Neha Marda needs no introduction. The actress has shot to fame with her strong portrayal of Gehna in Balika Vadhu and has become a household name today. While acting remains her first love, she also has an undying passion for dancing. A trained classical dancer, she has participated in various dance reality shows over the years and has won most of them. So it came as a huge shocker, when Neha was not allowed to participate in the ongoing season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. Not one to cry over spilt milk, Neha maturely took it in her stride. But, like most things in the world of television, even this decision was not permanent. In a surprising turn of events, the organizers of Jhalak…approached her to participate in a special episode of the show and she obliged. Showtime caught up with the actress to know the real story behind the fiasco.
"I was all ready to participate in Jhalak...Our talks were done and almost everything was finalized. And then one day, my manager called me up and told me that the show organizers aren't signing me. They said that I had already participated in another reality show, Nach Le Ve With Saroj Khan before, so I couldn't participate in this one. I couldn't believe it. That's hardly any ground to not sign someone for a dance show.
What's even strange is that some days later, I got to know that they had signed Sushant Singh Rajput. He has done not one but two reality shows. I think they just didn't want me on the show, so they made some excuse," she narrates.
But did she not have a talk with the show's organizers to know why she was being excluded from the show? "I avoided having a discussion with them. Because I can see it in front of my eyes that they are letting someone like Sushant participate, even though he has done a reality show before. And they are giving me this reason to keep me out of the show. So this cannot be the actual reason, there has to be some other reason. But I have taken it sportingly. If they don't want me, it's their loss," she asserts.
Though snubbed, the actress chooses not to harbour negative feelings against the show. What's more, when they approached her to do a special episode, she enthusiastically gave her nod. "They roped me in for a special episode, where we had to dance with the contestants and help them win. I was happy doing that too because I have always wanted to perform in front of Madhuri Dixit and that happened through the show. As far as Jhalak… is concerned, from the time I entered the industry, I knew that one day I wanted to get into the show. But things obviously didn't work out the way I wanted them to.
Who knows, maybe there's something better in store for me," she ruefully smiles.
Besides the Jhalak…episode, there's something else that has left Neha seething with anger. An impostor has created a fake Facebook account under the actress' name and has been getting in touch with her co-stars, industry friends, et al. Quite understandably, this has not gone down too well with the actress. "The person who is operating that account is putting up nonsensical messages saying that I'm desperately looking for work. That is not true, I have enough work. He is also getting in touch with the industry people as well as my relatives. This is just not acceptable. I have reported it to the cyber crime cell and I'm trying to shut down that profile," she explains.
She explains the hazards she has had to face thanks to her impostor. "A few days ago, a stranger came up to me and hugged me. Then he started asking me how my date went last night. I was dumbfounded. I didn't know what this person was talking about. I told him clearly that I didn't know him and had no idea what he was talking about. Then he explained to me how we were chatting last night about my so-called date on Facebook. You know, there are so many celebrities who come up to me thinking that we are friends on Facebook. Because that impostor has sent out friend requests to every person in the industry and chats with them under the pretence of being me. I really don't appreciate it and I'll put a stop to all this."
Even these incidents aside, Neha has had quite an eventful 2010. The actress had a near-fatal accident a while ago and the memory of it still haunts her. "I was performing at an event in Kolkata. I finished my performance late at night, around 2.30 a.m. and had to catch an early morning flight. It being night time, my driver was quite tired and sleepy. So he dozed off while driving and the car hit a lamppost. The car turned upside down and caught fire. The doors were also jammed," she recollects. "I somehow managed to break the windows and got out of the car. Since it was late at night, there was no one around. I had to finally seek the help of a truck driver and reach the airport. Once I reached Mumbai, I was kept under observation for a day at the Bombay Hospital. They took MRI scans and checked everything. But thankfully, nothing serious had happened. I just had a few scratches on my face."
Naturally, an accident of this magnitude leaves one traumatized and that's exactly what happened with Neha too. "The whole idea of how it happened and why it happened had shaken me up. So I took a break for a week and went to Indore with my family. I needed that break because even though the physical injury wasn't much, the mental trauma was a lot."
As grave an accident as it was, Neha kept it to herself and didn't let her parents know about it lest they got worried. "I just told them that I had an accident because it had already come out in the news. But I didn't tell them how serious it was. When the word came out that I had a near-fatal accident, I told them that the media was just exaggerating it," she laughs.
While these incidents have been nothing but tumultuous, thankfully her professional life has been more than satisfying. Though she bagged prominent roles in Jo Ishq Ki Marzi Woh Rab Ki Marzi and Ek Thi Rajkumari, it was her act in Balika Vadhu that put her in the spotlight. But not many know that she initially didn't want to do the role. "When the show's creative called me up and said that there's a character called Gehna, I instantly refused it. I told her that I was only looking for lead roles. I anyway went for the audition and fell in love with the character. Thankfully, I got selected for the role. I knew that the protagonist was Anandi. But that didn't bother me much because the show's main pillars are Suguna, Gehna and Anandi."
She proves her point further as she adds, "Around the same time, I was approached for the lead role of another show called Shree on Zee TV. It went off air seven months back. Had I chosen the lead role in Shree, my show would've gone off air. But I chose Balika Vadhu and see what it did to my career. So I think playing the lead is not that big a deal. Playing an important character in a show is much more important."
While her professional life has always been talked about, Neha has always kept her personal life just as it should be – personal. Ask her to spill the beans on her love life and she grins, "I am single and looking for a guy to get married to. I am not looking for a fling or a relationship. I belong to a very orthodox Marwadi family where they get their daughters married by the age of 18. My parents too are looking for a suitable guy for me. And when they find the right guy for me, I will happily get married."
Now that's a surprise since the current generation believes in love marriages and steers clear of arranged marriages. "Honestly, I prefer arranged marriages. If you have a love marriage and it goes wrong, you have nothing to fall back on. But in case of an arranged marriage, your parent's house is always open. You can go and complain to them, ki see where you got me married," she jokes.
And what are the qualities she is looking for in her husband? "I want my guy to be madly in love with me. He should be filthy rich; that is the most important criterion. Also, my guy should be all-man. I don't like chocolate boys, they don't appeal to me. And he should wear glasses. I find men in glasses very hot," she giggles.
Well, this girl sure knows what she wants. Guess it is this trait that has seen her rise from being just another participant in Boogie Woogie to one of the most celebrated stars on the small screen today. And if her self-belief is anything to go by, she will definitely go a long way.
*By Eepsita Guha
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