It’s the year for sequels, and after Kya Supercool Hai Hum and Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Neha Sharma is back with Tum Bin 2. We catch up with her ahead of the release where she talks about her role, love and prosthetic baby bellies! Excerpts follow...
Neha Sharma is back with another sequel— Tum Bin 2. The actor compares her character with Sandali Sinha, the female lead in the original, her experience wearing a prosthetic baby bump, and not making a niche in Bollywood yet.
Tum Bin 2 could be your big breakthrough. How did you bag the film?
Mukesh Chhabra, who did the casting called me for Tum Bin 2. The director, Anubhav Sinha, wanted to launch three new people. I asked Mukesh if there was even a point in auditioning since they are looking for a new girl. I went ahead nonetheless, and got a call from Mukesh to meet the producer the same evening.
Have you watched Tum Bin (2001)?
I have seen it as a kid, I don’t remember everything very clearly but I do remember the trailer and the music were phenomenal.
You’ve played the pretty love interest in
most of your films so far. Is this your first mature role?
You can’t really play such a mature role when you’re very young. You need depth in your emotions and understanding, so I have to give the credit to Anubhav Sinha. I am open to different kinds of roles and genres of cinema. It was challenging and I loved every bit of it.
Did the romance of Tum Bin 2 change your perception of love?
I have always been a die-hard romantic, I believe in romance and passion and it’s pure. I believe in astrology as well. It’s my second nature to love the idea of being in love. Of course, there’s a lot of intensity and deep value for love in this film. So yes, I definitely became a lot quieter with this film since it was required. I had to be a person which is not close to me. It kind of affected me for a while but it’s been three-four months so I am back to what I was now.
Are you playing an unwed mother?
No, I am not. There have been articles talking about my pregnancy and a prosthetic belly in the film, but they have been misconstrued. There’s is a scene where my character Taran pretends to be pregnant, but she isn’t. It was a small scene so we didn’t have a proper day or time allotted to it. I would be ready with the belly all day but we wouldn’t end up shooting it! Finally, Anubhav sir saw me with the prosthetic belly and felt that it looks more real than required so we used a pillow instead.
How was your experience of wearing the prosthetic baby belly?
Hats off to Vidya Balan for doing a film like Kahaani (2012) because it’s not easy. You have to carry a lot of weight on yourself and at the end of the day you are left exhausted. Thankfully it was not that bad for me since I didn’t have to wear it for long.
Is there any difference in Sandali Sinha of Tum Bin and you in Tum Bin 2?
Piya’s character (Sandali Sinha) in Tum Bin was very different and I don’t see any similarities. Her character goes through a lot of pain in the film. The emotions are the same but the story is different, but people shouldn’t draw comparisons.
Does the comparison make you apprehensive?
No, she’s been very supportive, and has even visited sets! I don’t think you can compare the two films.
How have you changed as person from the time you debuted with the Emraan Hashmi starrer Crook (2010)?
I have not changed as a person. I have just become a little older and have learned not to let people make your career decisions for you, because then your success will be credited to them, and not you. Take your own decisions in life and don’t let the gossip affect you. Do your work, be happy.
You have had several releases but a major hit film has eluded you. Do you think Tum Bin will do the trick?
My first film in Telugu was a huge hit. In
Bollywood, of course, things have not been the best; some things didn’t turn out the way I had wished. The kind of success which everyone wishes to see hasn’t happened here. But not just with Tum Bin 2, with every film you expect love, adulation and good box-office.
How do you react to box office success and disappointments?
You brush off both success and failure and move on to the next because nothing is permanent.