“It's all about the role and not really about the language,” feels actor Shriya Saran. Well, she has a point there. After Tamil, Telugu and Hindi, now Shriya makes her entry into Mollywood. The actor will be the heroine in director Vysakh's up-and-coming movie Pokkiri Raja , which has Mammootty and Prithviraj in the lead.
Challenge
“Of course, I am excited about the project. Acting in different languages means more challenges. That is what inspires me as an actor,” says Shriya. She joined the set of Pokkiri Raja only a few days ago and is getting used to the atmosphere here. Shriya thinks that the film has an interesting storyline. “I am not supposed to talk too much about my character. But it feels great to share screen space with Mammootty and Prithviraj,” she adds.
Shriya feels that the emotional content of films are the same regardless of language, but the intensity with which they are depicted on screen may differ .
Shriya was born in Dehradun and has lived in Haridwar, Delhi and Mumbai. “I am an Indian and cannot be considered as part of any particular language or State,” remarks the actor, who had earlier come to Kerala for an award function and has also visited the backwaters.
Entry in filmdom happened by chance for Shriya, after she got noticed in a music video. Though she has done films like Awaarapan and Mission Istanbul in Hindi, it was in Tamil and Telugu where she had hit the jackpot with several top-notch projects.
Perhaps, among her most high profile films were Sivaji: The Boss with Rajnikant and the more recent Kanthaswamy , opposite Vikram. She says that she is indeed proud about being part of Sivaji… and feels that it was a wonderful experience working with Rajnikant, “who is amazingly down to earth, humble and very kindhearted.”
She is also all praise about her Kanthaswamy co-star, Vikram. “Kenny (as Vikram is called affectionately by friends and fans) is a darling. He is mad about cinema and is extremely hard working. In fact, if he is asked to jump from the 20th floor for a particular scene, he will do that as well.”
Shriya is quick to laugh off the controversies that sometimes surround her. She believes that every actor will have their share of controversies.
“There are lots of serious things happening around us and I feel the media should focus on these aspects rather than waste time going behind such issues,” says the actor.
Quiz her about the kind of roles that she would like to be part of and pat comes the reply: “I only act and I don't write, produce or direct my films. That means, I don't choose my audiences either My directors and producers choose them. I am an actor and am waiting to get good work.”
And what about more films in Malayalam? “I don't know, actually. It all depends on the roles that I am offered,” quips the beauty, as she starts mugging up some lines in Malayalam for her next shot.
