Contents
Shriya Saran is a popular Indian actress, who mostly works in the South Indian films. She is known for her acting skills in the super hit films like ‘Sivaji: The Boss’ (2007) and ‘Drishyam’ (2015).
Wiki/Biography
Shriya Saran was born on Saturday, 11 September 1982 (age 41 years; as of 2023), in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Her zodiac sign is Virgo. She completed her schooling from Delhi Public School in Ranipur, Uttarakhand and Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, New Delhi. Later, she joined the Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi to complete her Bachelor of Arts in Literature.
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′ 6″
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Black
Family, Caste & Husband
Shriya Saran was born in a Hindu Kayastha family. Her father Pushpinder Saran is a retired civil engineer from BHEL, New Delhi. Her mother Neerja Saran is a retired Chemistry teacher. She has an elder brother, Abhiroop Saran, who works at FCB Ulka Advertising Ltd, Mumbai.
She has many rumoured relationships. Reportedly, while shooting for ‘The Other End of the Line’ in 2008, she started dating her co-star Jesse Metcalfe.
There were rumours of Shriya dating the actor Siddharth Narayan while shooting for the film Midnight’s Children in 2012.
In 2016, there were rumours that she was dating the cricketer Dwayne Bravo.
As per the sources, she was in a relationship with the actor Rana Daggubati in 2016.
On 19 March 2018, she got married to her boyfriend Andrei Koscheev at the Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, Rajasthan. He is a Russian businessman and a tennis player. The wedding was a private ceremony. Apart from her relatives, Manoj Bajpaiyee and Shabana Azmi were the only actors present at the wedding.
Career
Shriya started learning Kathak and Rajasthani folk dance from her mother at a very young age. She joined an open-air theatre ‘Jhankaar’ at BHEL, where her father used to work. At the age of 14, she took professional training in Kathak under her guru Shovana Narayan in Delhi.
She joined Shovana’s dancing troupe and performed in different cities across India
Shovana asked Shriya to audition for Renoo Nathan’s music video ‘Thirakti Kyun Hawa.’ She auditioned for it and got selected. The music video was shot in Banaras.
Later, the filmmakers of Ramoji Films (production house) spotted her in the video and offered her to act in the Telugu film ‘Ishtam’ in 2001.
She got her big break in the 2002 film ‘Santosham’ opposite the veteran actor Nagarjuna.
Later, she appeared in many Telugu films including Chennakesava Reddy (2002), Nenunnanu (2004), Balu (2005), Chhatrapati (2005), Don Seenu (2010), Gayatri (2018), and N.T.R: Kathanayakudu (2019).
In 2003, she made her Bollywood debut with the film ‘Tujhe Meri Kasam’ in which she played the role of Girija.
In 2004, she appeared in two more Bollywood films ‘Thoda Tum Badlo Thoda Hum’ and ‘Shukriya: Till Death Do Us Apart.’ She came into the limelight with Emraan Hashmi starrer Bollywood film ‘Awarapan’ in 2007.
One of her biggest hit films in Bollywood is Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Drishyam’ (2015).
In 2003, she debuted in the Tamil cinema with the film ‘Enakku 20 Unakku 18.’ Some of her Tamil films are Mazhai (2005), Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam (2006), Chandra (2014), and Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (2017).
One of her best Tamil films is Sivaji: The Boss (2007) starring superstar Rajinikanth.
She acted in a few Kannada films including Arasu (2007) and Chandra (2013). Some of her Malayalam films are Pokkiri Raja (2010) and Casanovva (2012).
She appeared in Hollywood films like ‘The Other End of the Line’ (2008), ‘Cooking with Stella’ (2009), and ‘Midnight’s Children’ (2012).
Apart from films, she appeared in various TV commercials including Pond’s Creams, Coca-Cola, Fair & Lovely creams, Pantene Shampoo, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea, and Colgate Active Salt Healthy White toothpaste.
In 2015, she appeared in ‘Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi,’ a TV show in which Amitabh Bachchan, along with other celebrities, interacted with ordinary people who helped to improve the society and inspired others as well.
Controversy
On 11 January 2008, an event was organised to celebrate the silver jubilee of the film ‘Shivaji: The Boss.’ Actor Rajinikanth and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi were present at the event. The lead actress of the film, Shriya Saran appeared at the event in a short and deep necked ruffle dress. Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK), Chennai District President Ramamurthy filed a complaint against her for appearing in such a bold look and offending the Hindu culture.
Later, Shriya Saran apologised and said,
I was unaware of the repercussions that would arise because of the attire I wore during the function. I came to know about the silver jubilee function while shooting for a Hindi film in Thanjavur. I came to the function directly from the shooting spot.”
Awards & Honours
South Scope Style Award
2008: Best Actress for Sivaji: The Boss
Stardust Award
2009: Exciting New Face for Mission Istanbul
Amrita Mathrubhumi Award
2010: Best Actress for Kanthaswamy Thoranai
ITFA
2011: Best Actress Award for Rowthiram
TV9 TSR National Award
2015: Best Actress for Manam
Santosham Film Awards
2015: Best Actress for Manam
TV9 TSR National Award
2016: Best Actress for Gopala Gopala
Santosham Film Awards
2016: Best Actress for Gautamiputra Satakarni
Net Worth
She charges one crore per film.
Car Collection
Favourite Things
- Writer: William Dalrymple
- Cuisines: South Indian and Bengali
- Book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Facts/Trivia
- Her full name is Shriya Saran Bhatnagar.
- In 2003, she hosted the 50th Filmfare South Awards along with the actor R. Madhavan.
- She participated in Mani Ratnam’s stage show ‘Netru, Indru, Naalai.’ It is an event to raise funds for “The Banyan,” a voluntary organisation, which rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness in Chennai.
- On 12 February 2010, Shriya Saran delivered a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A). She is the first actress and the third celebrity after Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan to do so.
- She was signed as the brand ambassador for Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) in 2014.
- She was featured on the cover of the well-known magazines like Galatta Cinema (2007), Maxim India (2008), and Femina (2012).
- In April 2010, she danced in the fourth season-opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) along with Shah Rukh Khan.
- She is a social activist too. She is associated with NGO’s like Blue Cross of India, Naandi Foundation, and World Vision NGO.
- In 2010, she opened her own spa named ‘Shree Spa’ in Mumbai, a spa for the visually impaired people. In an interview, she 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.”
- She was listed among India’s Top 50 Most Desirable Women from 2011 to 2015.
- She was the brand ambassador of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) in 2011 and 2012.
- In 2014, she performed at GR8 Women’s Award.
- In 2015, she appeared in ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’ along with Ajay Devgan and Tabu to promote their film Drishyam.
- She has walked the ramp at various events.
- She has worked as a model for the print advertisements of various brands.
- She is an animal lover.
- She is a trained scuba diver.
- She considers actor Nagarjuna as one of her best friends.
- Her hobbies include dancing, travelling, and reading books.
- She is often spotted drinking alcohol in parties.
- She is a non-vegetarian and loves to eat fish.