actor Sameera Reddy She recently opened up about the close bond she shares with her mother-in-law, Manjri Varde, revealing how she encouraged her to rediscover her confidence after a difficult phase in life. For those who don’t know, after getting married while Sameera was away from films for a long time and also embraced motherhood, the actress and her mother-in-law are social media sensations. Manjiri is a huge inspiration to many and Sameera has also believed in keeping it real on social media through her honest posts and heartfelt confessions. In a recent interview, Sameera recalled that when she first met Manjri, she felt that her divorce and her ex-husband’s marriage had affected her deeply, although she never expressed it openly.“Today I will say it openly. When I met her, she was divorced and my father-in-law had gone and remarried, and in my head, I always knew, even though she never said it, I always knew it was something that was bothering her,” Sameera said at the FICCI FLO event in Bengaluru.Agreeing with her daughter-in-law, Manjri admitted, “It would upset all of us. It’s not easy being single.”Sameera said she saw immense potential in Manjri and her mission was to help her embrace life with renewed confidence. She wanted her mother-in-law to stop holding back and step into the spotlight.“I decided to make you super hot and super because I felt like I had it in me. And I wanted that for her, so I think when I met her, I definitely felt that… It’s not like she shrunk, but she didn’t go out there and just give it to her.”The actor also spoke about the social stigma attached to divorce and said he urged Manjri not to let society dictate how she lived her life.“That’s what divorcees feel and I’m telling you you don’t have to. You live once, there’s one life and if you’re going to live it for society… That’s literally the speech I gave him. I said, ‘Nobody’s going to hold your hand when you’re alone and cry in a corner. You’ve got to get up and make something of yourself.’Sameera added that their intention was never to disrespect their father-in-law or dwell on the past, but to focus on creating a fulfilling future for themselves.“Even if someone has made progress, we’re not here to go and spit in their face; we’re here to simultaneously move forward on our own path. Enlighten yourself; automatically, everyone starts turning to you.”She added: “The point is not to shrink from anyone, not your husband, not even your own family.”Sameera Reddy, who moved away from films after marrying businessman Akshai Varde in 2014, later reinvented herself as a parenting and lifestyle content creator. During the pandemic, Manjri Varde also became a familiar face in her social media videos, with the duo gaining recognition for their heartfelt and relatable interactions.Earlier, in an interview with Haterrfly, Sameera had praised her mother-in-law for always being honest and supportive. He recalled that when they first met, Manjri had been candid with him about Akshai’s dating history and he appreciated her for never taking her son’s side blindly.Describing their relationship, Sameera said Manjri is someone “who has been there, talked to me, been real, always stood by me. No ki mera beta, mera beta. She has always said, ‘Sameera, are you okay? What do you need?'”