Actor Sameera Reddy has never shied away from speaking about the challenges she faced before making her mark in Bollywood. Although acting was never part of her original plan, she found herself stepping into the industry after appearing in Pankaj Udhas’ hit 2000 music video ‘Ahista Kijiye Baatein’. The song’s popularity eventually paved the way for her acting debut opposite Sohail Khan in ‘Maine Dil Tujhko Diya’ (2002). Looking back, Sameera recently revealed that the experience was far from glamorous, recalling severe anxiety on set and opening up about her lifelong struggle with stammering.Speaking to Hauterrfly, Sameera revisited the first day of filming and admitted she was overwhelmed with fear. “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’. I used to get so many panic attacks in the beginning. When I did my first film ‘Maine Dil Tujhko Diya’ 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 shared.Describing the nerve-racking moment, she added, “I remember all I had to say was ‘Why are you not going?’ As soon as he said action, I mumbled the dialogue. I was so scared, my hands were trembling and sweating. But, I remember that 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.”The actor also reflected on living with a speech impediment since childhood and explained how she has gradually learned to embrace it instead of fearing judgment. “Today as someone who stammers, I can tell if someone is stammering. But I know inside that I would do it, what’s the big deal? Will you laugh? So what happens? I am sitting here, you all are watching me. That’s what I think,” she expressed.Sameera further spoke about experiencing colourism during her debut film, revealing that her complexion was deliberately altered on screen. “In my first film, *Maine Dil Tujhko Diya*, I was made two to three shades lighter. I almost looked gray! I used to 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?” she confessed.
