Sameera Reddy Says Salman, Aishwarya Saw Debut Shot With Sohail; Recalls Colour Bias - 'Was Made 2-3 Shades Lighter'

Actor

Sameera Reddy has been quite open about the difficulties she faced when she started in Bollywood. Infact in a recent interview, she spoke about facing colour bias during her debut film Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, where she starred opposite Sohail Khan. The 47-year-old actress revealed that on her first day of shooting for the film, she was so nervous that her hands were shaking and she doubted herself. The actor also got candid about the movie having a Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai connection. Maine Dil Tujhko Diya is a 2002 romance-action film that was also produced and directed by Sohail, who is currently seen in Alliance on Amazon Prime Video.

Ahista Kijiye Baatein to Maine Dil Tujhko Diya

In an interview with Hauterrfly, Sameera looked back on her first acting stint. Before entering films, she was seen in Pankaj Udhas' popular music video Ahista Kijiye Baatein, which had opened doors to Bollywood unexpectedly. She conceded, however, that acting was not part of her original career plan."After shooting for a music video randomly, I came back and it became a superhit song. I thought to myself, 'I don't want to do this.'" Sameera said she had panic attacks and found the experience daunting. She revealed that her first scene was even more nerve-wracking because there were some big names on the set.

First shot infront of Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai

"I remember the first shot. Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan, all sitting there. They were producing the film and Sohail Khan was with me," she recollected. The actress revealed that all she had to say was "Why are you not going?" But as soon as the camera rolled, "My hands were trembling and sweating."Sameera credits therapy for helping her overcome those fears. "My therapist said, 'What scares you? If you break it you are going to break so many other things that are scary,' That's what I teach my children," she said.

Facing colourism on set

The actress also revealed in the same interview that she has lived with a speech impediment and the beauty standards that defined her early years in the industry. She recalled the colourism she faced while shooting for Maine Dil Tujhko Diya. The actor said she was asked to appear far fairer than she really is. Infact she was made "two to three shades lighter," so much so that she believes "I almost looked gray!""I used to use full body makeup to match the colour of my face with my body. Do you know how many women have it in their own families? Her own parents and in-laws say, 'You're dark or fat.' What the hell! Who has given the definition of beauty?" Sameera expressed anger.

Brush with stereotypical beauty standards

The pressure wasn't just in the makeup. She said she had worn padded clothing, coloured contact lenses and customised costumes to conform to the industry's expectations for years. She said she spent her career struggling to reconcile the image she was supposed to project on screen with who she really was. "It was only in my 40s that I broke it!" she said.Sameera Reddy was last seen in the Kannada film Varadhanayaka in 2013. After more than a decade away from cinema, she is making her acting comeback with political drama Aakhri Sawal.