Neha Sharma Lost Films Due to 'Pretty' Looks, Says 'If You Aren't Good-looking, Your Act Is Praised' | Exclusive

Neha Sharma remains grapevine’s darling because of her strong and on-point social media and paparazzi game. Her appearances outside gyms and airports with her sister Aisha Sharma frequently catch the attention of the shutterbugs and needless to say, go viral on social media within minutes. Apart from her social media posts and sartorial sensibilities, the actor often makes headlines for her strong opinions on the film industry.

And in a recent interaction with News18 Showsha, Neha makes a bold statement on how an actor is sometimes forced to play de-glam roles to be taken seriously. Known for her glamorous avatars on and off-screen, Neha too has sometimes been seen shunning the sheen and taking on parts that go against her image. “No offense to anyone but I feel that to be taken seriously in this industry, you need to de-glam yourself. If you look a certain way, they’ll call you a bad actor. I think it’s just a stereotype,” she states.

According to Neha, actors like her often resort to a ‘ploy’ like this so as to change the perception that they’ve in the industry. “And if you aren’t a very good looking person, people start seeing the acting and performance in your eyes and suddenly, the little nuances in your act are appreciated a lot more. This has become a ploy for all actors including me to de-glam so that we’re taken a bit more seriously,” she adds.

Interestingly, a few years back, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja made a similar stance on Koffee With Karan where she had accompanied her father Anil Kapoor. “The thing about the industry is, if you are not good-looking, they think you are a good actor. If you look ordinary, and act loud, doesn’t mean you are a good actor (sic),” she had said and faced the wrath of many on social media.

Speaking of looks, the Crook actor reveals that she lost out on parts for looking ‘too pretty’. “I’ve met a few filmmakers who didn’t want to cast me in the first place saying that I’m too pretty for the part. One of them said, ‘You aren’t the girl we’re looking for.’ He didn’t even ask me to do a scene or read a line. What he told me was purely what he perceived of me. But eventually, I did get cast in that film. Maybe he changed his mind when he met me, which brought the situation in my favour. But these things should change a bit,” she asserts.

This lopsided perception, Neha believes, stems from the fact that makers judge actors based on their off-screen persona. Hoping for directors and producers to cast actors based on merit and not how they look, she says, “It would be lovely if they’re able to see beyond how an actor looks and cast them. I wish they thought, ‘I believe in you and can mould you to play a part.’ I feel like the way you’re in real life vis-à-vis what you’re on camera can be two different things but somewhere people tend to mix the two.”