India, May 10 -- Back in the mid-2000s, Sneha Ullal became one of Bollywood's most talked-about debutantes almost overnight. Her launch in Lucky: No Time for Love opposite Salman Khan created immense buzz, not only because she was introduced by one of Bollywood's biggest stars, but also because audiences and the media couldn't stop talking about her resemblance to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Over the years, however, Sneha gradually moved beyond those comparisons and built a career across both Hindi and South Indian cinema on her own terms.

Sneha Ullal never initially dreamed of becoming an actress. She was still a college student and had often described herself as a tomboy when she was noticed through connections linked to Salman Khan's sist...