"I’m ready to go nude for a James Cameron movie." - Neetu Chandra
What prompted you to rush to Osho’s ashram in Pune immediately after wrapping up the shooting for Apartment and India 24x7 ?
• I was shooting for two films simultaneously. In Jagmohan Mundhra’s Apartment, I am playing a split personality. I am an actor who likes to go through the process of understanding my character before I play it. When I did Traffic Signal, I’d sit on the footpath to get a feel of the characters living on the edge. So, when I had to play a split personality, I didn’t want to fake it. Once I finished the intense schedule of 37 days, I felt drained out and mentally disturbed. Since I needed to be rejuvenated, I enrolled for a week’s meditation programme. What I like about this place is that everyone is made to feel equal. We all wear a maroon robe, which works as a leveller. People don’t bother each other. I find that cool.
While at Osho’s, what’s your take on free sex?
• I feel sex is over-hyped in India. India is a country of hypocrites who make so much of an issue about sex. It’s a very natural part of life. But I don’t advocate one-night stands. That’s an insult to the body.
You’ve recently gone on record to state that you wouldn’t do a nude scene. Aren’t you limiting yourself as an actor by setting such pre-conditions?
• When I did my first film with Priyadarshan, I wore a swimming costume for the first time. I was apprehensive, but Priyan Sir had assured me that he would shoot me very aesthetically. Truly, I didn’t look vulgar at all. While I know my limitations, I don’t mind looking sensuous.
Many Indian directors stop short of exploring interesting subjects since heroines aren’t ready to do nude scenes a la Kate Winslet in The Reader. If you have the talent, the figure and the attitude, does your reservation have anything to do with your small-town hangover?
• I can only take a call once I get an offer from a director of repute, who has a script that requires nudity, and a cinematographer whom I can safely trust. I’m ready to go nude for a James Cameron movie. I’m ready to push the envelope for the right project. In many ways, I’ve tried to do that with my films with Priyadarshan, Madhur Bhandarkar, Dibakar Banerjee and now, RGV. For Apartment, I’ve tried to give a new dimension to female-oriented roles in Bollywood.
Could you explain that?
• In India, most heroines are usually treated as props, while male actors walk away with meaty roles. And if a heroine was given a substantial role, it would inevitably portray her either as a victim fighting odds, or as a member of the downtrodden sections of society. My role in Apartment is author-backed, but a far cry from the image of raw women in Hindi films. I play a small-town girl who comes to the city to be a model and then takes up a paying guest accommodation. In many ways, I have faced the same problems that my character encounters in the film. Even though I never kept late hours, my PG host had problems with my profession. After three months of regular tiffs, I had to finally move out.
You’ve replaced Raima Sen in Ram Gopal Varma’s India 24x7...
• I was approached to play the girlfriend of Amitabh Bachchan’s son. For me, it mattered that I was getting to work with RGV. He is a brave director without any hypocrisy and dares to live his dreams. Now that I’ve shot it, I realise that RGV has made me appear more glamorous than I’ve ever looked on screen!
Re: Neetu Chandra doesn't mind going Nude !!! 
Sardar ka pardafaash, sardar is a hawas ka pujari in disguise 
, till date Malaika is the only one who does it and then tells it out 
