No make-up, no trendy clothes -- Sameera Reddy has got rid of her glamour girl image for the forthcoming movie "Red Alert-The War Within". And she admits that before signing the film she wasn't aware of the Maoist problem in the country.

"The script was really appealing since it dealt with an issue. I was not aware of the Naxalite movement a-year-and-a-half ago. I want to dedicate myself towards it now, " Sameera, 27, told.

Even though she didn't want to miss the chance of doing a different role, Sameera had to face many difficulties during the shooting.

"A transition from a simple girl to a Naxalite and picking up guns and fighting was difficult. It was also not easy to shoot in the jungles, " she said.

Director Anant Mahadevan's "Red Alert-The War Within" revolves around a cook, who falls into the Naxalite net. The film is slated to hit the screens July 9. It also stars Suniel Shetty, Vinod Khanna, Seema Biswas and Gulshan Grover, among others.

Sameera started her career with ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas' music video "Aur Aahista". In 2002, she made her big screen debut with "Maine Dil Tujhko Diya" opposite Sohail Khan. Then she went on to do films like "Musafir", "Darna Mana Hai", "Taxi Number 9211", "Race" and "De Dana Dan", among others.

In most of the films, she has played a modern woman. So was it a conscious decision to shed her glamorous image?

"It's not a conscious decision to change my image through the film. I did it because the role was appealing and challenging, " said Sameera who gelled well with co-stars Seema and Suniel.

"I got to learn a lot from Seema. Hanging out on the sets with her was a great learning experience. I also spent time with Suniel. We have done work together before, so the comfort level was always there, " she said.

And what about competition with other actors on the set?

"I compete with myself and I work harder on myself and do not follow the perception of who is big and not, " said the actress who is keen to play a double role.

"I have never done it before, but I would love to play a double role in a film. That's my dream role. Lets see when that happens, " she said.

After Red Alert, she will be seen in Nagesh Kukunoor's "Yeh Hausla".