Many faces have come and gone in Bollywood, but there are some faces who remain in the news more because of their identity than their films. One such actress is Sneha Ullal, whose name comes to mind first as she is Aishwarya Rai’s lookalike. This tag initially proved to be a door opener for him, but gradually this identity also became the biggest obstacle in the path of his career.
Sneha’s story is not just about becoming an actress, but also about the struggle where she got recognition, but not on her own terms. Sneha Ullal was born on 18 December 1987 in Oman. His childhood was also spent there. She did her initial studies in Oman and later came to Mumbai with her mother. He completed his college studies in Mumbai.
Fate changed through Salman Khan’s sister
Sneha’s family was completely away from films and Sneha herself had never dreamed of becoming an actress. She was living an ordinary life and during that time she became friends with Salman Khan’s sister Arpita Khan, who later became the turning point of her life. Sneha met Salman Khan through Arpita Khan. At that time Sneha was only 17 years old.
Sneha became a star overnight
Salman Khan liked Sneha’s face because she resembled Aishwarya Rai to a great extent. For this reason, he was cast in the film ‘Lucky: No Time for Love’. The film was released in 2005 and with it Sneha came into discussion overnight. The film did not do well at the box office, but Sneha’s beauty and her comparison with Aishwarya Rai started everywhere.
It was from here that the tag started, which gave Sneha recognition, but always overshadowed her work. In an interview, Sneha said that this comparison was, in a way, part of the PR strategy. Instead of seeing her as a new actress, people were seeing her as another Aishwarya. Sneha has said many times that she is a big fan of Aishwarya Rai, but she wanted to make her mark through her work and not by becoming someone else’s shadow.
Sneha honored with Best Debut Actress Award
After ‘Lucky’, Sneha worked in Bollywood films like ‘Aryan’, ‘Click’, and ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron’, but she did not get the success she expected from her career. After this Sneha turned to South Cinema and it was here that she got her real identity. Telugu film ‘Ullasanga Usthasanga’ proved to be the biggest hit of her career and she also received the Best Debut Actress Award for this film. Later, blockbuster films like ‘Singha’ gave him a strong place in the South.
Took a break due to autoimmune disorder
Sneha’s career was slowly coming back on track, then a big turn came in her life. She started suffering from a serious disease like autoimmune disorder. Her condition had become such that she could not even stand for more than 30-40 minutes. Under compulsion, he had to take a long break from films. During this time, she completely stayed away from the limelight and focused on her health.
Being a lookalike of Aishwarya Rai had become a burden
After almost six years, Sneha made a comeback in 2022 with the film ‘Love You Democracy’. She believes that being a lookalike of Aishwarya Rai was a boon in the beginning of her career, but for a long time the same tag became a burden for her. Still he proved himself.
