I learnt a lot from Tollywood

For Sneha Ullal who is considered a 'clone' of Aishwarya Rai, Bollywood is no more a viable choice and Tollywood is "home". The 23-year-old Ullal who is four-films-old here claims that it is the Telugu film industry that taught her everything she knows about showbiz.

"I was born in Muscat and my lifestyle is different from the one here. I learnt a lot from Tollywood. I like the way this industry works, the people are warm. Moreover, the roles are encouraging. So, I am doing more films here than elsewhere," says Sneha, who also has Kannada and Hindi films in her kitty.

Talking about the big, bad world of Bollywood, she says, "To survive in Bollywood, you need to be a lot more shrewd, smart and cold. I was just 17 when I did my first movie there. It was Tollywood that gave me a chance to prove that I can act."

Sneha is also ready to set shop here and camp in Hyderabad from now on. "I'm planning to buy a house and settle down here. It will be convenient for filmmakers too since it will save them the trouble of flying me down from Mumbai every time," she says.
She may be a current favourite, thanks to the fair skin and light-eyed fixation the industry has. But, acting has never been the forte of Ullal who is often brushed off as a expressionless "glam doll". "Yes, I have to improve on my dance, dubbing and emotional scenes," she admits. "But if someone calls me a glam doll, I'd take it as a compliment," says Sneha in her defence.

The actress also adds that she is looking for roles that are "hatke". "I've realised that my roles are getting monotonous. I have only been playing the bubbly girl, probably because of my looks. I need to meet more filmmakers to bag different roles. I'd love to play a murderer or act in horror movies," quips Sneha who admits that being an Aishwarya look-alike actually helped her at the beginning of her career.

"It did generate a lot of curiosity about me and people sat up and took notice. But it soon got tiring. I didn't like being compared with Aishwarya always. She is a senior actress and I have just started my career. When they compare me with her, there are always more expectations. Looks can just get you a role, but you have to know how to act," she says.