I never thought I'd last this long, says Neha Dhupia

But at the same time, she feels that her best is yet to come. Neha made her entry into Bollywood with oomph but lately has been choosing ‘the middle path' - more challenging scripts. She will be next seen portraying the role of a wannabe actress and has a mainstream film with Emraan Hashmi lined up for release. In a candid chat with CS, the 31-year-old actress expresses her views on her career and a lot more:

Who: Neha Dhupia
What: On completing a decade in Bollywood
Where: At a suburban club

A decade down
I've come a long way as I never thought I'd last this long. I'm an actor by default and I've had my share of ups and downs. To me, good cinema speaks for itself and your work remains immortal. You might kick the bucket tomorrow but what will be left of you is your IMDb page.

Having no godfather
It's not easier when you have a godfather or a father in the industry but it's much harder when you don't. But it's also a double-edged sword as you're expected to deliver. The only moments in my career I regret not having a godfather is when I have to make a decision and I don't know what exactly to do.

Casting ouch
The hardest part is to say no to a project because you're tempted at so many levels - at the level of working with big stars and money. But if the script has nothing to offer you as an actor, what's the point? Those are the things that are scary, not the casting couch. If you ask me, that imaginary couch doesn't even exist. At least not if you avoid putting yourself in that position where you get easily manipulated.

First item number
Doing an item song today is totally different from what it used to be, say three years ago. I'm nervous like hell as the shooting begins in the middle of September. I don't want to let myself down (laughs).

The struggling act
I'm playing a struggling actor in my next and I feel the same in my real life. In fact,u00a0I think that people who are sitting right on the top are struggling too. Everybody in this industry is struggling and if they deny that, they're lying. When I had no work, I wasn't struggling as much as I'm doing now because there are set goals now.u00a0