Anil Kapoor is my mentor: Sameera

The very mention of the word mentor reminds me of directorsBala and Ameer. My association with them goes back to my assistant directordays. I have worked with both of them and I must say they were strict teachers.But I’m glad they were like that as I learnt to strive hard to be perfect.They have been a great support throughout and I know that I can always fall backupon them. I have immense respect for them as they are the ones who helped meshape up my career.There are three people in my life to whom I owe my success– my principals S K Venkatachala Pandian and Isari Ganesan, and directorPriyadarshan. While my principals taught me how to be a leader and take chargeof position (which is a very important quality for a director), Priyan taught mea lot about cinema. He is one of the few directors who believes in making surethat all his associates make it big in life. He was with me right from my firstfilm Kireedam to the latest Madrassapattinam. Everybody needs someone like himin life!Clichéd it might sound, but I consider my dad (producer R B Choudhary) to be my mentor. He’s been a pillar of support to me right from the time I started acting. But he doesn’t pamper me. He’s always professional on the sets and treats me like any other actor. I’ve been shooting day and night continuously for the last few weeks, but he didn’t even tell me to rest. If anything, he wanted me to gear up and be ready for the next schedule. But, I heard him telling my mom proudly how hard I’ve been working. He’s calm, composed and never panics. I’m glad I have a father who inspires and motivates me to make it big. I consider actor Anil Kapoor as my mentor. That’s because he never minces words when it comes to giving his feedback about my performance on screen. During my initial days in cinema, I used to be a bit shy when it came to throwing my voice. Anil had a chat with me then and told me that I have a powerful voice and that I needed to throw it to get better as an actress.Every person needs a guru in his/ her life — to tell them the right from wrong, show them the path and help them mould themselves. That way, I consider myself lucky because all the directors, actors and technicians with whom I’ve worked have been my mentor at some point. Balaji Sakthivel, Jayam Raja, Lingusamy and Shekar Kammula are some directors whom I consider my gurus. I feel creatively nourished after meeting with them. They have so much to teach you; a source of vast knowledge. I learnt a lot when I was working with them.Follow us on Twitter for more stories