- Maine Dil Tujhko Diya also marked Sohail Khan's debut
- Sohail Khan also wrote, directed, and produced the film
- Sameera Reddy revealed that the body shaming came from within the crew as
Sameera Reddy made her Bollywood debut opposite Sohail Khan in the 2002 film Maine Dil Tujhko Diya. More than two decades later, the actress opened up about the beauty standards she was expected to conform to during her first film. Sameera revealed that she was made "two to three shades lighter" with makeup and asked to wear padded bras back then.
“In my first film, Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, I was made two to three shades lighter. I almost looked grey! I used to full body makeup to match the colour of my face with my body,” Sameera said in an interview with Hauterfly.
“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 added.
Sameera Reddy further shared that it took her more than 20 years to make peace with her insecurities. "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 continued.
“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," she added.
Sameera revealed that the body shaming came from within the crew as well. "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?,” she said.
Maine Dil Tujhko Diya marked the acting debut of Sohail Khan and Sameera Reddy. Sohail Khan also wrote, directed, and produced the film.
On the work front, Sameera Reddy recently made her Bollywood comeback after a 14-year hiatus in Abhijeet Mohan Warang's political drama Aakhri Sawal. The film was released in theatres on May 15.
