We all knew
Sameera Reddy as the ‘Pankaj Udas’ girl before she debuted in 2002 Hindi film Maine Dil Tujhko Diya.
But what many don’t know is that she had auditioned for a film with
Mahesh Babu much before that. The actress took to social media to share pictures of her dressed in a langa voni. Turns out it was for the role she was auditioning for. “My first audition 1998. It was for a movie with @urstrulymahesh .
I was mad scared. I couldn’t perform and cried my way back home. I decided to take up a desk job which I did for 2 yrs with a watch company @omega. Till I again mustered up the courage and did my first music video Aahista Kijiye Baatien with @pankajkudhas. (sic)”
While she did not mention which film it was for, given the timeline, fans assume it would’ve been for Mahesh’s debut as a lead actor – the 1999 film Rajakumarudu. The role eventually ended up doing to
Preity Zinta who was a rising star at the time.
Sameera Reddy however came back to Telugu cinema, debuting with the 2005 film Narasimhudu, going on to act in films like Jai Chiranjeeva and Ashok in the language, apart from a special number in Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum.