On how life changed after Musafir:

Whatever I am today is because of Musafir. If today I am recognised in the interiors of UP and Bihar, then it’s only because of this film. Apart from people giving me recognition as an actor, they also appreciated my dancing skills a lot.

On item numbers:

It’s really surprising that people call me an item girl wherein I have never done any item number in my life. Maybe it’s because many of my songs have done well, something on the lines of Urmila Matondkar’s career graph. I have been lucky like her to have got such great songs. Anyway, it’s the new girls wanting to make a name for themselves who do item numbers, and I don’t want to include myself in that group. But, yes, I would love to do something like Aishwarya’s Kajra re, but only after touching a similar point in my career.

On realistic cinema:

Realistic cinema is great. It gives you tons of respect and also a big push to your effort of being known as an actor. I had the best of experiences during Kaalpurush with Buddhadeb Dasgupta. Initially the role was to be done by Bipasha Basu, but for some strange reasons, she didn’t take it up. When I was brought in, initially there were a lot of protests since I am a South Indian girl from Mumbai who didn’t know a word of Bengali. But on the first day when Buddhada exposed me to the press in Calcutta with me wearing a simple cotton sari sans makeup with just kaajal and a bun, the reactions suddenly turned positive. They started praising Buddhada for recognising hidden talent and were all keen to know more about me. The experience of working in this film was one of a kind. Buddhada liked my work so much that he actually increased my role.

On awards:

I don’t believe in the award system. As long as the people and the directors praise me, I am happy.

On the No. 1 race:

It’s actually very difficult to define the No.1 race. As for me, my only competition is with myself. I think I am No. 1 for myself and am happy with it for the moment. I am surviving today only because of my hard work. I remember when I entered Bollywood, people suddenly started saying that I won’t survive in the industry. But now the same people have started appreciating me.

On the dream role:

My ultimate dream role is Rekha’s character in Khoon Bhari Maang. That was one helluva character.

On sister Sushama:

Me and my sister Sushama are very different from each other even though we are in the same profession. We never interfere with each other’s career or discuss work at home. And even though we are at home together, we do not even watch TV or listen to the radio. It’s a complete different world for us.

On health and food:

I gym and do power yoga for one hour every day. Swimming also helps in a great way. I am very careful about what I eat. I never drink because my body is allergic to it and even oily food is a complete no-no for me. As I travel quite a bit, I have to take extra care of my health. Being diet-conscious, I make it a point to carry my tiffin to the sets and stay away from outside food. I avoid mustard oil, chapaatis and rice. Instead, I prefer to eat pesirotu — it’s a Telugu word which means roti and it’s made of moong paste. I love non-veg food, but prefer lots of vegetables and salads in my meal. Then I love aachar, but I can’t have it — I just look at it everyday and satisfy myself. But my most favourite thing on earth is dosa.

On astrology and numerology:

I believe in astrology and know that it’s a very powerful medium. But at the same time, I also believe that people make their own destinies. And with your positivity, you can overcome anything and everything in life. I believe with this weapon, you can achieve whatever you want. People change their names, but for me it doesn’t make any sense. My name is Sameera Reddy and I’m proud of it. My life is already complicated (laughs) and I don’t want to increase the complications by adding a letter. When I was about 14, this friend of my father told me that one day I will become a big star. He even gave me a date, told me when I will rise and how I will rise. He even told me when I will get married and how many children I will have. At that time I didn’t believe him and was even rude to him. Because then I was a chubby child and I thought I would go abroad or rather get married at 22. But after finishing my studies, I suddenly ended up in modelling and the music video, Ahista ahista, happened — in fact, whatever he said started coming true one by one. I didn’t call him for a long time because I was scared I would end up looking like an idiot. And it was only after Musafir that I called him. By then he, too, had become a big astrologer and famous politicians were also consulting him.

So, I have reason to believe in astrology. It works, but then you should have the correct birth time. You won’t believe that when my mother was in labour pain, she was sitting with a stopwatch (laughs). My mother is my darling and she believes in good deeds. She gives 10 per cent of my earnings to charity without even asking me.

On the age factor:

Hey, I am not giving you my time or year of birth. But I am a Sagittarian, born on the December 14. I am a true Saggi and can get along with anyone. Even if you bring me the most morose person on earth, I will make him laugh.

On her forthcoming projects:

There is this film called Fool ’’ Final directed by Ahmed Khan and I have Sunny Deol, Shahid Kapur and Ayesha Takia as my costars. In the movie, I am playing the character of a modern Punjabi girl who shares a very important relationship with Sharmila Tagore who literally takes this girl under her wing. And then there is this beautiful love track of hers with Sunny going on in the film. But I am sorry I am not allowed to talk about this film much.

Apart from Fool ’’ Final, there is also Naksha with Viviek Oberoi and Sunny Deol [just released]. The continuous shoot for Naksha in London has got me completely exhausted. I just finished shooting one song — U and I. I was completely hassled as I flew in from the States and was jetlagged. Even then, the song has come out wonderfully. Here I am playing the role of a TV presenter who is quite energetic and is very fussy about her clothes and, yes, she is glamorous to the core. But she gets stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the jungle with the guys.

You will see adventure in the film on the lines of Indiana Jones. The action is fantastic and it’s a challenging role because of the stunts. I have actually jumped off a cliff and also did river-rafting. This is the first time I am doing something like this. It was nice because I love to travel and discover new places. But I would have never survived on ghaas-poos which was the only available food there, without this wonderful unit ever ready to cheer me up.

And then I am also doing Ghulami with Sunny. It’s a period film directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. You know, Sunny is one of the cutest persons to dance with. He is really sweet.

(Sampurn)