Though Bollywood is a highly competitive industry, real talent will always find compliments and success in several forms. Right from the veterans to the contemporaries, talented artist's work never goes ignored.

And this is exactly what dusky beauty Neetu Chandra is currently experiencing. The actress who made her foray into theatre last year has been garnering accolades for her performance where she essays the immensely popular character of Umrao Jaan on stage. 

Unhappy with the kind of roles offered to her in Bollywood, the actress chose unconventional route of theatre rather than following the herd of playing meaningless parts in mainstream cinema. "Umrao came to me when I was rejecting scripts. Though I was doing main leads, I had nothing much to offer. But I liked performing on stage. I could feel Umrao and connect with the character," she said.

Her stage shows have been attended by many bigwigs of the industry. One of these was acclaimed filmmaker Imtiaz Ali who lauded her skills and charm. Another star in the audience was Ekta Kapoor.

"Neetu's performance is one of the finest in theatre. She displayed exemplary class and finesse in portraying Umrao Jaan," she said. The actress is riding high on praises and is happy that the industry is supporting her decision to move to theatre and also praising her love.

"Even Kareena and Kajol have liked my performance. I was honoured when Kareena, after watching the play, came backstage and said that she liked my acting, my Urdu language and diction. She was amazed to see me do hours of live performance," said a happy Neetu. 

Talking about her character, Neetu exclaims that the similarities her play shares with the 1981 film Umrao Jaan, which had Rekha in the lead, starts and ends with both being a musical love story. "This play is contemporary. It is about today's girl, her career, her self-respect and her independence," she concluded.