Shriya on a new high!

SHE DIDN’T have the perfect Bollywood debut (Tujhe Meri Kasam opposite Aftab Shivdasani), but after doing some hard work and taking a detour via Tamil and Telegu films, Shriya Saran is Bollywood’s most wanted gal today.

Ever since she made heads turn in the Tamil blockbuster Sivaji: The Boss (where she acted opposite none other than Rajinikanth) and the Hindi potboiler Awaarapan (opposite Emraan Hashmi) life has been interesting.

She has a few exciting projects to look forward to -Ashok Amritraj’s The Other End of The Line (a Hollywood project) and Deepa Mehta’s What’s Cooking.

An excited Shriya says, “I can’t reveal much about these films right now, but I have put in a lot of research and efforts and have really interesting characters to play in both of them. Besides, I am also working on Ek-The Power Of One with Bobby Deol and Nana Patekar and in Kandswam, a Tamil film.”

Mission Istaanbul, her latest movie, might not have set the cash-registers ringing, but Shriya tells us, “I have got very good feedback regarding my performance in the movie so far.”

She doesn’t deny the importance of box-office success, “I would be lying if I say box-office success doesn’t matter. When your hard work is appreciated, it makes a lot of difference to any actor.”

She goes on to add, “I feel wonderful that the industry people as well as the audience have accepted me as an actress. That really keeps me going.”

Talking of the Southern film industry, Bollywood and Hollywood, Shriya says, “I am proud to be a part of the Indian film industry. In Hollywood, they focus on method acting a lot. Each film has been a great learning experience and I have been lucky enough to have the chance to open up to different cultures.”

So how does Shriya unwind when she gets time off? “Acting is a demanding profession and you need to spend quality time with your near and dear ones. In my spare time, I love to dance, read, go out with my friends and parents,” she informs.

Shriya has been trained in Kathak by Shovana Narayan and considers her guru and her parents as role models. Shriya also seems to enjoy all the attention from her fans and says, “My fans have been really sweet to me.”