The ever changing story of Neha Devi Singh
Early life
1998: LifeBuoy Gold - national commercial spot
1998: LifeBuoy Gold - national commercial spot
Neha Devi Singh was born on August 9, 1981, in Imphal, Manipur, India. Daughter of a paramilitary services officer father and a banker mother, Neha spent the first 5 years of her life in the Northeast state of Meghalaya in India. She then moved to New Delhi with her family and lived there till 1993 before finally ending up in Mumbai, India where she finished her schooling and university education. Neha received a degree in Economics from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, India. Post her graduation, Neha chose to defer going in for a master’s in communication as she felt a year of hands-on work experience would go a long way in helping her home in on where she wanted to focus on her specialization in the arts. She therefore gave up her seat at the prestigious SIMC (Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication) in Pune, Maharashtra, India and set out to seek work behind the camera. Initially working as an assistant creative in a media start up and then seeking work as an assistant director with various production houses. However, with every successive interaction in her search for a suitable production or direction-oriented job, she found herself being pointed in a direction which would find her in front of the camera instead. Not once but on various occasions she was asked to take a serious look at acting.
1998: LifeBuoy Gold - national commercial spot
1998: LifeBuoy Gold - national commercial spot
1998: LifeBuoy Gold - national commercial spot
Neha’s first stint with the camera happened when she was discovered by Imam Siddique (then creative director of ad agency-Lowe Lintas) in Mumbai, during an annual festival at her alma mater St. Xavier’s College. After a late night audition, she was picked as the lead for a national commercial spot for LifeBuoy Gold (a Unilever soap brand). The spot aired nationally on key networks, especially during the commercial breaks for the cricket world cup in 1998. During and after her work on the commercial, both Imam Siddique and the producers of the spot were keen that Neha pursue work on camera as an actor/model, but Neha, at the time, chose to finish her graduation instead.
2003-2004: Ssshhhh...Koi Hai - Trikaal
1998: LifeBuoy Gold - national commercial spot
2003-2004: Ssshhhh...Koi Hai - Trikaal
Neha, post-graduation was seeking an assistantship on a popular show being produced by Contiloe films for Star Plus (a GEC for the Star network in India), she was instead asked to audition for an upcoming lead in the same show and offered that she could also work as an assistant director on days she wasn’t needed as an actor. This finally led to her first role in the popular fiction drama Ssshhhh...Koi Hai on STAR Plus in 2003. portraying the superhero "Bijli" and alter ego "Sameera" as part of a ghostbusting trio of superheroes known as ‘Trikaal’ opposite former cricketer Salil Ankola and Jiten Lalwani. Bijli quickly became a popular character with children across India and wherever the show was telecast in other nations. What set her national television debut apart was the dual role she had to play - a sweet, innocent, bungling girl that worked at a salon who turned into a ghost busting superhero whenever danger called. Singh also was the first actor to play a female action hero on Indian national television. Though the show aired on network television from 2003-2004, the fan loyalty that Neha and her portrayal of the beloved character Bijli garnered is evidenced even today, especially with the show now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar globally (where available to stream).
2004: BIJLI contd..
2004: BIJLI contd..
2003-2004: Ssshhhh...Koi Hai - Trikaal
Bijli's popularity led to Neha earning her first nomination in her first year itself in the Favorite Action Star category in the Star Parivaar Awards in 2004 (an annual awards show held by Star Plus celebrating the audience’s favorite characters seen on their network). The popular drama Ssshhhh...Koi Hai ended in August 2004. Because of her portrayal of Bijli, Neha became known for her crime fighting stunts and was offered the role of Sub-Inspector Aditi in the popular crime show C.I.D. on Sony TV. During this time, she was offered another lead role for a new television show Saarrthi on STAR Plus. Neha accepted the offer for Saarrthi instead as it offered her a new dimension to explore as an actor. Between Sssshhh… Koi hai and Saarrthi, Neha appeared in a number of commercials, especially intended for the international market for various food and other commercial products including Birla Gold Cement, Castrol etc.
2004–07: Saarrthi
2004: BIJLI contd..
2004–07: Saarrthi
After becoming popular as Bijli, Neha landed the daily soap Saarrthi, also for Star plus (of the Star Tv network in India) starring as Bhoomika opposite the debuting Karan Grover in 2004. Introduced in the afternoon band, Saarrthi surprised producers and the channel with its quick unmitigated success. Unlike the action-oriented role of Bijli, Saarrthi’s Bhoomika was a rustic play on a homely and innocent servant girl with a rose-tinted view of the world who was hopelessly in love with her master’s son Arjun. While Neha's stardom had begun with Bijli, her more popular role was of Bhoomika where she truly showcased her talents and playing the character also helped her realize that acting was her true passion. Popular with all demographics, Neha soon became a household name for her portrayal of Bhoomika. The role also led to her being nominated for and winning the Star Parivaar Award for Favorite Devrani in 2006.After two and a half years and over 450 episodes of an extremely successful and fulfilling run with Saarrthi, Neha left the serial in 2007 and was replaced by Zalak Thakker as the protagonist Bhoomika Goenka.
Post–Saarrthi
2004: BIJLI contd..
2004–07: Saarrthi
After leaving Saarrthi in 2007, Neha took a sabbatical. She had been a writer since her school days and was also a columnist while at university for Channel Y–a youth page in Mumbai Newsline for the Indian Express (a national daily newspaper in India), in 2009 she was also a contributor to the weekend edition of the Financial Express. During this time, she also wrote the screenplay for a full-length feature before moving on to other interests. She also appeared as a guest star in episodes of shows like Sssshh phir koi hai (a 2-part Independence Day special) for Star Plus, Popular horror anthology series – Aahat, popular crime series C.I.D and a special Ganapati episode of popular socio-religious anthology series Mann mein hai Vishwass (this episode was the highest rated episode of the series at the time) for Sony Tv.
2010-2015
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2017 - 2022
In 2010-2011, Neha worked as Project Supervisor for Deepa Sahi's directorial debut "TERE MERE PHERE" produced by Ketan Mehta (of Maya Movies Pvt ltd.) and Anup Jalota, released September 2011. She also served as 3rd assistant director on the film (uncredited).
In February 2012 she returned to the producers of Saarrthi - Asit Modi's Neela Telefilms Pvt ltd. as a Creative Director, where she was responsible for new content development and show packaging.In June of 2013, Neha moved on from Neela Telefilms Pvt. Ltd. taking time off from professional pursuits to help in the care of her grandmother who was living with her family at the time.In 2015, marriage to then husband Jonathan Gilder brought Neha to Vancouver, Canada. Neha has always felt like a global citizen, and it is that sentiment which enabled her to build a life in Vancouver, where she is now based.
2017 - 2022
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2017 - 2022
Since then, Neha has been an entrepreneur, her latest venture being the launch of ‘Goodies from NDS’ – a collection of products featuring her own personal artwork along with other curated ecofriendly items for sale. The core philosophy of the business is to back ethically and responsibly produced products that are good for the planet while also celebrating all forms of creative expression.A creator, writer, artist and entrepreneur, Neha has never backed down from any new experience or challenges and lets life take her from one adventure to the next. She believes it is this varied life experience and forward-facing philosophy that not only makes her a more wholesome human being but also a better actor every day. For all her pursuits and interests, Neha is, at her heart and soul, an actor and will remain so.
relevant links
relevant links
relevant links
To view Neha's Actor's bio, please click:
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To view the behind the scenes and working stills from Neha's various shows, please click:
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To visit Neha's newest venture, please click:
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NEW REVIEW!
" Playing Najma, the mom, Neha Devi Singh nails the style. In the vein of characters from old TV farces like I Love Lucy, Singh’s Najma is excitable, well meaning, and perpetually baffled. While hinting at cartoonishness, this Najma stays touchingly grounded in the human." - COLIN THOMAS