Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 25, 2017)

Neha Dhupia has just jumped on the Tumhari Sulu bandwagon and will play Vidya Balan’s boss in the film. Her character, Maria, heads the radio station where Sulu is a night RJ.

“Maria is a lot like me — independent, funny and strong. The look is chic and classy, and while she’s not overbearing, she can be a bit overpowering. Suresh (director Suresh Triveni) comes from the ad world and he’s clear about what he wants. I’ve always admired Vidya’s work, we’ve met a couple of times socially, but never shared screen space before. I’ve done a couple of reading with Manav Kaul and her recently. There were times when we’ve burst out laughing in the middle of a serious scene and Suresh has sportingly wanted to incorporate a joke to make it fun,” informs the actress who was partying on a private island in France earlier this month.

Interestingly, in real life too, Neha has produced and hosted the podcast, No Filter Neha, with leading B-townies as her guests and admits she wondered if she had landed the role because of it. “I was told it was because of the person I am. It’s surreal to be playing a character that I’ve lived with for six months,” she marvels.

The film is being produced by Bhushan Kumar, Atul Kasbekar and Tanuj Garg. Neha starts shooting from June. “Maria is a beautiful, aggressive and successful entrepreneur. It’s an interesting and important role which will bring Neha’s unpredictability alive, “ says Suresh.