Neera believes in taking each day as it comes. She cannot be bothered with the tensions and worries of a morrow that has yet to come. “I don’t think about tomorrow.” But wouldn’t that be called careless? She at once replies, “Rather then careless I would call it carefree. I want to wake up each morning with a clear mind with no tensions of the future haunting me. I’m content with life as it is,” states Neera, proving that there are still people who are thankful for their lot rather than complaining for what they do not have. The realistic gal firmly believes that nobody can change what is destined to happen. “If life doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger. You should be stable enough to deal with life realistically,” she says philosophically, surprising me with her mature and down-to-earth views on life.

On this my curiosity is roused and I want to know more about this entity - Neera - whose exterior belies  a frivolous personality. But on closer scrutiny she comes across as one with an insight into the seriousness of life and all that it entails. “Where do I begin?’ says she and then delves into her past that evolved the Neera of today.

For as long as Neera can remember, she spent her cherished childhood in the States. While in high school her family decided to move back to their homeland. Thus lock, stock and barrel, Neera and her family shifted to Pakistan where she graduated from D.H.A Degree College for Women. It was at this point that Neera stepped into working life for the first time. Undecided, as to which field she wanted to pursue, Neera landed in the marketing department of Citibank, only to move on to Standard Chartered in the capacity of a financial consultant. She stayed there for six months. “It was a fantastic experience,” she reminisces of a job that she would have loved to continue but the inevitable politics in every sphere of life makes survival impossible at times. Not being able to cope with the intrigues and conspiracies of co-workers, Neera has had to walk away a couple of times from places she otherwise loved.

 After being in banking for five years, it finally got too monotonous for the restless Neera to be stuck in one place for long. Doing the same thing day in and day out led to a saturation point. Her last stint was with Deutsche Bank, an experience she doesn’t much want to talk about. If you hazard a guess it could be that after being at two prestigious establishments, this proved to be an anti-climax in her banking sojourn.

So it was au revoir to one phase of her career, only to step gingerly into another one. This time none other than the bad ad world– Advertising.

Why the sudden transition from juggling with figures to formulating ideas and artistically implementing them, one wonders? “I’ve always had an artistic streak in me. I love to paint and write. Ever since I was a kid I’ve decorated the interior of my doll’s house. As to why I chose advertising, that is because I feel there’s more potential to be innovative in this field,” says she on her choice of career this time. She considers it as the best experience of her life. “It was here that I learnt the whole works.” Neera further adds, “Politics rules everywhere,” satisfying our curiosity as to why she opted out of a job she claims to have enjoyed thoroughly. “I have been getting offers from advertising since then but right now I just want to smell the various flavours of life.”

Her entry in the modelling arena was yet another fluke, as she so often calls her experiences. “A friend of mine had arranged a show “Kinky Nightwear’  at her private residence way back in ‘97. This was for ladies only and I loved it immensely. But I did not pursue it whole-heartedly as my father was opposed to the idea.” So offers did come her way but she turned them all down.

By now Neera’s laid back nature is quite evident, that she likes to deal with one thing at a time and is not much hurried about things in life. After a lapse of another year she took a shot at ramp modelling which was at Cupola with choreographer Imran Kureshi, also her good friend. “He is my inspiration and also the one who spurred me on and encouraged me that I could do it. Imran has always been my pillar of strength even when I’ve been down in the dumps. There was a time when I receded into my shell. He helped me get over that tough phase of depression. I resurfaced once again and started doing shows. I did a jewellery show with Tanveer Ali’s collection, another one at Café Blue and then with Shaiyanne Malik.” But it’s Sonya Battla whose ensembles she would love to be caressed by anytime as they smack of chic sophistication.

To be a model was like a dream for Neera, who as a child would don her mother’s garments and groom herself, courtesy her mom’s make-up kit, red being the favourite colour in lipsticks. “I was enamoured by all the beautiful faces who mattered and wanted to be out there myself. Recently, I realised my dream could come true,” says she of her childhood passion, modelling.

Neera has also dabbled in still shoots, which she did for a couple of glossies.

“I hated looking at my image in the magazines. I don’t think too much about myself and am not conceited. I really get embarrassed when I see myself staring back at me from the pages,” she says conscious of a trait that is not common in the vain models of today. It is mostly theme roles that our modest model has done. Her most recent being something she did for Nadya Mistry’s Chinese collection. “It was so funny that when I came home nobody recognised me, all decked up as a Chinese,” she recalls laughingly. As for commercials, she would soon be flitting across the screen too, as Neera has realised the importance of a portfolio, which to date she has been hesitant in maintaining. Could be her self-respect that is keeping her from doing so.

But that’s not her only indulgence in the world of arts. “Acting was something I always loved.” To don the garb of various characters was what excited her most. “Since high school I had been acting in school plays. My favourites being Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and a skit enactments of Little Shop of Horrors. It was a mere fluke that I got into stage plays. I started off by helping Sohail Malik backstage with ‘Barefoot in the Park’ in ‘97.” The next opportunity that came Neera’s way was a year later, in ‘98, again with Sohail Malik. However, this time the scenario was completely different. “A friend of mine told me of this character who was needed for Sohail’s play. I went ahead, auditioned and got selected. Since I whine so well I bagged the role of a forty-five year old romantic. It was pretty exciting,” says the animated Neera, recounting her experience. And her last one also being with the same team in ‘99, the play being “The Runaway Groom.”

What comes to mind immediately is why work with only one team? “Because I haven’t been approached by anyone as yet,” she replies candidly. But that is only as far as stage acting is concerned. Neera has been approached once too often by various parties to act in Urdu plays. Though wanting to give it a try, the only hitch for Neera is her rusty Urdu, of which she is honest enough to warn them beforehand. “It’s my duty to be honest with everyone rather than keep them in the dark till the last minute as I have to live with myself.”

Presently, Neera has something up her dainty sleeve – a project that she is working on with a team she is very secretive as well as optimistic about. “This is the only project I’m doing so far. Once I have accomplished this, then I will readily take on good offers. Everybody keeps on telling me that offers only come your way for some time and then they stop. But that doesn’t bother me in the least. Whatever I do, I would like to give it my fullest,” says the zealous yet righteous Neera.

With an attitude that spells chill Neera is in no rush to make things happen either on the professional or personal front. The reason for being in modelling is because she loves to shock people. How else she’ll shock us, we’ll have to wait and see!