Mumbai: Actor and producer Neetu Chandra reflected on her personal and professional journey, recalling how her upbringing in a middle-class joint family without any industry connections helped build the determination that fuels her work today.
Speaking to IANS at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Goa, she expressed gratitude for the support she has received throughout her career. “I come from a middle-class joint family with no background in the film industry, and still, you have shown me so much love. From a small-town girl to Hollywood — that has been my journey,” she said.
Chandra emphasised that she aims to focus on meaningful roles rather than frequent screen presence. “I want to entertain with strong, quality characters. I don’t want to be seen everywhere just for visibility. I know I look good — I am five feet seven and a half! But I want to be seen where it matters,” she remarked.
Discussing her approach to filmmaking, she highlighted the importance of language in storytelling. For Hindi films, she prefers reading scripts in Hindi itself. “Thought comes from language. When a Hindi film is written in English, its soul gets lost. That is why many films today lose their essence. Actors should always ask for scripts in the language they perform in,” she added.
Chandra also spoke about her film Chhath, which has been selected for screening at IFFI 2025. The project features talent from Bihar and was supported through the state’s film policy. “Chhath is a film from Bihar, made with artists from the state. I am genuinely thankful to the Bihar government — their policy enabled us to achieve this,” she said. She noted that it is the only Bhojpuri-language film representing Bihar at the festival this year.
