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`Reddy' for action

Sriya Reddy is on cloud nine after her recent movie, Bharatchandran IPS, became a success, finds VIJAY GEORGE

SVELTE Sriya Reddy makes her mark in tinsel town

In the feature film, her presence is there for "just over ten to 12 minutes," on her own assessment. But Sriya Reddy believes that she has made quite an impression in that short span as the leading lady of Ranji Panikkar's `Bharat Chandran IPS.'

The film had set the cash registers ringing right from the moment it had hit the theatres. For the popular VJ of the Southern Spice (SS) Music channel, things are happening well. She recently hosted the South Indian Filmfare awards function with Nikhil Chinnappa.

Sriya is already being compared to Vijayasanti, thanks to her role in `Bharat Chandran IPS'. Did she hear about that? "Of course, I did. And I was thinking like `Oh my god, it's not fair... '. She is a big star and has done so many films. I have just started," sallies Sriya.

After films like `Apudapudu' in Telugu and `19 Revolutions' in English, Sriya had done two more Malayalam films, before `Bharat Chandran IPS' - `Black' with Mammootty and `Oraal' with Mukesh.

Commissioner

Ranji's offer for the role came while she was getting ready to go to London. "He told me that it's a police story and he wanted me to decide on doing the film after watching `Commissioner,' its prequel. I saw it during the journey. Though I didn't understand most of the dialogues in it, I just loved what I saw. Also, I always wanted to play a cop."

Was she worried about the length of her role? "Frankly, yes. But I knew that once the film clicks, I'd have another hit under my name. Again, all my friends who have seen the movie say that I looked quite sexy in the police gear."

A fitness freak, she believes that "keeping fit is absolutely important." Sriya was an athlete and her father, Bharath Reddy is an ex-cricketer who kept wickets for India. "I toil it out in the gym for two hours daily." She is very careful about her diet too. "No rice or chappathis for me. I don't eat carbohydrates. I live on proteins." And she takes no food after six in the evening. She has fruits and milk. Her "thoroughly de-glamourised look in `Black' came as a surprise for many. In real life, Sriya is "absolutely fashion conscious." Fashion, to her, "is having an impressive personality, fabulous attitude, great body and a cool mind." She loves wearing designer labels and hate people who "dress as if they are just out of bed."

She is all praise for Mammootty, her hero in `Black', who "keeps amazingly fit and is a wonderful person to work with. He has a great sense of humour." Sriya also feels that "Meera Jasmine is a fabulous actress. She is the one to watch out for."

Sriya loves Malayalam films and has been learning the language , as she is getting loads of offers from this part of the world. "But I am careful in choosing my films and not jumping on to every offer that come my way." She has a few Telugu projects and an English movie, on the career front.

How does she manage to find time in between her rather busy stint as a VJ? "The channel has been extremely supportive. They have allowed me to go whenever I had the shooting of my films." Now she hosts `Connect' and `Lifestyle' in SS Music.

For all her fans out here, with the arrival of Onam, she plans to appear on the channel dressed up in Malayali costumes. "It's my kind of showing admiration for this wonderful land," smiles Sriya.

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