Actor Neha Sharma feels outsiders are by themselves while exploring the world of Bollywood as compared to star kids, who have the whole industry backing and supporting them.

“It has been over 10 years since I started my journey in Bollywood. The one thing I have learned is that staying relevant is important [for outsiders] as people forget you since there’s a new [star kid] being launched every day,” Sharma tells us, and adds, “If you’re an industry kid, you have the whole fraternity pushing you. So for an outsider, the only way to survive is to remain relevant.”

The actor, who made her Hindi film debut in 2010 with Crook, admits she had to take up roles she didn’t want to “to stay relevant”. “It has taken me 10 long years to be where I am today. I have taken long breaks because I was not being offered the roles I wanted to do. But I had to do things to be in the minds of people. So, there have been phases where I have done things that I didn’t believe in because those were the offers that came to me. Now, with OTT platforms coming in, I feel there is a lot of good work that is being offered to me,” says Sharma.

The 34-year-old is glad that social media is turning out to be a platform for aspirants. “When I began, social media wasn’t a thing. Now, when I look at people who are coming into the industry, it seems much easier… Look at all these influencers, who are not from the industry. They don’t have any inside relations, but they have made it,” she explains.

Passing on her wisdom to the new crop of talent coming in, she shares, “The only advice I can give people is to believe in themselves. The industry is not an easy place to be, so you need to have patience. Patience is the key.”