- Sneha Ullal debuted opposite Salman Khan at age 17 during a tough personal phase
- Her mother was undergoing cancer treatment when she accepted the film Lucky
- Overnight fame cost her normal teenage and college life, she said
Sneha Ullal, who has long been compared to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, opened up about her unexpected debut in Bollywood opposite superstar Salman Khan. Best remembered for her role in Lucky: No Time for Love, the actress revealed that acting was never part of her plan and that she entered the industry during one of the most difficult phases of her life.
“I had just completed my 10th grade and newly joined college when Arpita Khan's friends spotted me,” Sneha told AlphaNeon Studioz. “When I was approached for the movie, I was personally in a very bad place. My mom was undergoing treatment for cancer.”
Sneha continued, “The environment in our house was quite depressing. I took up Lucky to divert my family's mind. My mom loved travelling, so I accepted the offer to do this. It changed a lot of things for me, irrespective of whether or not I was interested in the art.” She was only 17 at the time, while Salman was 39 when she accepted the offer.
The 38-year-old actress admitted that overnight fame came with its own set of struggles. “It took away my freedom, my college life. I never got to live my teenage years or my 20s. I went from being 16 to an adult overnight. It was a compromise. I didn't understand it then, but now I do,” she explained, adding, “Salman Khan took good care of me.”
During the same conversation, Sneha also addressed the comparisons with Aishwarya. Many linked the resemblance to Salman's highly publicised breakup with the former Miss World after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. However, Sneha said she remained unaffected by the comparisons.
She said, “When Aishwarya Rai became Miss World, people around me would say I looked a lot like her. Later, the PR game was such, and since I debuted opposite Salman Khan, people connected the dots in that angle. But it never bothered me. I was too young for all that.”
Following her debut in Vollywood, Sneha also ventured into regional films. Now, she is slowly making her way back into Hindi cinema. “I want to build relationships with good people in the industry. I have a vision of the kind of actress I want to become,” she said.