Neha Dhupia has looked back at two film opportunities she declined during her career, including Shah Rukh Khan‘s 2007 sports drama ‘Chak De! India’. The actress admitted that turning down the projects remains a source of regret. Both films appealed to her because they belonged to genres she had hoped to explore professionally.Neha discussed the decisions in a board game session on her chat show ‘Double Date’. Along with ‘Chak De! India’, she mentioned ‘Operation Safed Sagar’ as another project she wishes she had accepted. The actress reflected on how certain opportunities stay with performers even years after they have passed them up.“Sometimes, when you look back at the opportunities you turned down, you realise what you may have missed. Chak De! India and Operation Safed Sagar were two such opportunities that stayed with me,” she said.
Neha Dhupia recalls turning down ‘Chak De! India’
Released in 2007, ‘Chak De! India’ featured Shah Rukh Khan as Kabir Khan, a former hockey captain who becomes the coach of India’s women’s national hockey team. Directed by Shimit Amin and written by Jaideep Sahni, the film follows the team as its members prepare for an international tournament.The story explores the challenges faced by players from different backgrounds as they learn to work together. Kabir must help them overcome personal differences and build a team capable of competing at the international level. Neha did not reveal which character she was offered in the film or explain why she decided against taking it up.Neha’s comments indicate that her disappointment stems from missing out on the kind of cinema she wanted to explore. Sports dramas and military films were among the genres she hoped to work in. Turning down the two projects meant missing opportunities to take on roles in those areas.“I always wanted to do a good sports film, a good military film, but have missed these two big opportunities,” she said.Neha Dhupia has worked across films and television during her career. She was most recently seen in the television series ‘Single Papa’ where she played the character Romilla Nehra in the first episode.