‘I am happy to have a partner like Manoj’

doweshowbellyad=0; Shabana (TOI Photo)This petite actress with the girl-next-door looks charmed movie buffs with her innocence in her debut film Kareeb.
Later she appeared in movies like Fiza-In search of her brother and Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet. After a long hibernation, Neha will soon be seen in Sanjay Gupta's Alibaug, where she plays the role of a student.Ask her about her comeback and she says, "It would be wrong to say that I am making a comeback. Making a comeback means that I would be doing many more films. It so happened that I was offered this role and I felt that it suited me fine. So, I decided to go ahead."
Despite the right kind of looks and a debut film like Kareeb, her career didn't really take off. Did that upset her? "I have always been passionate about acting but never took it seriously. Call it my shortcoming or something else, but I cannot go role-hunting knocking on producers doors. I have always waited for the right kind of roles and when they didn���t happen, I decided to withdraw myself. And now, I am very happy being just a home bird," says she.
If she was not interested in pursuing her filmi career, how did she enter the fray in the first place? She says, "I had never imagined that I would be associated with the tinseltown. During my college days in Delhi, I did some modelling assignments to earn pocket money. It just happened that Saurabh Shukla spotted me during one of my shows and recommended my name to Vidhu Vinod Chopra. I was asked to give a screen test in Mumbai and finally landed the lead role in Kareeb."
Not many know that the actress has now reverted back to her original name Shabana Raza. Quiz her on it and she says, "It's my original name and my real identity. The name of my character in Kareeb was Neha. Vidhuji started calling me by this name on the sets and soon I become Neha for everyone. That became my screen name too. But all those who are close to me, know me as Shabana and I too would like to be known by this name."
Today, the actress is happily married to her longtime boyfriend Manoj Bajpai. So, has life changed after marriage? "I have known Manoj since the time I was shooting for Kareeb. We met at a party and hit it off very well. We have known each other for quite sometime and marriage has not made it any different. The best part is that we respect each other's individuality. And I am really happy to have a wonderful partner like Manoj," says the actress.
Apart from shooting for Alibaug, what else is keeping the actress busy these days? "We have just moved into our new house. Manoj and I are busy designing and decorating it. We just love to spend time together in our new home. And when he is out, I love to occupy myself with painting and cooking," she says.