Actor Shriya Saran looks back at her journey and advice from top South film stars

Actor Shriya Saran recently opened up about her long career in the film industry, sharing memorable lessons she learned from working with top actors and directors. She began her film journey at the age of 17 with S Shankar's 'Sivaji: The Boss', starring Rajinikanth. Over the years, she has worked alongside several notable names including Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR, Thalapathy Vijay, Chiyaan Vikram, Dhanush, and Suriya.

Rajinikanth's Guidance

Shriya recalled how she landed her first big break after expressing her wish to work with director S Shankar, who later invited her to the film's muhurat ceremony and introduced her to Rajinikanth. She praised the superstar for staying grounded, noting that he visits the Himalayas for meditation, keeps his childhood friends, and treats everyone on set with respect. She also shared valuable career advice she received from him about staying level-headed through hits and flops because falling and getting back up is a key part of the journey.

Working With Rajamouli

Shriya also spoke about her cameo role in SS Rajamouli's 'RRR', where she played Ajay Devgn's wife in the flashback scenes. At the time she received a call to audition, she was attending her cousin's wedding celebrations in Jaipur. She literally left the wedding procession, caught a 5 AM flight to Hyderabad, and went straight to work without sleeping all night. This project marked her second collaboration with Rajamouli, following their earlier film 'Chatrapathi' in 2005. She fondly remembered the warm atmosphere on Rajamouli's sets, where the entire cast and crew sit together to share homemade food brought by the director's wife, Rama. She also shared a tip given to her by Jr NTR, who advised her to give Rajamouli the exact shot he wants as quickly as possible because the director is very clear about his vision.

Other Projects

Reflecting on her other films, Shriya shared advice from Chiranjeevi during the making of 'Tagore', where the star told her not to copy anyone else's dance style but to build her own. She also discussed her appearance in the Hindi film 'Awarapan 2', starring Emraan Hashmi and Disha Patani. She admitted that she felt let down when the first part of the franchise did not do well at the box office despite positive audience feedback, but expressed joy that the sequel found success.

Context

Actors in the Indian film industry often work across multiple regional languages and film industries over long careers spanning decades. Such career journeys involve navigating the ups and downs of box office results while learning from senior colleagues and established filmmakers.