Kubbra Sait recalls being bullied and called ‘Cobra’ in school: ‘I was called Medusa because of my hair’

Actor Kubbra Sait’s debut work as an author titled Open Book is all set to release on June 27, HarperCollins India announced last month. In a new interview, Kubbra talked about the ‘bullying’ she faced while she was in school and that how she encapsulated her experience in her book. Kubbra made her Bollywood debut in 2011 with Salman Kahn’s Ready. Also Read: Kubbra Sait says she was sexually abused as a teen by family friend and no one knew: ‘He told me not to call him uncle’

Born in Bangalore, Kubbra made her acting debut with Salman Khan and Asin Thottumkal’s Ready, in which she had a very small role. She later appeared in films such, Sultan, Ready, Jawaani Jaaneman, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare and City Of Life. Her breakthrough role was in the Netflix series Sacred Games. She was last seen in Apple TV+ series Foundation.

In an interview with ETimes, while talking about her book, Kubbra recalled the time when she was bullied and people used to call her Cobra and Medusa. She said, “My name’s Kubbra, I was called Cobra. My hair was curly, I was called Medusa. I have never allowed anyone to body shame me but I was bullied in school because of the colour of my eyes. Today I will not meet someone on a date 2 if they haven’t already complimented my eyes on date 1 (Laughs). But the same eyes changed me. I didn’t embrace my name for the longest time. I would have changed it long back if I had a choice. Only when I looked into the meaning of the name (Kubbra means ‘the great one’) did I understand the energy that my name was giving me. How can I not make my life worthwhile?”

She added, “I used to have a fake laugh to be seen and heard. I would be the last one to laugh in a room so that people would notice me and someone pointed that out to me. We don’t realise how much our past memories affect us. I didn’t want these stories to buried inside. I went through highs and lows and wrote it in a non linear way so that anyone can read it from anywhere.”

According to a press release issued by the publisher, Kubbra’s book will contain 24 chapters, each named idiosyncratically after the pivotal theme outlining the narrative of the chapter.