Sameera Reddy returned to Hindi cinema earlier this year after being away for 14 years, appearing in Abhijeet Mohan Warang’s political drama Aakhri Sawal alongside Sanjay Dutt. The two had worked together earlier, 24 years ago, in Reddy’s first film, Sohail Khan‘Maine Dil Tujhko Diya’, the 2002 action romance. Now, in a recent interview, the actor has shared that he faced prejudice due to his skin color back then.
sameera Reddy by getting lighter shades
Speaking to Haterrfly, Sameera revealed, “In my first film, Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, I was made two or three shades lighter. I almost looked grey! I used to use full body makeup to match my face color with my body,” confessed Reddy. “Do you know how many women have it in their own families? Their own parents and in-laws say, ‘You’re dark or fat.'” “What the hell! Who gave the definition of beauty?”
Sameera Reddy on fighting insecurities for years
She also explained how it took her more than two decades to make peace with her insecurities, which went beyond her skin color. “The confusion with what I was supposed to represent, what I’m selling and who I am, I have to say that I only broke it at the age of 40! It took me 20 years because all these years I was wearing only padded bras, pads and colored lenses,” said the actress.Reddy added: “Since my childhood I was always ‘pleasantly chubby’, as I like to call it. When I lost weight, I was told, ‘Your butt is flat’. Today I can laugh about it. I was struggling until my 30s with my identity that I’m not so fair, I’m not clear-eyed and I’m not very tall! I used to hunch over and walk because my hero wasn’t tall. But now I’m like, ‘That’s not my problem, brother! You wear heels!’ At the time, it was a problem. So what do you do? You make the girl feel bad.”
Sameera Reddy on body shaming on set
Sameera Reddy also shared that even female assistant directors would embarrass her during her initial days in the industry. “Even the costume designers told me from the beginning that I had to do something about it. So all my costumes had built-in bras with pads. And I have to tell you, I have the best collection of pads! I’ve been told so many times, ‘How much can we try with pads, Sameera? Just do something with it. What is she going to need, anyway?'” the actor said.
About Sameera Reddy Personal Life
Sameera Reddy is married to businessman Akshai Varde and the couple has a son and a daughter.