If cinema had borders, Shriya Saran clearly never paid them much attention. Born in Haridwar and raised in a Hindi-speaking household, the actor went on to build one of the most enduring careers in South
Indian cinema, all without speaking Tamil or Telugu when she started out.
Now 25 years into her acting journey, Shriya has worked across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films, earning both love and a label along the way. In a new interview, she says the tag of being a ‘south actress’ never really bothered her because she never saw it as a limitation.
Looking back, Shriya traces her adaptability to the many transitions she experienced early in life. “I was born in Haridwar. I lived there for 17 years of my life. Then I moved to Delhi, so I could learn Kathak from Shovana Narayan ji. That was a huge move at that point in time. Then I started acting when I was 17. And that was a huge step for my family because my dad’s an engineer, mom’s a teacher in DPS, and it was like ‘what!?’”, she tells Hindustan Times.
She believes those formative years prepared her for the unpredictability of a public career. “Because I was a small-town girl in Delhi, it was a cultural shock for me. From there to LSR and then when I went to sets, learning new languages, all of that, I feel really prepared me for life.”
Although Shriya made her Bollywood debut with Awarapan nearly two decades ago, she continued to be identified largely with southern cinema, something she embraces wholeheartedly. “The kind of love South has given me really makes me blessed. My heart is South Indian, I feel.”
Since debuting with Ishtam in 2001, Shriya has featured in several major Tamil and Telugu films including Chatrapathi, Sivaji, Pokkiri Raja and Manam, along with a cameo in RRR. At the same time, she has maintained a steady presence in Hindi cinema, notably in the Drishyam franchise. Reflecting on how she views labels, she says, “One of the things that I learned is that you are what you believe yourself to be. If you keep growing and learning and let life teach you things, you start living it better. But if you start thinking life is coming at you, or it’s attacking you because people think like that for you, or they are boxing you, then it’ll become a battle. While you can actually use it as a kind of flavour that this is what they think of me; this is my flavour.”
Shriya adds that attention often comes with categorisation. “People start saying these things or start boxing you, is when they’re noticing you. Then you break that, and you become something else,” she adds.
In 2026, the actor continues to expand her range. She is currently seen in Space Gen: Chandrayaan, her web series debut. The Hindi show, streaming on JioHotstar, is inspired by ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission and blends real events with fictional elements. Shriya plays an ISRO scientist in the series, which also stars Nakuul Mehta and Danish Sait. She will also return to the big screen later this year in Drishyam 3.
