V GANGADHAR HELPS NEHA DHUPIA INTERPRET EVA BRAUN, HITLER'S WIFE, WHO SHE ESSAYED IN THE FILM GANDHI TO HITLER.

India did not lack real life heroines, and some of them had been brought on the silver screen - Draupadi, Sita, Jhansi Rani, Meera and Indira Gandhi. But it must have been a real challenge for star Neha Dhupia to portray Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress, in the recent film 'Gandhi to Hitler'. With hardly any material available on her character, how did Neha manage? " It was a joint effort," Neha pointed out. " The director, junior artistes, technicians all chipped in with ideas. I felt we should highlight the love angle between Eva and Adolfji. But once we fell in love, he was 'Adu'to me. Eva was a simple village girl; Adu was only a corporal in the army, not knowing much about love.

So we did the usual run around the trees scenes to develop our love scenes. And I helped to change Hitler's personality." " That is interesting," I observed. " How was this done?" Neha laughed. " In the original script, Adu had a long and thick moustache which tickled me during our love scenes. I told Adu, he should not keep that kind of a moustache, which made him look like the average Bollywood dacoit, Thakur Jarnail Singh or someone like that. So Adu agreed to trim his moustache." " That was thoughtful of you," I agreed. " How did you decide on Eva Braun's costumes?" " Initially, I was confused about her name, which I thought, was brown," went on Neha. " So to suit this name, we ordered lots of brown costumes. In those days Germany did not have mini dresses and I went for all those, long ones. In a way that was good, because had I worn short skirts, Adu's friends, Himmlerji, Goebbelsji and Goeringji would have ogled at me. But I am a one man woman, only for Adu." " Such loyalty," I wondered.

" Yes, that was why I did not want all those people., Gandhiji, Subhas Chandra Bose in the film which should have been only mine and Adu's" complained Neha. " Who wants to watch Gandhiji in a Hitler film? He had his Munnabhai, that should be enough for him." " You must have felt your insides churn at the concentration camps scenes," I pointed out. " Nothing like that," Neha laughed.

" Adu explained that the Jews were like Mogambo, further they lacked concentration and were sent to the camps only to improve their concentration.

Wasn't that correct?" " Quite true," I agreed.

" The bunker scene where you and Adu commited suicide must have been harrowing." " That is true," Neha Dhupia agreed. " I suggested we should not die but shown as flying off to Heaven.

Before that we were shown swallowing poison tablets made in India and naturally, they did not work. So the world acknowledged our immortality and I would have had a couple of songs in the last scene." " How nice!" I exclaimed. " Adu orders his famous architect Dr Albert Speer to build for us a brand new Heaven to accommodate all our friends including Mussolini," went on Neha Dhupia.

" This was my concept of the Hitler film and if the producer and director had followed my advice, we would have had a super hit." " That was certain," I said getting up. " Thank you so much." Neha got up and gave me a smart Nazi salute. " Heil Hitler" she said and took me to the door.

I SUGGESTED WE SHOULD NOT DIE BUT SHOWN AS FLYING OFF TO HEAVEN. BEFORE THAT WE WERE SHOWN SWALLOWING POISON TABLETS MADE IN INDIA AND NATURALLY, THEY DID NOT WORK. SO THE WORLD ACKNOWLEDGED OUR IMMORTALITY AND I WOULD HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF SONGS IN THE LAST SCENE."