Meet actress, star in four languages, forced to quit industry over alleged affair with superstar, called ugly, is now...

There was a time when Sameera Reddy was reckoned as the next big thing. The actress had successful or noteworthy films in Hindi and Telugu in the mid-2000s. But even as she kept doing hits, within a year, the media attention shifted from her work to her private life. She was rumoured to be dating a co-star, and the spotlight on the alleged love affair forced her to quit the industry itself.

How Sameera Reddy’s linkup rumours with Jr NTR affected her

Sameera began her film career in 2002 with Maine Dil Tujhko Diya opposite Sohail Khan. After semi-successful films like Plan and Musafir, she made her Telugu language debut with Narasimhudu opposite Jr NTR. The film’s success meant the on-screen pair was repeated in Ashok the following year. This was a success too. But their on-screen chemistry sparked a relationship rumour between Sameera and NTR. In an old interview with Prema, the actress recalled how the rumours affected her family. “The truth was that it was blown out of proportion because he is a really wonderful co-star to work with. He taught me a lot. When I came to Telugu cinema, being a Telugu Reddy girl, I didn't know anything. It became such a big deal that there was too much being spoken and my family got upset. As much as I have been a bold actress in so many films, my father is still an Andhra Reddy man at the end of the day and I have to answer to him. Somewhere he got questioned a lot by his family.”

Sameera Reddy and Jr NTR worked in two films together

Sameera Reddy added that as the focus shifted from her work to personal life, she decided to quit Telugu films altogether. “I decided to move away from Telugu cinema because there was too much talk. Is he going to marry her? or You have to marry him? Fans were saying a lot of things. People were only talking about us. They were not talking about my movies. They weren't talking about what I am capable of. The focus went from Sameera Reddy to Sameera NTR.”

When Sameera Reddy was called ugly

Sameera was regarded as one of the most glamorous actresses of her generation. But growing up, the actress said, she was not as glamorous or good-looking. In fact, on many occasions, she described herself as the ugly duckling of the family, saying that she faced jibes for being ‘ugly’. She maintained that everyone felt that her sister – actress and VJ Sushama Reddy – was prettier.

Sameera Reddy’s later career

After quitting Telugu films, Sameera continued to work in Bollywood, appearing in films like Race and Aakrosh. She also ventured in Tamil and Malayalam cinema, giving hits in both the industries. However, after 2012, she became selective with her work. In 2014, she married Akshai Varde and bid adieu to films in order to focus on her family.

The DNA app is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Please download the app and share your feedback with us.