“I can’t be ‘Meghna’ anymore (the character she played in hit 2008 Tamil film Vaaranam Aayiram). I cannot board a train and wait for Suriya,” laughs Sameera Reddy, as she gets candid about her plans to get back into acting. “I will definitely venture into OTT projects, if not on the commercial cinema.”
The actor, known for posting body positivity content on her Instagram posts, wishes to play her age on screen with roles that are not necessarily preachy but connect with both men and women. “Actors like Jyothika are doing a great job. She picks roles that are strong and hard-hitting. Though I do miss dancing, I do not want to venture into the song-and-dance sequences. I want to take up roles that kickstart a conversation on topics that are considered taboo.”
However, she wants to wait for a few more months before taking the plunge. “As a hands-on mama, I want to see how my children would handle it. Right now, I hope to ensure my family settles down before I move on with films. I want to start with OTT projects because the roles written for women there are incredible.”
Recently, Sameera wrote on Instagram about dealing with alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair loss and got worldwide attention during the recent controversy at the Oscars ceremony. “It (the controversy) made me want to shed light on all the individual battles we are fighting, and how we need to create a positive safe space for each other.”
Her detailed posts on suffering from postpartum depression after having her first child and her struggles with body image issues have often won praise on social media. The actor, who has over a million followers on Instagram, constantly shares her own insecurities and how she deals with them. “I share my own struggles. Being fair, thin, being married early... it is incredible that many people want to have conversation about such topics.”
Sameera says she enjoys the process of making videos as she shares a slice of her life, like a mini movie. “It is exciting. My vlogs are real, be it dancing with my kids or walking around without makeup. I like to make people laugh.”
She also champions for healthy lifestyle choices. “When I read comments like, ‘I turned around my life because of you’ or ‘I was ashamed of my body post pregnancy but you make me feel better’, I immediately feel great. It feels like an achievement.”
Her fan following in Tamil Nadu is something that still amazes her. “I have shot at beautiful places like Tiruchendur and worked with amazing people like Suriya and Ajith. My fans in Tamil Nadu still call me Meghna. I find it crazy. I want to re-invent, recreate, and do something better than ‘Meghna’,” says the star, who was recently in Coimbatore to inaugurate a paediatric dentistry clinic founded by Dr Shifa Samsudeen.
