Sneha Ullal was recently spotted on the sets of a Telugu film, Eight, after a long gap. The last time the Telugu audience got a glimpse of her on the silver screen was in 2013 for the film, Action 3D. We caught up with her for a quick chat.
Ask her what it feels like, staging a comeback, and she tells us that she doesn’t like the word ‘comeback’. “The word is always jinxed; I am just taking things as they come and looking at it as another project,” she says, adding that her role is an important one, and she has about 10 days to shoot.
Sneha has been to Hyderabad several times. “I spent time so much time here that I don’t feel like a stranger. In fact, I have been missing the city since I have not been doing Telugu films,” she says. She has already shot a web series, but shooting in the city for her first film post the pandemic restrictions is exciting, she shares.
Directed by debutant Suryas, the film is bankrolled by Rizwan. “It is an interesting take on mind games. It’s about a fight between two business tycoons, and I play one of the businesswomen (the other being Sapthagiri),” she says, adding that she’s pleased that her role is not the usual dancing-around-the-trees kind.
The actress reveals that she had deliberately taken a break from films because she wasn’t happy with the kind of roles that were offered to her. “I was getting very typical roles. I wanted to take a break and rebrand myself as an actress,” she says, adding that she is fortunate to belong to a family that can afford leisure.
“I think it’s important as a human being to understand other areas of life and also look at the larger picture of it. Cinema is just part of life,” she explains.
Sneha says she also suffered from an autoimmune disease, and had to be on medication, which was another reason why she decided to hit pause on her film career.
“I am back now with double the energy. I am now following Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, a plant-based diet, which means I avoid anything that comes from animals,” she reveals. “AIP helps women regardless of what they’re suffering from. I am into my fourth year, and believe me, it’s working great,” she beams, adding that it also slows down aging. Even the hair and skin products that Sneha uses are herbal.
The Ullasamga Utsahamga star tells us that one reason she has taken up this current film is to let the industry know that she’s back. “The South gave me a lot of love and I feel it’s my responsibility to reciprocate. This film is my way of announcing that I am back in the reckoning,” the actress says.
Sneha Ullal’s role in Eight requires her to smoke. She says that Herbal cigarettes will be used, and the actress is sure she will be able to get the hang of it quickly. "I am excited to try something new," she says, signing off.
