I don’t want to be a man in a man’s world: Neha Dhupia

Even though her career did not take off as impressively as she had expected it to have, actor Neha Dhupia's learning curve, in her nine year B-Town stint, has earned her the much required brownie points.

While the actor candidly confesses that she is "happy" that she's "got a lot of work to do in the industry," when it comes to creative satisfaction, Neha feels she has a valid reason to cheer. "I have come a long way in Bollywood. And I am very happy with the body of work that I have done in the industry. But, there's a long way to go for me," says Neha who adds, "After spending these many years in the industry, I know why actors make desperate choices to take up every role that comes their way. I am always scared of that moment when one day I will wake up only to find I don't have any work. But I am glad that I have got many things to do right now."

That could be the reason why Neha is keeping herself busy with striking brand promotions deals and donning the thinking hat of an entrepreneur apart from involving herself in charity and acting. At the same time, Neha feels it is acting that tops the priority list. "I do a lot of other activities, but would like to stick to acting as the most important thing in life. I was majorly into sports until I got bitten by the acting bug," says Neha who has two releases this year.

The actor feels happy to have got wonderful inputs and encouragement in the industry. "While I was working with Priyadarshan, he had this piece of advice for me, 'acting is all about using common sense.' And I religiously follow the same. It's made a lot of difference," says the actor.

Currently, it is her singledom that's making her happy. "I was in a relationship. But now I am single and I am very happy," says Neha who has this mantra to share, "As long as you are happy, it does not matter whether you are single or married. If you are married and are unhappy, then you need to get out of that relationship."

More than doing the job of donning the greasepaint, it is "running the house", that Neha feels "is more difficult a task. You need to take care of a whole lot of things, starting from the kitchen." The actor feels that for a woman, it always makes sense to carve her own identity and not emulate a man. "I believe that men are cut out to do their own set of jobs. 'Don't try to be a man in a man's world', be a woman and you'd be appreciated."

Neha feels the age of social networking has enabled her to keep in touch with friends and fans. "When you are social networking, you get to know your fans' feedback and you get to ping anytime, anywhere. The world has now got to stay connected through a single 'dot'," says Neha.