Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jun 4: Sneha Ullal, the Mangalurean beauty who caught the attention of the country with her drop-dead looks when she first forayed into Bollywood with 'Lucky: No Time for Love' in 2005 opposite mega star Salman Khan, has not been seen on the silver screen for the past four years. But it would be wrong to say Sneha had faded away from tinseltown. No, she had a very good reason to take a backseat, it has now emerged.

Often called Aishwarya Rai's doppleganger, Sneha Ullal was battling a health disorder for the last four years, a blood-related chronic illness that did not allow her to even stand for 30 minutes. But now, having taken control of her illness, the green-eyed beauty is all set to return to filmdom with a Telegu film.

In an interview to the Hyderabad Times recently, Sneha revealed all about her illness and what she had been going through.

Informing that she had been diagnosed with an 'auto-immune disorder', she said, "It’s a blood-related illness where my own immune system kept me unwell. So my body would become so weak that I would not be able to stand on my feet for more than 30 to 40 minutes and because I kept shooting for films even with this illness, it got worse. Beyond a point, I didn’t have the strength to do what an actress is expected to do - running around, dancing and continuous shooting etc. That’s when I had to stop and start my medication, because, there was no point in doing films and then falling sick every other day."

But the sickness did not break her spirit. "Physically I was weak but mentally I was strong all throughout these four years. All my close friends in Mumbai and the south kept boosting my morale at every point. Along with medication I stated working on my fitness to gain strength," she said.

"There were times when I did not look great, and when you’re not at your best, you don’t want to step out of the house and that’s what I did. I stopped attending events, missed so many award functions, because as an actress you have to look good all the time. And if you don’t, people won’t understand why," she added.

She clarified that her return to movies was not a 'comeback', as she was not on an intentional break. "I would like to clarify that it’s not a ‘comeback’. I think a comeback is when you intentionally leave the industry and try to make a return. But I never left the industry; it’s just that I wasn’t doing films due to severe health issues. A lot of my fans kept asking me where I have disappeared all these four years, why I wasn’t doing films. Well, I’m here now."

Sneha says she has now taken control of her health and is ready to start fresh. "I am here, fully fit and fine. I won’t say I’m cured because this disease is like diabetes which is not curable but can be kept under control. So my illness is under control right now and I’m set to get going," she said.