Sneha Ullal addresses speculations of being cast opposite Salman Khan only because she looked like Aishwarya Rai, recalls meeting her: 'Don't hate me'

Actor Sneha Ullal grabbed headlines back in 2005, not just for her Bollywood debut opposite Salman Khan, but also because many people felt she closely resembled Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The media and fans even labelled her the ‘doppelganger’ of the actress. In a recent conversation, Sneha opened up about how Aishwarya reacted to those comparisons and also shared what it was like working with Salman during her debut film.Sneha recalled the support she received from Salman while shooting for 'Lucky: No Time for Love'. She said in an interview with AlphaNeon Studioz, “Salman Khan supported me a lot during Lucky shoot.” When asked whether Salman ever lost patience with her since she was a newcomer and he was already a major star, she responded, “Not even once. He was very patient with me, very supportive. Salman Khan didn’t show the Salman Khan attitude to me that people know about.” The actress also addressed the long-standing speculation that Salman cast her in Lucky because she resembled Aishwarya. For context, Salman and Aishwarya were reportedly in a relationship around 1999 before they eventually parted ways. Reacting to the rumours, she said, “The PR activity was like this. Obviously, I was coming with Salman Khan, so people will recognise me like that, but it never bothered me because I was very young, and I had no ego.” She added, “I have never been beauty conscious and these comparisons never bothered me.”Sneha also remembered meeting Aishwarya during the peak of her Bollywood career and spoke about how warmly the actor greeted her despite the constant comparisons. She revealed that she even apologised to Aishwarya because of the media narrative at the time. “I met Aishwarya once, and she said ‘Welcome to the family. Welcome to Bollywood’, something like that. I told her ‘I’m sorry, please don’t hate me’. There was so much comparison in the media at that time, I didn’t know if she took offence.”The actor shared that her entry into films happened quite unexpectedly. According to Sneha, she was noticed by friends of Arpita Khan Sharma when she had just started college. Around the same time, auditions were underway for Lucky, which eventually led to her being cast in the film. “I never wanted to come in acting. I was in college. When Aishwarya Rai became Miss world at that time, I was becoming Miss World in my own world because when she got recognised globally, I became famous in my small world because a lot of people used to tell me that I look like her.”She further explained that several people had encouraged her to try acting even before Lucky happened, but she had never seriously considered it. “Many people had approached me before to become an actor, but I was not interested in it. I have been a tomboy, and I’m not glamorous.”