Sameera Reddy who loved her dumb bimbo number with Anil Kapoor

Sameera Reddy fans and admirers, who loved her dumb bimbo number with Anil Kapoor in Abbas-Mastaan’s Race, will find it difficult to recognize her in Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s just-released Bengali film Kaal Purush (Memories in the Mist.) Sameera flew down for the premiere to Kolkata and flew back even before the film was over.

Her role in Kaal Purush was followed by another role in Dasgupta’s latest film The Voyeurs. TWF correspondent Shoma A. Chatterji spoke to the very friendly and beautiful Sameera.

Considering that your debut in films began only in 2002 with Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, you have come a long way, right?
I consider myself lucky to have worked with the best directors in the industry. It has not been easy but it is not easy for anyone in the industry. It is an uphill climb for all of us here, including Shahrukh Khan.

I have worked with directors ranging from Sanjay Gupta through Ram Gopal Verma to Buddhadeb Dasgupta and Aruna Raje.

I worked with Mira Nair though that was for a short film Migration, screened at the Toronto Film Festival in 2007. I play a housewife who is HIV+. The Voyeurs, my second film with Buddha-da, was screened at the same festival.

How did it all begin?
When I was still studying at the Sydenham College in Mumbai, I happened to be chosen for a Pankaj Udhas video called Aashita.

My sisters, Meghna and Sushma were also very inspiring for me. I used to be a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky girl in college. But after this video, I became serious and decided to concentrate on two things – training in Kathak and acting in films.