Sailing on success

Sameera Sherief started her stint in television industry with ETV’s ‘Aaada Pilla’ and won lots of hearts as Aishwarya in ‘Baryamani’.

Excerpts

Is acting a childhood passion or college fantasy?

As a child I wanted to become Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (laughs). I use to adore Chandra Babu Naidu when he started to develop Hyderabad. With that passion I use to play sports. Because I thought if I play sports I will gain reputation and with that I can kick-start my political career.

You are quite famous on television, why did you not step into “City of Dreams”?

I’m a Hyderabadi girl and I never wanted to stay away from ménage. Before becoming recognised, acting was not my passion. I acted in a play because my dad requested me to do it. But I was not fond of it, so I did not take much interest. Many people persuaded me to do, so finally I gave my audition for ‘Aaada Pilla’.

Did you face any rejection regarding your dialect?

No. All my co-artistes help me with the dialect. My directors and co-actors speak with me in Hindi and English. But the crew used to converse in Telugu and I’ve no other option to learn Telugu. By means of all within first schedule I meliorated my language.

How do you prioritise your shows?

I’m blessed to have my production house people have been very co-operative to me. I work maximum 4-5 projects at a time. My precedence would be the show which is running short of episodes.

Was there any instance when you were irritated with so much work?

I actually love my work and may be because of that I never felt I’m stressing a lot. The only time I felt bad is at the time of Eid or any festivals where all my relatives and family would be together and I used to work.

You have been in the industry since nine years, what changes have you seen, personally?

The actors, who are stepping now in the industry, are not holding with it like we use to do. Other than this the quality of the projects has been bettered. I don’t feel I completed nine years of journey, it feels like I came just 2-3 years before.

Do you get to understand other characters too?

I get to connect with other characters too and I follow up their changes in the role. All my directors appreciate me for that. I learned Telugu in such a way that if my co-stars do any mistakes at the time of dialogue delivery then I will correct them. So by this I also get to know what actually their role is and in what way it’s getting connected with my character.

What makes you always choose prosaic roles?

(Laughs) That is because I actually enjoy playing banal and positive roles. I get lot of appreciation when I cry and play those types of roles. I don’t like to play negative and vamp roles. I love to portray as a strong and dynamic lady who fights for the society or the one who is very positive and cries all the time.

As an actor do you feel Telugu TV industry should come up with unique concepts rather than Saas-Bahu drama?

I really feel they have to come up with new concepts like youth, love and friendship. The thing is our Telugu audience doesn’t accept such projects. They want family and Saas-Bahu drama. That is why though people start a comedy show also, at the end of the day they showcase the same family drama. We think to do different but the audience doesn’t receive it.

Is there any show which is close to your heart?

My recent project ‘Pratibibam’ is very close to my heart. It is the remake of ‘Bade Ache Lagte Hain’. I loved to play the character of Priya. The co-stars are close to my heart and I really miss working with them.