Sameera Reddy has a new responsibility at hand. She is one of the brand ambassadors of the Chennai cricket team in the Celebrity Cricket League, a move that clearly indicates that she's made inroads into the Tamil film industry. “I am very sentimental about my acceptance in the Tamil film industry. People reached out to me and I don't feel like an outsider. I have worked in Telugu, Tamil and Bengali films and in each industry, I never behaved like a Bollywood diva. I would hate to behave like a typical Bollywood actress and consider myself above the regional industries. A lot of actors think Bollywood is the last word in Indian cinema. It's high time such misconceptions are shattered,” she says, talking to us while in Hyderabad for the launch of the CCL calendar.
Further, she points out how she collaborates with local talent in whichever industry she is associated with. “For instance, my designers and stylists are all from Chennai when I am working in a Tamil film,” she points out.
Up next is her Tamil-Telugu bilingual Vettai co-starring Madhavan, Aarya and Amala Paul, directed by Linguswamy, slated to release in January 2012. The last time Linguswamy and Madhavan worked together, it resulted in the racy entertainer, Run . Naturally, expectations are high. “It's a story about two brothers and two sisters. As the elder sister, I essay the part of a feisty village girl who puts on a harsh façade,” says Sameera.
She is a village belle, all right, but one who can ride a bullet. “We were shooting for the film and during the break, I spotted a bullet on the sets. I wanted to ride the bike and not willing to let go of the opportunity just because I was wearing a half sari. I also took Amala Paul for a ride. Linguswamy incorporated a similar scene in the film,” laughs Sameera.
In 2012, watch out for her in Priyadarshan's Tezz and Nagesh Kukunoor's Yeh Hausla . “I am also considering a Kannada film. My dad's happy that I worked in Telugu films. Now my mom wants me to do a Kannada film since it's her mother tongue,” says Sameera.
In between all this, she will be cheering the Chennai team for CCL. “To borrow Suniel Shetty's words, the CCL is a great platform to bring together different film industries,” she says, before leaving for the airport.
