Name	Shriya Saran
Caption	Saran at the premiere of Enthiran (2010)
Birth name	Shriya Saran
Birth date	September 11, 1982
Birth place	Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Other names	Shriya, Shreya
Occupation	Actress, Model, Host, Philanthropist
Years active	2001–present
Website	http://www.shriyasaran.com

Shriya Saran (; born September 11, 1982), also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress, model and presenter. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema; acting in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada languages. Saran made her film debut in 2001 with Ishtam and had her first commercial success with the Telugu film Santhosham (2002). She would subsequently appear in several Telugu films, while making in-roads in the Hindi and Tamil film industries.

In 2007, Saran starred in Sivaji: The Boss, the highest grossing Tamil film at that time. She also gained critical acclaim for her role in the 2007 Bollywood film Awarapan. Her following projects included Tamil films such as Kanthaswamy (2009), and high-budget Hindi productions like Mission Istanbul (2008), her roles in which have established her as one of the leading actresses in the South Indian film industry. In 2008, Saran played the lead role in the American-Indian co-production The Other End of the Line.

Apart from her work in films, Saran has been the brand ambassador for several stores across India, endorsing beauty and health products. Among other activities, she has volunteered for a number of charity organisations, and in 2011 opened a spa employing visually challenged people.

Early life

Shriya Saran was born in Dehradun to Pushpendra Saran and Neeraja Saran. Her father worked for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and her mother was a chemistry teacher in Delhi Public School, Haridwar, from where Saran completed her schooling. Her family lived in the small town BHEL colony in Haridwar when she was growing up. She later studied at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature. Saran is an accomplished Kathak dancer, trained by Shovana Narayan during her youth. She has a brother named Abhiroop who lives in Mumbai.

Career

Early career (2001–03)

While in her sophomore year at the LSR College in Delhi, Saran got her first opportunity to appear in front of the camera for a video shoot. Following her dance teacher's recommendation, she was invited to appear in the music video of Renoo Nathan's "Thirakti Kyun Hawa". Shot in Banaras, the video was seen by Ramoji Films who offered her the lead role of Neha in their film Ishtam. Saran accepted the part, and even before it was released she was signed to four more films, including Nuvve Nuvve, in which she played a millionaire's daughter who falls for a middle class man. In 2002, she starred in Santosham, co-starring Nagarjuna, Prabhu Deva and Gracy Singh, which was her first commercial success. For her work in the film, Saran earned a nomination for the CineMAA Award for Best Actor- Female, giving her a good foothold in the Telugu industry in the early part of her career.

In 2003, Saran acted a supporting role in her first Hindi film, Tujhe Meri Kasam, starring debutants Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza in leading roles. She also performed the lead female role in several Telugu films including Tagore, which was a commercial success. She followed it with her Tamil film debut in Enakku 20 Unakku 18, alongside Tarun and Trisha Krishnan, which was simultaneously shot in Telugu as Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu, in which she played a football coach. Though she acted in films in three languages that year, overall eight of her first ten films were in Telugu.

Ups and downs (2004–07)

In 2004, Saran acted in two Hindi and two Telugu films, including Nenunnanu, where she played a student in classical singing. She had ten 2005 releases, nine of which were Telugu films, the most notable for her being Chatrapathi. There she appeared opposite Prabhas, and earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award. A reviewer for Moviebuzz said that as an action film, Saran's character of the lead's love interest was not well developed; that she was there primarily for the songs. Meanwhile, she tried to make her comeback in Tamil with Mazhai, a remake of the Telugu film Varsham. Neither the movie nor her performance were received well. Also in 2005, she appeared as one of only three characters in the film Mogudu Pellam O Dongodu, and made a guest appearance in a children's film called Bommalata, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. Saran's only lead role in 2006, excluding three special appearances, was in the Tamil film Thiruvilayadal Arambam.

In 2007, she was chosen to play the lead female role opposite Rajinikanth in S. Shankar's Sivaji: The Boss, which was the most expensive Indian film at that time. R. G. Vijayasarathy wrote in his review for Rediff that aside from her beauty, Saran "proves that she can act too". Her performance earned her a South Scope Style Award for Best Tamil Actress, her first award win, and a nomination at the Vijay Awards. The role also made her a star in the south Indian film industry.

Also in 2007, Saran made her comeback in Hindi cinema with Awaarapan, which was a joint production between India and Pakistan, and in which she played a Muslim girl and had to learn Urdu. This was her fourth Hindi film, but the others had failed to make any impact. Sanjay Ram, writing for Business of Cinema, gave the film 2.5 of 5 stars, and said that Saran provided a brief but compelling performance. Saran later said that the film strengthened her conviction that all religions are equal. Later that year she appeared in one more Tamil film, Azhagiya Tamil Magan opposite Vijay. Though critics exalted her looks, her performance received mixed reviews, with one reviewer, Nandhu Sundharam of Rediff, going so far as to say that her "acting is as bad as her looks are good". That same year Saran made her Kannada cinema debut with a small part in the film Arasu. In all she appeared in six films in 2007, in four different languages.

Recent work (2008–present)

In 2008, Saran acted in the Hindi film Mission Istanbul with Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi and Shabbir Ahluwalia. She played the character of Anjali Sagar which was inspired by the character of Romila Dutta played by Preity Zinta in the film Lakshya; a journalist who desires to have a child with her husband, which leads to their separation, since he is reluctant. Bollywood Hungama critics said that her character was wasted, as again she gets very little screen time. However, she did pick up the Stardust Exciting New Face Award.

Saran then made her Hollywood debut in Ashok Amritraj's The Other End of the Line. She played the role of Priya Sethi who works as a telephone operator in an Indian call centre, while acting alongside Jesse Metcalfe, Anupham Kher and Tara Sharma. Shriya's performance was praised by critics, particularly her on-screen chemistry with Jesse Metcalfe. John Anderson, writing for Variety magazine, said it was "a winning Stateside debut for beautiful Indian actress Shriya Saran."

Her most important 2009 release was the Tamil film Kanthaswamy. It was commercially successful and she earned a nomination at the Vijay Awards, as well as her third award win, this time the Amrita Mathrubhumi Award for Best Actress in Tamil. Of her character in the film, Saran said that it was the best she has done so far. She then appeared in another English film, Cooking with Stella, which is a comedy, but also takes a look at the serious nature of relationships between servants and employers. It was selected to the Toronto International Film Festival, which Saran attended.

In 2010, Saran made her Malayalam debut with Pokkiri Raja, in which she appeared opposite Mammootty and Prithviraj. The film was declared a super hit in the first week, breaking the record in Malayalam cinema for opening week gross income, though it was not received well critically. She then enacted her first lead role in a Telugu film after five years, in the commercially successful action-comedy film Don Seenu opposite Ravi Teja, where she plays the sister of a mobster. In the opinion of some critics, she stole the show with her dances and romantic scenes. The year 2010 was her second busiest after 2005, having appeared in eight films in all, this time in four languages.

In 2011, Saran appeared in Rowthiram, where she worked with Tamil actor Jeeva for the first time. The film received fairly low reviews, and Saran was not given much opportunity to show her acting skills.

Upcoming projects

Saran will star in Deepa Mehta's long delayed English project Winds of Change, which is based on Salman Rushdie's highly acclaimed novel Midnight's Children. Saran has also signed her second Malayalam project, Casanovva with Mohanlal, directed by Rosshan Andrrews. The movie was delayed many times, and it was rumored that Saran would leave the project, but in October 2010, the producer of the film announced that shooting would commence in Dubai with Saran among the cast. It has been reported that she will appear in another Malayalam film, entitled Hero, to begin production with director Deepan in late 2011. She has also signed to star in Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai, from director Rumy Jafry, which begins shooting in September 2011.

Other work

In 2003, Saran hosted the 50th Filmfare South Award with actor R. Madhavan. She was a part of Tamil director Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai, an event which sought to raise funds for The Banyan, a voluntary organisation which rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness in Chennai. She was one of the guests alongside actor Surya Sivakumar at the season 3 finale of TV dance show Maanada Mayilada.

Saran was the first actress, and the third celebrity after Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan to deliver a lecture to students at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on 12 February 2010. She said that, "The Indian Media and entertainment industry is the fastest growing sector at present, so considering this IIM Ahmedabad had started a new program CFI — Contemporary Film Industry — A Business Perspective. I was there to give a lecture to 2nd year students of CFI and did a lot of research for the lecture for nearly five days." She held a lecture on marketing and branding of a film. In 2011, she gave a lecture to students at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Madras on the history of films, and films as a medium of cultural exchange.

Saran started her modelling career by acting in a Pond's Creams advertisement. She then did a Coca-Cola advertisement alongside Tamil actor Vijay which was directed by prominent director Rajiv Menon. She also starred in a Fair & Lovely creams advertisement during her early career. In 2007, she become the brand ambassador of Saravana Stores. She is now the brand ambassador of the Lux and Head & Shoulders. Saran was also signed as brand ambassador along with actor Saif Ali Khan for Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea. Saran says no to soft drinks advertisements because she feels that soft drinks may harm children's health. In 2011, Saran was appointed as the promotional model for McVitie's by United Biscuits along with actress Bipasha Basu.

On the sports front, Saran is brand ambassador of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), a concept that mixes two passions in India, film and cricket. In April 2001, she danced with Shahrukh Khan at the fourth season opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL), another cricket league.

Saran was featured in, and appeared on the cover of the June 2008 issue of Maxim India. Editor Anup Kutty said, "We had been thinking of getting someone who bridges this strange divide we have between the North, South and the West ... Shreya fit the bill perfectly." She has appeared on various other magazine covers over the years, including Jade and South Scope.

Personal life

Shriya Saran is unmarried. According to media reports, she has been linked with several gentlemen, some for long periods of time. She is very reluctant to talk about this aspect of her personal life. She is Hindu, but has been known to celebrate Muslim holidays as well.

Saran is well known for her charity work. She describes herself as someone used to "sharing time and resources with the underprivileged since childhood." She says that "celebrities can show the way by sensitising people to social issues, campaigning for causes or being part of fund-raisers." Her family has always encouraged her to think of the needy.

Saran is a brand ambassador for the Naandi Foundation, and for the Save A Child's Heart Foundation (SACH), which works for the benefit of poor children and people affected by natural calamities. She helps finance a Prevention of Aids foundation. In 2009, Saran joined with other eminent personalities to promote 'The Joy of Giving Week', to encourage people from all walks of life to engage in acts of giving. She regularly participates in carnivals and campaigns that associate with children benefits. She is associated with animal welfare and the Blue Cross of India. She is also associated with an NGO called World Vision that finds parents for deprived kids, and works for Apollo’s RDF to raise funds for underprivileged children.

Saran is a long time patron for the blind. In 2011, she opened a spa which exclusively employs the visually challenged. It is called Shree Spa, and is located in Mumbai. Saran has said "When I studied in DPS Mathura Road in Delhi, there was a school for blind exactly opposite to our school. I used to go there every week and spend time seeing how these students played cricket and did other things normally. That is what inspired me to do something for these people".

In January 2008, Saran was the subject of a controversy, when a Hindu organisation in Chennai lodged a police complaint against Saran, objecting to the outfit worn by her during the 175th day celebration of her film, Sivaji: The Boss. In a complaint, the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) alleged that Shriya's outfit had "offended Hindu culture". Shriya publicly apologised to Tamils and Hindus, saying it was a mistake, and that she had "great respect for the tradition and culture of Tamil Nadu [...] I was shooting for a Hindi film in Thanjavur. I came to the function directly from the shooting, [...] I was unaware of the repercussions because of the attire I wore during the function."

On working in the different regional film industries in India she has stated, "I don’t consider Kollywood or Bollywood as separate entities. For me, there’s only a single category, the Indian film industry, which is extremely rich owing to its diverse genres and languages.

Awards

; Wins 2008 – South Scope Style Award – Best Tamil Actress for Sivaji: The Boss 2009 – Stardust Exciting New Face Award for Mission Istanbul 2010 – Amrita Mathrubhumi Award for Best Actress in Tamil for Kanthaswamy

; Nominations 2003 – CineMAA Award for Best Actress for Santhosham 2006 – Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for Chatrapathi

2008 – Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine for Sivaji: The Boss

2008 – Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance for Awaarapan 2010 – Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine for Kanthaswamy

; National honours and recognitions 2010 – T. Subbarami Reddy Lalitha Kala Parishath Awards for Contributions to Telugu Cinema 2010 – Featured in a poll conducted by Rediff about woman achievers in Indian entertainment, ranking her among the top actresses 2010 - Ranked thirteenth on The Times of India's list of "50 Most Desirable Women"

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Language	Notes
2001	Ishtam	Neha
2002		Bhanu	Telugu
2002	Chennakeshava Reddy	Preethi	Telugu
2002	Nuvve Nuvve	Anjali	Telugu
2003	Tujhe Meri Kasam	Girija		Bollywood debut
2003	Neeku Nenu Naaku Nuvvu	Seeta Lakshmi	Telugu
2003		Devaki	Telugu
2003	Ela Cheppanu	Priya	Telugu
2003	Enakku 20 Unakku 18	Reshma
2003	Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu	Reshma	Telugu
2004	Nenunnanu	Anu	Telugu
2004	Thoda Tum Badlo Thoda Hum	Rani	Hindi
2004		Roopa	Telugu
2004	Shukriya: Till Death Do Us Apart	Sanam	Hindi
2005	Balu ABCDEFG	Anu	Telugu
2005	Naa Alludu	Meghana	Telugu
2005	Sadaa Mee Sevalo	Kanthi	Telugu
2005		Shriya	Telugu	Cameo appearance
2005		Svarajyam	Telugu
2005	Mogudu Pellam O Dongodu	Satyabhama	Telugu
2005	Mazhai	Shailaja	Tamil
2005		Neelu	Telugu	Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu
2005		Shweta	Telugu
2005	Bommalata	Swathi	Telugu	Cameo appearance
2006	Devadasu	Shriya	Telugu	Special appearance
2006			Telugu	Special appearance
2006	Boss, I Love You	Sanjana	Telugu	Special appearance
2006	Thiruvilayadal Arambam	Priya	Tamil
2007		Dancer in the bar	Telugu	Special appearance
2007		Ankita	Kannada	Special appearance, Kannada cinema debut
2007		Thamizhselvi	Tamil	Nominated, Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine
2007	Awaarapan	Aaliya	Hindi
2007		Dancer in club	Telugu	Special appearance
2007	Azhagiya Tamil Magan	Abinaya	Tamil
2008	Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan	Pidariatha	Tamil	Special appearance
2008	Mission Istanbul	Anjali Sagar	Hindi
2008	The Other End of the Line	Priya Sethi
2009	Ek - The Power of One	Preet	Hindi
2009	Thoranai	Indhu	Tamil
2009		Subbulakshmi	Tamil	Nominated, Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine
2009	Cooking with Stella	Tannu	English
2010		Geetha	Tamil
2010	Jaggubhai	Monisha Jagannathan	Tamil
2010	Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke		Hindi	Guest appearance
2010		Aswathy		Malayalam cinema debut
2010	Don Seenu	Deepti	Telugu
2010		Dancer in Casino	Telugu	Special appearance
2010		Kalpana	Tamil	Guest appearance
2010	Chikku Bukku	Anu	Tamil
2011	Rowthiram	Priya	Tamil
2011	Casanovva	Sameera	Malayalam	Post-production
2012		Parvati	English	Filming
2012	Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai		Hindi	Filming from 2 September
2012	Hero		Malayalam	Announced

References

External links

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:People from Haridwar Category:Tamil film actors Category:Telugu film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Kannada film actors Category:Non Malayali actors acted in Malayalam-language films Category:University of Delhi alumni Category:People from Delhi Category:Indian Hindus

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