Actress Shabana Raza, known professionally as Neha, made her acting debut with Kareeb (1998). The film, also starring Bobby Deol, was directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film is known for its lovely music. She met actor Manoj Bajpayee after her first film, and the pair tied the knot in 2006.

Despite working in several other films like Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet (1999), Fiza (2000), Rahul (2001), Aatma (2006) and Acid Factory (2009), her career never really took off. It was assumed that she quit films eventually, but in a recent interview, Manoj confirmed that wasn’t true.