Sameera Reddy returned to Hindi cinema earlier this year after staying away for 14 years, appearing in Abhijeet Mohan Warang's political drama ‘ Aakhri Sawal ’ alongside Sanjay Dutt . The two had worked together before, 24 years ago, in Reddy's first film, Sohail Khan 's 2002 action-romance ‘Maine Dil Tujhko Diya’. Now, in a recent interview, the actor has shared that she faced bias because of her skin colour back then.
Sameera Reddy on being made shades lighter
Speaking to Hauterrfly, Sameera revealed, "In my first film, Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, I was made two to three shades lighter. I almost looked gray! I used to use full body makeup to match the colour of my face with my body," confessed Reddy. "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 Reddy on battling insecurities for years
She also opened up about how it took her more than two decades to make peace with her insecurities, which went beyond just her skin colour. "The confusion with what I had to represent, what I'm selling, and who I am — I have to say it was only in my 40s that I broke it! It took me 20 years because for all these years, I was wearing only padded bras, bum pads, and coloured lenses," the actress said.
Reddy added, “I was always ‘pleasantly plump’ since my childhood, as I’d like to put it. When I lost weight, I was told, ‘Your bum is flat.’ Today, I can laugh about it. I was struggling till my 30s with my identity that I’m not that fair, I don’t have light eyes, and I’m not too tall! I used to hunch and walk because my hero wasn’t tall. But now I’m like, ‘That’s not my problem, bro! You wear heels!’ At that time, it was such a problem. So, what do you do? You make the girl feel bad.”
Sameera Reddy on being body-shamed on set
Sameera Reddy also shared that even female assistant directors would body-shame her during her early days in the industry. "Even the dress designers told me right from the start that I had to do something about it. So, all my outfits had built-in bras with pads. And I've to tell you I've the best collection of pads! I was told so many times, 'How much can we try with the pads, Sameera? Just do something about it. What is it going to take, anyway?'" said the actor.
About Sameera Reddy's personal lifeSameera Reddy is married to businessman Akshai Varde, and the couple has one son and one daughter.
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