Republic Day: Neha Dhupia’s armed forces background gave her more self-assurance helobaba.com
Actor Neha Dhupia feels the “free and fearless” side of her personality is largely because her father served in the Indian Navy. “Even if one family member wears the uniform in your house, your entire thought process towards patriotism changes,” she tells us on the occasion of Republic Day.
The 43-year-old recalls how days like Republic Day had a big lead-up in the cantonment area she lived, for instance putting flags on bicycles and dressing up in the tricolor even before the big day.
“In Delhi, we would go and see the Republic Day preparations. The excitement in the air would be great. Even now, I would sit in front of our TV in the morning to watch the parade. My kids have also learned to do that,” she says.
For Dhupia, it was a memory down the lane recently when she visited Kerala, where she grew up. “Everything has changed, yet things haven’t changed at all! I saw the trees I climbed, subtle memories of always being outdoors. It used to be a sweet, secure life,” the A Thursday (2022) actor adds.
She, however, refuses that she was an “army brat”. “It’s not over-confidence, arrogance or attitude. It’s just that we have a little more self-assurance than others,” Dhupia says.
The mother of two did assert that the least parents and schools can do today is tell their kids the importance of Republic Day. “We should watch the parade even if on TV. People work so hard for it for months,” the former beauty queen shares.
Ask her what quality she inculcated from her armed forced household that helped her in Bollywood, and she elaborates, “That one ability to walk into a room and make a conversation. And this is for all fauji kids. Since we played a lot of sports, we also learned to fail, stand back and compete. All of this said in a very positive way. Non-fauji kids might also have it but in a different skill set.”
Dhupia signs off by repeating her father’s words to “be fearless and keep your chin between your shoulders.”
