<p>Be it acting, modelling, theatre performances or sports, she has made a name for herself in each of these fields. <br /><br /></p>.<p> Actor Neetu Chandra, who stepped into Bollywood with the comedy flick ‘Garam Masala’ in 2005, is a trained classical dancer, a basketball player and a blackbelt in taekwondo apart from a successful actor and a theatre artiste. <br /><br />In a chat with Surupasree Sarmmah, the actor talks about her motivation, the turning point in her life and more. <br /><br />You are a girl of many talents. What has been your motivation behind everything?<br /><br />I have been involved with various activities since a very young age. I got into sports and taekwondo when I was three years old and since then, I inculcated the habit of putting my best in whatever I do. <br /><br />As I grew up, I developed a sense of accomplishment — from participating in cultural programmes and basketball in school to doing theatre later and then acting in movies. The motivation, perhaps, is my ability to excel in whatever I do. Above all, my mother plays a very important role in my life. <br /><br />You have been into sports since childhood. How did you get into acting?<br /><br />In India, sports is one thing that doesn’t earn one a living or a position that they deserve, expect for a few games that everyone knows. Even today, I don’t think one can choose sports as a career option and enjoy a dignified position, like a person from a BSc background or similar fields. I realised that nothing was moving forward even after representing India three times at the ‘International Taekwondo Championships’. At that time, I got an opportunity for modelling and acting so I gave it a shot and things took off from there. <br /><br />You have worked in a Telugu as well as a Greek movie. How difficult is it to do a movie in a language that you are not familiar with?<br /><br />It is difficult, but I believe acting doesn’t have a language. I choose a movie based on the script and not language.<br /><br />If you were to choose between being an actor, a theatre artiste or a sportsperson, what would it be?<br /><br />I am all of them, but if I have to choose one, it has to be an actor. By being an actor, I can be the other two as well. Acting gives me everything. <br /><br />The turning point in your life...<br /><br />The day I started doing theatre and started saying ‘no’ to scripts that I couldn’t convince myself to do. I consider this as a turning point as I realised that people started taking me more seriously and understood that quality matters to me. <br /><br />Among the films that you have done, which is your favourite?<br /><br />‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ is my favourite. <br /> <br />One of the most challenging films...<br /><br />It has to be the Tamil film ‘Aadhi Bhagavan’ by director Ameer. <br /><br />Five things one can find in your handbag...<br /><br />Phone, perfume, hand sanitiser, wallet and my small makeup kit. <br /><br />Projects in the pipeline...<br />I have ‘Singam 3’ coming up and ‘Mithila Makhaan’ releasing soon.<br /> Apart from this, ‘Shooter’ and ‘Kusar Prasad Ka Bhoot’ are also in the pipeline. I am the brand ambassador for taekwondo of India this year. <br /></p>
<p>Be it acting, modelling, theatre performances or sports, she has made a name for herself in each of these fields. <br /><br /></p>.<p> Actor Neetu Chandra, who stepped into Bollywood with the comedy flick ‘Garam Masala’ in 2005, is a trained classical dancer, a basketball player and a blackbelt in taekwondo apart from a successful actor and a theatre artiste. <br /><br />In a chat with Surupasree Sarmmah, the actor talks about her motivation, the turning point in her life and more. <br /><br />You are a girl of many talents. What has been your motivation behind everything?<br /><br />I have been involved with various activities since a very young age. I got into sports and taekwondo when I was three years old and since then, I inculcated the habit of putting my best in whatever I do. <br /><br />As I grew up, I developed a sense of accomplishment — from participating in cultural programmes and basketball in school to doing theatre later and then acting in movies. The motivation, perhaps, is my ability to excel in whatever I do. Above all, my mother plays a very important role in my life. <br /><br />You have been into sports since childhood. How did you get into acting?<br /><br />In India, sports is one thing that doesn’t earn one a living or a position that they deserve, expect for a few games that everyone knows. Even today, I don’t think one can choose sports as a career option and enjoy a dignified position, like a person from a BSc background or similar fields. I realised that nothing was moving forward even after representing India three times at the ‘International Taekwondo Championships’. At that time, I got an opportunity for modelling and acting so I gave it a shot and things took off from there. <br /><br />You have worked in a Telugu as well as a Greek movie. How difficult is it to do a movie in a language that you are not familiar with?<br /><br />It is difficult, but I believe acting doesn’t have a language. I choose a movie based on the script and not language.<br /><br />If you were to choose between being an actor, a theatre artiste or a sportsperson, what would it be?<br /><br />I am all of them, but if I have to choose one, it has to be an actor. By being an actor, I can be the other two as well. Acting gives me everything. <br /><br />The turning point in your life...<br /><br />The day I started doing theatre and started saying ‘no’ to scripts that I couldn’t convince myself to do. I consider this as a turning point as I realised that people started taking me more seriously and understood that quality matters to me. <br /><br />Among the films that you have done, which is your favourite?<br /><br />‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ is my favourite. <br /> <br />One of the most challenging films...<br /><br />It has to be the Tamil film ‘Aadhi Bhagavan’ by director Ameer. <br /><br />Five things one can find in your handbag...<br /><br />Phone, perfume, hand sanitiser, wallet and my small makeup kit. <br /><br />Projects in the pipeline...<br />I have ‘Singam 3’ coming up and ‘Mithila Makhaan’ releasing soon.<br /> Apart from this, ‘Shooter’ and ‘Kusar Prasad Ka Bhoot’ are also in the pipeline. I am the brand ambassador for taekwondo of India this year. <br /></p>
