Amritsar women get a glimpse of No Filter Neha, as Neha Dhupia honours women from Punjab’s rural community

Neha Saini

Crowned Miss India in 2002 and debuting in Bollywood in 2003, Neha Dhupia has had a successful run in the entertainment industry for the past 20 years. During this time, the actress had never shied away from changing gears — from acting to TV to talk shows, she has done it all, unapologetically. Sharing excerpts from her journey and more, Neha recently interacted with members of FICCI FLO, Amritsar chapter, at a specially curated evening, Agaaz…Ek Nayee Subah Ka, dedicated to honouring women from Punjab’s rural community.

While commending women, Neha, who is also a vocal advocate for body positivity, candidly shared how she has faced body shaming, rejections and more, but still felt quite confident and settled as an individual now. “I believe in being a realist. I feel that you have accept yourself; I enjoy myself as I am. Over the years, I have found gratitude and I feel my kids give me that confidence to continue, despite the criticism. So, none of the other stuff matters to me.”

She also encouraged women to see themselves beyond the flaws that are often thrown at them unsolicited. She also spoke about the issue of too much social media, “I feel that there is a generation, especially today, which thrives on external gratification, but we need to cut the noise out. That is very important in life.”

Hands full

Work-wise, she remains busier than ever with another season of her talk show No Filter Neha, an international project Blue 52, an OTT project that deals with the issue of mental health, while she also has another one in the pipeline with Dharma productions, along with Vicky Kaushal. Neha has recently turned investor and is co-owner of a sustainable crockery brand.

During the event, she also launched the FLO Amritsar Rural livelihood initiative by honouring women from rural community in Punjab. These included Prabhjot Wadala, former sarpanch of Wadala constituency and ex-organising secretary of Punjab Women’s Cell, who has helped create opportunities for women to start their own businesses, Gurvinder Kaur, sarpanch of village Chamak, Sawinder Kaur, the sarpanch of Dal Kotla village and Navshant Chinna, a farmer by profession, and women rights’ advocate Kushwinder Kaur.

Earlier in the day, Dhupia paid obeisance at the Golden Temple, a ritual that she shared has become an annual affair, with her kids, Gurik and Mehr.