she carries the role of Umrao with grace and dignity.” Neetu is happy that the industry has appreciated her hard work. “Even Kareena and Kajol have liked my performance. I was honoured when Kareena, after watching the play, came backstage and said that she liked my acting, my Urdu language and diction. She was amazed to see me do hours of live performance,” she says.

Neetu says the similarities her play shares with the 1981 film Umrao Jaan, which had Rekha in the lead, starts and ends with both being a musical love story. “This play is contemporary. It is about today’s girl, her career, her self-respect and her independence,” she adds.