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'All my dreams have come true'

Winning streak
Last Updated 19 February 2015, 15:44 IST

The year has hardly begun but for actress Neha Saxena, the forecast seems bright and sunny. The ‘Just Love’ actress recently picked up an award for Best Actress (by public voting) at the Tulu Cinemotsava Awards for her debut film ‘Rickshaw Driver’.  Not only did the actress see success, but the film, which was released in 2013, also got its fair share of attention.

Says Neha, “It felt amazing when I got the award! And it meant more because it was through public voting and not jury. People say that the jury can be rigged but the public know what they want. I feel like I’m on top of the world and all my dreams have come true.”

Talking about the movie ‘Rickshaw Driver’, she says, “It is about a criminal lawyer (me), who is a simple girl, and a rickshaw driver, who gets entangled in false allegations. When I try to help him, the villains throw acid on my face, so throughout the movie, I’m without make-up. I was a little apprehensive about doing
this role because this was my debut film and people would see me in such a horrible condition.”

Why then did she take up the role? “The moment I heard the role, I knew I had to take it up because of my father. He was also a criminal lawyer and believed in getting justice at all costs. He died when my mother was seven months pregnant in a planned car crash and I saw this as a way to relate to him,” she adds.

Was she hesitant about making her debut in the Tulu industry? “I had a wonderful experience but people kept asking me why I’m making my debut in such a small industry that no one knows about. People were very demotivating at that time. They said I would spoil my career. It’s true, I wasn’t offered much and the
story was budgeted but that movie changed the Tulu industry.”   

The aftermath of the award has already hit shore. “I recently signed up for a Bollywood movie (which I can’t talk about yet). It’s different from ‘Yeh Toh Pyaar Hai’; this is more mainstream. It is directed by a Hollywood director who is making his debut in Bollywood. It is a woman-centric role and that’s why I liked it,” she says.
She plans to continue down this path and make as many movies as possible.
 “I want to pick as many good scripts as possible. The best feeling in the world is when the audience sits in a theatre till the end of your movie. The appreciation you receive for your work is what I work for,” she sums up.

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(Published 19 February 2015, 15:44 IST)

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