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Shriya on a roll
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Actor, dancer, philanthropist… Shriya Saran wears many hats with ease
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PROVING HER METTLE Shriya Saran
People barely remember her as Sanam of Shukriya – Till Death Do Us Part – Anupam Sinha’s film that was released in 2004. Or as Rani, the college teen opposite debutant Aryan Babbar in Tujhe Meri Kasam, a major flop the same year.
But now, Shriya Saran is a rage in India, especially in the South where she has given blockbusters such as Santhosham and Nuvve Nuvve. Among the Hindi speaking masses in the North, she became a known face after Ra
jnikanth’s Sivaji: The Boss hit the screen to a record initial. Shriya plays Rajnikanth’s wife in it. And now one can instantly recall her Fair and Lovely advertisement in which she is a newlywed woman loved by her husband
because of her ‘fair’ face!
The 25-year-old from Hardwar now appears opposite Emraan Hashmi in Vikram Bhatt’s Awarapan released recently.
A soft-spoken Shriya comes across as one who speaks her mind even at the cost of her reputation and one who is quick to admit her follies.
“I accepted Awarapan because I was convinced of its strong storyline, the director and the reputed production house. They have a history of making sensitive films that have become hits. Their female characters are well etched.
After the success of my films in the South, I needed a film that could parallel my position there. I think I have made the right decision.”
Shriya plays a Muslim girl, Aaliya, who belongs to Jodhpur. “She is brought up in a value-based family but forgets her values. She talks of her strong belief in God but believes in simplicity and ‘freedom’. That way it is a complex character.”
To play Aaliya, she had to work on her Urdu. “I thought Urdu was easy but it is not. I was given the script four months in advance. So I had time to work on it,” she recalls.
This disciple of Shovana Narayan, whose dance skills were noticed in her music video “Thirakti Kyon Hawa,” wants to work in a dance musical. “I want to bring back the charm of classical dance to the Indian screen but there is hardly any one making pure dance films these days,” she says.
She is different
What makes Shriya different from her counterparts is philanthropic work. She is associated with an NGO called World Vision that finds parents for deprived kids. “I have also adopted two kids and so has each member of my extended family. I also work for Apollo’s RDF (Research Development Fund) to raise funds for underprivileged children,” she says.
Next in her kitty are Sangeet Sivan’s Ek –The Power of One opposite Bobby Deol and two Tamil films Kandasaamy opposite Vikram and Azhagiya Tamil Sangam with Vijay.
RANA SIDDIQUI
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