Shriya Saran

Dance, not acting, was what Shriya Saran first wanted to do. Born on 11 September 1982 in Haridwar, she trained from childhood in Kathak and Rajasthani folk dance, and studied literature at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi. Acting began with the Telugu film Ishtam (2001), and Santosham (2002) gave her a first commercial success. Her work has been mostly in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema. Telugu hits such as Nenunnanu (2004) and Chatrapathi (2005) came next. In Hindi she debuted with Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003) and drew praise for Awarapan (2007). Her Tamil start was Enakku 20 Unakku 18 (2003), and she starred in Sivaji (2007), at the time the highest-grossing Tamil film. Kanthaswamy (2009) and the Malayalam film Pokkiri Raja (2010), where she played Aswathy, made her one of the leading actresses in South Indian cinema. The Other End of the Line (2008) was her first English-language lead, and Midnight's Children (2012) brought her international notice. Pavitra, Chandra and the Telugu film Manam (2014) followed. Opposite Ajay Devgn she has been in Drishyam (2015), Gautamiputra Satakarni, RRR, Drishyam 2 and Drishyam: The Conclusion (2026).