Sameera Reddy
Sameera Reddy (born 14 December 1978) is a former Indian actress who primarily starred in Hindi-language films. She has also appeared in a few Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam-language films.
Sameera Reddy | |
---|---|
Reddy at an event in 2017 | |
Born | |
Alma mater | Sydenham College |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2002–2013 |
Spouse(s) | Akshai Varde (m. 2014) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Meghna Reddy (sister) Sushama Reddy (sister) Alishka Varde (sister-in-law) |
Sameera Reddy made her film debut with the 2002 film Maine Dil Tujhko Diya.[1] She is best known for starring in films such as Darna Mana Hai (2003), Musafir (2004), Jai Chiranjeeva (2005), Taxi Number 9211 (2006), Ashok (2006), Race (2008), Varanam Aayiram (2008), De Dana Dan (2009), Aakrosh (2010), Vettai (2012) and Tezz (2012).
Early life
Sameera was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra to a Telugu father and a Mangalorean mother.[2][3] Her mother Nakshatra,[4] referred to as Niki by her daughters and the media, was a microbiologist and worked with an NGO.[5][6] She has two siblings, Meghna Reddy, a former VJ and supermodel,[7] and Sushama Reddy, a Bollywood actress and model,[8] both elder to her.[9] She did her schooling at Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, Mumbai and graduated from Sydenham College.
Sameera described herself as a "tomboy" and "the ugly duckling in the family", while citing: "I was plump, had glasses and my glam quotient was rather low till I was 19."[9]
Career
Reddy first appeared in ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas's "Aur Aahista" music video in 1997.[10] Sameera was meant to make her debut as an actress in Saravana Subbiah's Tamil film Citizen, during early 2000s, but eventually did not feature.[11] She caught the attention of Bollywood and was cast in a pivotal role in the 2002 Hindi film Maine Dil Tujhko Diya. In 2004, she appeared in Musafir, opposite Anil Kapoor, Aditya Pancholi and Koena Mitra.
Sameera is also the first Indian actress to have her own video game, Sameera the Street Fighter.[12] This mobile video game can be downloaded by millions of fans and is available to cell phone users throughout India.
Personal life
Reddy is a big fan of American talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey. She met Oprah during the former's visit to India at the welcome party hosted by Parmeshwar Godrej. As the television celebrity was reportedly impressed by Sameera's saree, she was presented a similar saree as a gift by the actress before she left India.[13]
Reddy married Akshai Varde, an entrepreneur, on 21 January 2014, in a traditional Maharashtrian ceremony.[14][15] They have two children, a son and daughter, born in 2015 and 2019, respectively.[16]
Other activities
Reddy was a judge for the Miss Sri Lanka Online contest in 2012.[17]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role(s) | Language | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Maine Dil Tujhko Diya | Ayesha Verma | Hindi | Hindi debut | |
2003 | Darna Mana Hai | Shruti | Hindi | ||
2004 | Plan | Sapna | Hindi | ||
Musafir | Sam | Hindi | |||
2005 | Narasimhudu | Palakad Papa | Telugu | Telugu debut | |
Jai Chiranjeeva | Shailaja | Telugu | |||
No Entry | (Beach Girl) | Hindi | cameo appearance | ||
2006 | Taxi Number 9211 | Rupali | Hindi | ||
Ashok | Anjali | Telugu | |||
Naksha | Riya | Hindi | |||
2007 | Migration | Divya | Hindi | Short Film | |
Fool & Final | Payal | Hindi | |||
Ami, Yasin Ar Amar Madhubala | Rekha | Bengali | Bengali debut | ||
2008 | Race | Mini | Hindi | ||
One Two Three | Laila | Hindi | |||
Kaalpurush | Supriya | Bengali | |||
Vaaranam Aayiram | Meghna | Tamil | Tamil debut, Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress | ||
2009 | De Dana Dan | Manpreet | Hindi | ||
2010 | Aasal | Sarah | Tamil | ||
Oru Naal Varum | Meera | Malayalam | Malayalam debut | ||
Red Alert: The War Within | Lakshmi | Hindi | |||
Aakrosh | ——— | Hindi | Special appearance in song Isak Se Meetha | ||
Mahayoddha Rama | Sita | Hindi | Voice | ||
2011 | Nadunisi Naaygal | Sukanya | Tamil | ||
Vedi | Parvathi Paaru | Tamil | |||
2012 | Vettai | Vasanthi | Tamil | ||
Tezz | Megha | Hindi | |||
Chakravyuh | ——— | Hindi | Special appearance in the song Kunda Khola | [18] | |
Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum | ——— | Telugu | Special appearance in the song "Sai Andri Nanu" | [19] | |
2013 | Varadhanayaka | Lakshmi | Kannada | Kannada debut | |
Music videos
Title | Year | Role | Performer(s) | Album | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ahista | 1998 | — | Pankaj Udhas | Stolen Moments | [20] |
Tere Aane Ki Jab Khabar Mehke | 2000 | — | Jagjit Singh | Saher |
Video games
Title | Year | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sameera:The Street Fighter | 2006 | Ancient Warrior Princess | [21][22] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Film | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Maine Dil Tujhko Diya | Filmfare Awards | Best Female Debut | Nominated |
2004 | Musafir | Stardust Awards | Superstar of Tomorrow – Female | Nominated |
2008 | Varanam Aayiram | Vijay Awards | Vijay Award for Best Debut Actress | Nominated |
See also
- List of Hindi film actresses
References
- "Sameera Reddy Reveals A Secret About Her Casting In Pankaj Udhas' 1998 Song Aur Ahista". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- "Spicing it up".
- "Reddy-made memories, Lifestyle — Leisure — Pune Mirror, Pune Mirror". Punemirror.in. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- "Haute and spicy". MiD DAY. 15 September 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- Basu, Arundhati (10 December 2005). "The Telegraph — Calcutta : Weekend". Calcutta, India: Telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- "Girl interrupted". MiD DAY. 17 February 2006. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- "Mumbai (Bombay), India, Sari and Catsuit, 1999, Photo of the Day, Picture, Photography, Wallpapers — National Geographic". Photography.nationalgeographic.com. 25 June 2001. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- Barkha MathurBarkha Mathur, TNN (9 February 2008). "Why star siblings don't make it big — The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.comTimes of India. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- "Metro Plus Kochi / Cinema : Reddy reckoner". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- "I love the bombshell tag: Sameera Reddy — Entertainment — DNA". Daily News and Analysis. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Ahead of her game". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- Shekhar (20 January 2012). "Sameera Reddy Gift | Star Oprah Winfrey | Lime Green Saree | Shantanu Nikhil Sari". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- "Sameera Reddy ties the knot today". Times of India. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- "Sameera Reddy and Akshai Varde to marry in April 2014". Biharprabha News. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ""Motherhood is very humbling" - Sameera Reddy"
- "Maria Alkasas Wins First Ever Online Beauty Pageant". AdaDerana.lk. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- "Sameera Reddy - Chakravyuh"
- "Sameera Reddy|Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum"
- "Aur Aahista Kijiye Baatein Lyrics - Stolen Moments (1998)". LyricsBogie. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- "Sameera turns Street Fighter". BollywoodHungama. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- "Sameera: Warrior princess". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sameera Reddy. |