In her 20-year career in Bollywood, Neha Dhupia has played varied characters, including that of a pregnant cop in A Thursday, while being eight months pregnant in real life. The actress has witnessed the shift in the industry over the years and while she appreciates that Hindi cinema has evolved with its content and representation, she feels there are some aspects that call for a larger conversation. In a chat, Neha highlights the disparity of pay between male and female actors, body shaming and more. Read on.

In a recent interview, Priyanka Chopra shared that it took her 20 years in the industry to get the same paycheck as her male co-actor. Neha Dhupia and Priyanka started their film careers almost at the same time.

Ask Neha whether she has faced a similar disparity and she says, “Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Shahid Kapoor and I started our film careers almost at the same time. But I don’t like to compare because each of our body of work is different.”

Despite the difference though, Neha firmly believes that pay disparity is a conversation that needs to be had because it’s important and relevant.

“I can’t do apples and oranges, but I want to take this conversation forward because it’s high time that the film fraternity blurred the difference and tackled pay parity,” shares Neha.

A former beauty queen, Neha says that when Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe, it was a proud moment for the country. But Harnaaz was also body shamed after she gained a few pounds due to a medical condition.

To this, Neha says, “Body shaming is unacceptable. I faced it too, after giving birth to my first child. Life has different chapters and we have to play different roles. The pressure of looking good is a lot and I have experienced that.”

“If your Instagram bio doesn’t say, actor, host, influencer, mother and more, then you are just not doing it right,” opines Neha, adding, “Next year will be all about multitasking and having multiple accomplishments.”

Talking about how she manages everything, she shares, “I am not someone who would wait for the right kind of work. My mantra is to work towards career objectives every day and put in all the hard work to achieve them. Roz subah uth ke humein apna kuan khud khodna hai aur paani khud dhoondna hai. I find honour and pride in every job that I do,” says Neha.