Shriya Saran
I wish all happiness, good health and togetherness to those close to me.Collection: Health
My mom was a chemistry teacher.Collection: Teacher
I try my best to take out time for exercise and also meditation, it really brings me peace of mind.Collection: Peace
I don't restrict myself from any food item. I am a non-vegetarian and I love home cooked food which usually includes daal, roti, aloo ki sabji, sambhar and fish. I try to avoid ice cream and sweets though.Collection: Food
I'm from a typical middle-class family and I grew up in a place without a theatre.Collection: Family
There are ups and downs in my career and I take both in my stride.
There are lot of good things that happened to me in the industry and I'm very happy with the way my career has shaped up.
I met Amitabh Bachchan in Udaipur as a kid.
I remember when I became an actress and when people would come and ask me if they could take a picture with me, I would say no. Then my mom told me, 'Who do you think you are? You are what you are because of them. The day they will stop coming to you, you will be no one.' I realised I was wrong.
Certain people with vested interests have unleashed a campaign that I'm charging Rs 1 crore as my salary. This is totally false. Even at the best of times, I haven't got that much money for any of my films.
It's really strange, but I find a connect with Shivaji Raje through Rajinikanth. Rajini sir is born a Marathi, he's a superstar in Tamil film industry and a national icon too. He started his life as an ordinary man and reached the pinnacle. This is how Shivaji Raje's life also traversed from common to extraordinary.
I do not plan my career or sign films that just come my way.
When a filmmaker like Deepa Mehta felt that I should work with her, I took up her offer.
In Hollywood, an Angelina Jolie is paid a fee that is probably at par with her male colleagues, but we can't expect the same here in India. Universally, films have meatier roles for men. Most films are about male protagonists and their histrionics on screen; women are signed up for song sequences and to up the glam quotient.
I have known Salman for some time now. Salman is a really, really kind man. He has always given me so much respect and treated me so nicely.
I like publicity, but don't resort to cheap tricks.
Well, I just love to read books. I read a lot.
Yes, I've always been quiet about my personal life and I've never really spoken about what I was doing apart from work.
Of course, I'm a happy-go-lucky person, I have a lot of friends and I love people. But we all have a right to personal life.
India is where part of my heart lies. Everytime I come back home, I gorge on paranthas and dosas and it makes me happy. I simply love Indian food.
Some directors are open to ideas, and some are rigid. And, some actors are into method acting, and some, instinctive.
Success is a funny phenomenon, God knows how it works!
To sustain oneself, one should learn to not take success or failure too seriously. You just need the confidence to stand there and say 'Even if I fall, I can get up.'
When it comes to filmmaking - India or abroad, there are two approaches. First, when the director knows what he's making. Second, where he has an idea and explores that while making the film.
By doing something repeatedly, one's mind becomes sharper. It teaches you dedication.
I am glad that I have only got love and appreciation in my career. I have no bad experience.
A woman is not just one thing.
My work is my bread and butter and my husband is very supportive; he would love me to do more work.
My base will always be Mumbai since my parents live here and I will always come down to Mumbai or fly down south for work.
It's great to imagine and visualise while reading a novel. It doesn't always work for a film. 'Pavithra' had a good script executed badly.
Some of the biggest hits have had simple stories narrated beautifully.
It's a constant struggle to reinvent yourself and stay relevant.
For the longest time I was trying to please others. I can blame the whole world for each film that went wrong but if I'm not happy about a project I cannot give my best.
Those girl-next-door roles were my bread and butter and I was appreciated for my work.
It's not often you get to work in films where you don't know who's good and who's bad.
I'm not too comfortable going into the details, but yes, my love story with Andrei is beautiful and magical. We first met while I had gone diving in the Maldives. He didn't even know who I was when we first met. It was only later that he found out I'm an actress.
I did a soft drink ad some time back. Later, a mother came to me and said that her child started consuming more of that drink after seeing my ad. It made me measure my actions.
To be honest, I think it's a fair argument to ask actors not to endorse fairness products. We don't need to be fair in this country, and there's a whole lot of madness about being fair. Many advertisements are projected in a manner that if you aren't fair, you don't get married - and when you get fairer with the creams, you do!
You don't ask if an aircraft is being flown by a man or a woman - if it flies, it means it's doing the job it is meant to. The same is with cinema, and all that matters is whether the film works or not.
For me, dancing is a real form of mediation. It gives me immense happiness and helps me stay fit.
I enjoy every role that I do. But I would love to do a dance-based film. It can even be the biopic of a great Indian classical dancer. I want to push boundaries.
No amount of money and time spent travelling is wasted.
I am not cut out for politics. I don't think it's in me.
Whether it is sensitising people to social issues, campaigning for causes or being part of fund-raisers, celebrities can go a long way in reaching out to people.
My family has always encouraged me to think of the needy.
I love travelling; going to different parts of the world and making new friends is something that I really enjoy.
I am a very simple person in real life and I enjoy what I do.
I'd like to give out positive vibes and be surrounded by them as well.
I enjoy dancing, mostly Kathak.
I'm a free bird and I follow my own rules.