Sushma Reddy

Sushama Reddy: There is nothing like a match made in heaven.

The proverbial ugly duckling that turned into a swan - and one heck of a swan too! That's Sushama Reddy for you.

Recently, this gorgeous looking star decided to drape herself in a peach-silver colour dress for Falguni and Sushil Jhaveri of Fuel for their Fall-Winter Bridal line. Monica Vaziralli complimented Sushama for looking "one hot number that every young man would want to make his bride!"

So when is Sushama getting "ready" to wear that dress for real? Shaaditimes asked her about it and more.

What is your favourite dress for the red carpet? And what colour would it be?
Gowns are a cool style statement today. However, more is not always good. Go for a dress that is well cut, so that it gives you good shape and colour. Your dress designer must design to your shape. But it is interesting that on an International red carpet the saree always stands out. It doesn't have to be a traditional one. A simple saree and a short cut blouse will do the job.
Aqua, red, jet black, or tones of gold and platinum are my kind of colours. You must choose a colour that flatters your skin colour.

What looks good on a bride?
It depends on the bride and her budget. Typically a bride can choose a traditional heavy dress with all the jewels. Or she can opt for a lighter, modern look. Today, designers tailor dresses that are opulent and look heavy but are actually easy to wear and mingle in. Not like earlier bridal wear used to be - bulky.

And the make-up for a bride?
I would suggest avoiding any kind of heavy make-up unless you are on the screen or have something to hide on your face. Try to keep it light on your cheek, eyes and lips. And it is more important to highlight your eyes. So less is more.

What is the formula for a perfect relationship for you?
There isn't just one! There is a lot of hard work that is involved in a relationship. There is nothing like a match made in heaven. It requires lots of understanding, lots of compromises, willing to step back and making a relationship work.
Two intelligent people maintain a relationship. Sometimes there can be differences at different stages of a relationship. The people involved in a relationship must know when to raise their feelings like aggression, jealousy, passion, love and other emotions and when to drop them. They both must know how to make a room for each other.

The most romantic thing you've ever done?
I am bad with romantic things. I would rather prefer it to be more dramatic. But if I have to tell you about the most romantic thing I've ever done then it would be, (pauses), I gave my old mini home to my boy friend. And since he loves getting a massage, I gave him a professional pedicure and manicure (laughs). He loved it.

Tell us something about your Mr. Right.
(Laughs) I really can't tell his name. But (exclusively), I can tell you that he is not from our business. He is from the corporate world and he is not used to the limelight. We have been seeing each other from last 18 months now. I think we are doing good and committed. We will make it work!

What is your ideal travel destination?
Now my taste of places has changed. I like to travel to unusual and different places like high-end ecological places, volcanic climbing, etc. Recently, I went to see a crater in Costa Rica.

What's your favourite dish?
And which dish do you cook best?Oh God! I don't know where to start from. I am a big foody! (Laughs) I take myself out for lunch and dinner and that is like a 'treat of the day' for me. I can even brag that I can cook many dishes very well. But if I have to choose only one dish, I would go for "Chocolate Fondant" and some champagne. This is my most favourite dishes of all.
And I would go for any kind of general recipe to make Chocolate Fondant, which is even available, online.

What's the one thing you do before going to bed every night?
From childhood, I have had a habit of keeping hygiene. So I brush, wash my face properly before going to bed I read some of the daily financial newspapers. Now this may sound weird but I do like to read heavy things. And I read business papers in the night because I don't get time in the morning to finish reading.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up every morning?
I make sure that I have a beer mug full of watermelon juice. Be it any season, I drink it every morning. Why only watermelon juice? There is nothing special about it except that it keeps you hydrated all the time. Some times I have long days and it really helps.

What's the one mantra you believe in for staying healthy?
Nothing should be done in excess.
I believe that everything else is a fad. We can incorporate every thing but we must avoid doing things in excess as it may lead to unstable health situations.

Give one tip to our readers for loosing weight.
Today, the problem is that most people eat without focus. We eat food while we are talking over the phone, watching television, listening to the radio, or using the computer. So we must 'Eat With Focus'. And this goes for everything we do.
When we are eating our brain needs to get the feeling of satisfaction, which it won't get if you don't pay attention to what you eat.
Also, eat chaat or sugar items, don't remove them from your diet. You can eat any kind of food but remember to eat in small portions, chew it very well and eat slowly. This way you don't have to crave for anything. You can eat or cook everything you want.

Share your skin secrets
Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse! That is all I would like to stress on.Don't apply any make-up. Try to keep your skin natural. I only apply make-up when I really have to because of a shoot or something. But no matter how late I come back home, I make sure that I remove every bit of that make-up from my face.

Sushma, what is secret of your fairness of the face even without heavy make-up?

Make-up can never make your face fair; it only helps to look different. I am conscious about my health and am therefore vegetarian. There is a spiritual person within me. I believe in Buddhism, which teaches us to respect religion and duty. I always do Vipasna (silent meditation). One's face brightens if one keeps himself happy.

Great style tips from Sushma Reddy
Merril Diniz

We caught actress Sushma Reddy getting her hair done at the in-house Lakme Salon, post the opening of the show for designer Maheka Mirpuri.
On the ramp she sported a red ensemble -- a short, fitted kurta and churidar, a dupatta with lace trimmings wrapped around her yesteryears Bollywood-style bouffant (a hairstyle where the crown is all puffed up) and holding a long sausage-like golden clutch.

Cut to Sushma at the salon... She was sporting a simple spaghetti strap top, fitted denims, belt, fuchsia pink slip-ons and a funky boho-style bag by designer Malini Ramani, and she's looking radiant and fresh as a daisy.

And with two films in the pipeline, Chup Chup Ke by director Priyadarshini and Big Bazaar by Mahesh Manjrekar, she's also raring to go.

Here are some personal style tips from Sushma's closet.

Care for wavy, dry curls

"I have wavy, South Indian hair, which tends to get dry," explains Sushma.
So to keep the dryness at bay, she uses a leave-in conditioner post a shampoo, the type that you don't wash off.

"Personally I use Tigi Bedhead's conditioner. Also, NO hot styling treatments for me," she adds empathically as these tend to dry her hair even more.

For a glossy look, just take a few drops of serum and apply to damp hair, and voila you are all set for any occasion.

Belt it out

Sushma loves belts, which happen to be a hot, hot accessory at the moment.

So, how does one wear a belt especially if you have a broad waistline?

~ Choose colours carefully. Darker colours create an illusion of a slimmer waistline.

~ Wear strap-type slimmer belts, with a thin width.

~ If you love broad belts, then here's a trick. Let the belt sit loosely around your hips, as these take the focus away from your waist.

~ Er…big hips too? Then team a long skirt with a belt strapped loosely around your hips.

Shoe tips

~ Work towards accommodating five basic colours in your shoe closet -– black, white, copper, silver and gold. These can be mixed and matched with just about any colour in your wardrobe.

~ Choose shoes with a comfortable sole, always.

~ In terms of style, be ready to experiment. "I like square-toed shoes," she adds. ~ Platform shoes are OUT.

Style mantra

Sushma, a fan of footpath fashion picks up bits and pieces from roadside kiosks at places like Mumbai's Linking Road and mixes these with posher picks from designer collections and stores abroad.

"Build your individual style by mixing and matching from various places, " she advises.