StarTalk with Sameera Reddy
“I do believe that a science called astrology does exist. I believe that it is a very powerful medium if it is used in a positive manner…”
After Maine Dil Tujhke Diya, Sameera Reddy has had three more releases- Darna Mana Hai, Plan, Musafir and Taxi No 9211. On the sets of her forthcoming release Naksha, Sameera lays bare her heart to JYOTHI VENKATESH about her belief in astrology.
Have you ever consulted any astrologer in your life?
You wouldn’t believe it but there was this Hyderabad-based Sufi astrologer called Aravind who was a family friend of ours, who came home one day insisted on predicting all about my life when I was just a little kid of 14.I was too young then to believe in astrology.
What did the astrologer predict at that point of time to you?
The astrologer had then actually predicted that I would become a celebrity and said when I’d rise up in life and earn fame, recognition and money. He told me that as per my kundali, I was destined to taste success and it was written that I’d travel round the world. He added that right from the age of 14 till the age of 33, it is a very auspicious period in my life and said he could predict about each and every happening in my life and added that whatever I touch would turn into gold, as far as my career was concerned
Did you take his prediction seriously?
To tell you the truth, I didn’t take him or his predictions seriously. I took all his predictions with a pinch of salt. I hardly knew what the world around me was at that point of time and was far too frivolous to believe in astrology.
Do you believe in astrology?
Frankly speaking, I do believe that a science called astrology does exist. I believe that it is a very powerful medium if it is used in a positive manner but have chosen not to follow it blindly because I do not want to be complacent as far as my career is concerned. I am keen on focusing on my career and hence chosen not to listen to astrology because I feel I may get carried away. I think that a person restricts his or her actions in future if one is aware of the predictions as far as he or she is concerned, beforehand itself.
To what extent has the Sufi Hyderabad based family friend Aravind’s astrological predictions come true as far as you are concerned?
At the risk of sounding like a pucca idiot, though I did not take him for his face value or believe in him when he came to me, as far as my life is concerned, most of what Aravindji had predicted have actually taken place. In fact whenever I have felt like calling him up to thank and inform him that things have happened in my life as per his predictions, I clam up because I do not have the guts to confront him and confess that I was wrong.
Maine Dil Tujhko Diya did not catapult you to stardom though the astrologer had predicted great things about you. Why?
I may not have been able to taste success with my debut film in Bollywood, but then struck gold when I acted in Telugu films like Ashok opposite Junior N.T.R, Jai Chiranjeeva opposite Chiranjeevi and Narsimhadu opposite Junior N.T.R once again. I am managing to strike a judicious balance between working in Hindi as well as South Indian and Bengali films.
However would you deny the fact that you are yet to strike it big as No 1 actress in Bollywood?
It is a great thing that I have survived till today in the rat race. Who defines what No 1 is? I feel that my competition is with myself. No one can say where I have reached. I think I am No 1 in my own mind.
Besides astrology, what else do you believe in?
I believe a lot in destiny. Each one of us has his or her own destiny pre-ordained by God. To a large extent, I also believe a lot in a force called positivity and also am of the opinion that it is just not enough if you believe in God up there or astrology. You should also back your belief with perseverance and hard work or else you will not be able to achieve your goal.
What is your star sign and what is your star sign’s USP?
I am a staunch Sagittarian. My plus point is that I can make even the most morose person who I come across in my life laugh his guts out.
What kind of decisions have you made in your life, which have had a positive or negative impact in your life?
I have kept negativity away from me. That I feel is in fact the best way to see to it that negative forces do not make any kind of impact on you as a person. Be Positive and Think Positive has always been my motto in life. I have always believed in the fact that negativity tears you apart. Even when Maine Dil Tujhko Diya my debut film as an actress in which I was cast as the leading lady opposite Sohail Khan did not click at the box office, I didn’t lose hope. Instead I chose to lie low and strike back with vengeance after a gap.
What is your astro- advice to your fans?
Look ahead. See where you can keep your eye on the longer term. Once you have climbed your mountain, rest assured that you can indulge yourself to your heart’s content. Make it a point to work hard and also take your responsibilities seriously, because it is one hundred percent imperative that if you want the influence you want, you have got to have solid achievements under your belt and in this cutthroat society, it is only the fittest that survive the race.
