Date:01/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110158080200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

I want to expand my horizons, says actor Shriya Saran

Meera Srinivasan

— Photo: R. Ragu

Visit: Actor Shriya Saran at The Hindu office in Chennai on Friday.

CHENNAI: She has her hands full with interesting projects. She believes that with each film and every new role played, an actor learns a lot and grows as an artiste. “I want to expand my horizons,” actor Shriya Saran told The Hindu.

The actor, who wound up her work for ‘Kandasamy’ in Chennai on Friday, paid a visit to The Hindu office.

“The film should be out soon. I am really excited. We had an amazing time working on this project,” she said. Playing the female lead opposite actor Vikram, Ms. Saran sports a “new look” in this film.

The actor, besides giving several hits in Tamil successively, has also been working on films in other languages, playing challenging roles.

“The look and the body language changes from film to film depending on the character one plays.” In ‘Jaggubhai,’ for instance, the actor plays the 19-year-old daughter of Sarath Kumar. “She’s a spoilt brat, but very innocent and simple at heart…she is a real sweetheart!” Ms. Saran said. “It is important to be an actor and not the star you are while on the sets,” she emphasises.

The actor has the credit of working with most leading stars of Kollywood, including Rajinikanth, in a fairly short span of time. ‘Marmayogi’ with Kamal Haasan is another project that she is evidently excited about. “The storyline is incredible and the amount of research Kamal sir undertakes is unbelievable. Ms. Gauthami has designed the costumes, they are just awesome.”

Speaking of ‘The Other End of the Line,’ an English film she worked on this year, the actor said: “I play an urban Indian girl. The young lady is modern and also has her family values intact.” The actor said that the film was released in the United States on Friday. “I am eagerly waiting for the feedback.”

She also plays an interesting role in ‘What’s Cooking, Stella?’ directed by Deepa Mehta and Dilip Mehta. “I have always wanted to work with Deepa Mehta.”

Ms. Saran also worked in a Hindi film ‘Ek - the power of one.’ “It is about a convict who falls in love with a Punjabi girl. The shoot is over. I am hoping it will be released soon.”

“I am happy to have had the opportunity to play different roles. Yes, I play Mr. Rajinikanth’s love interest (in one film) and also Dhanush’s love interest. In Tamil cinema, you are trusted with a range of characters and the audience seems to appreciate it,” she added.

“It has been a very interesting journey so far…there is so much more to learn and experiment.”

The actor admits that the profession warrants tremendous amount of hard work. “But at the end of the day, if you feel satisfied about your work…that is the biggest award one could get!”