Shriya Saran

Acting

Shriya Saran

Born 1982-09-11 · Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Shriya Saran (born Shriya Saran Bhatnagar) is an Indian actress and model who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi cinema alongside international and Malayalam projects. Born on September 11, 1982, in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, to Pushpendra Saran Bhatnagar and Neeraja Saran Bhatnagar, she completed her schooling at Delhi Public School, Ranipur (Haridwar) and Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, New Delhi. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Literature from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. An accomplished classical dancer trained in Kathak under guru Shovana Narayan, she was spotted by a filmmaker after appearing in the music video "Thirakti Kyun Hawa" by Renu Nathan, which led to her acting auditions. She made her acting debut in the Telugu romantic drama *Ishtam* (2001), swiftly achieving her commercial breakthrough opposite Nagarjuna in *Santosham* (2002) and Tarun in *Nuvve Nuvve* (2002). Over an expansive career spanning more than two decades and over 75 films, Saran established herself as one of South Indian cinema's top-tier leading ladies. She headlined blockbuster hits across languages, including V. V. Vinayak's *Tagore* (2003) opposite Chiranjeevi, *Nenunnanu* (2004), S. S. Rajamouli's action milestone *Chatrapathi* (2005) opposite Prabhas, and Shankar's monumental Tamil blockbuster *Sivaji: The Boss* (2007) opposite Rajinikanth. She made her Hindi leading debut in Mohit Suri's crime drama *Awarapan* (2007), starred in Susi Ganesan's superhero actioner *Kanthaswamy* (2009) with Vikram, and crossed over into English-language international productions including James Dodson's *The Other End of the Line* (2008) and Deepa Mehta's adaptation of Salman Rushdie's *Midnight's Children* (2012). She earned widespread critical acclaim for her performance in Vikram K. Kumar's Telugu classic *Manam* (2014) and Krish Jagarlamudi's historical epic *Gautamiputra Satakarni* (2017). Saran achieved massive national acclaim portraying Nandini Salgaonkar in Nishikant Kamat's hit crime thriller *Drishyam* (2015) and its smash-hit sequel *Drishyam 2* (2022) opposite Ajay Devgn. She played Sarojini in S. S. Rajamouli's global phenomenon *RRR* (2022), headlined the multi-lingual period action film *Kabzaa* (2023), and starred as Mandira Mathur in Mihir Desai's Disney+ Hotstar drama series *Showtime* (2024). Her filmography extends to Karthik Ghattamaneni's Telugu fantasy adventure *Mirai* (2025), Karthik Subbaraj's *Retro* (2025), the space drama series *Space Gen: Chandrayaan* (2026), and reprising her role as Nandini in Abhishek Pathak's *Drishyam 3* (2026).

Acting credits

RRR poster
7.7

A fictional history of two legendary revolutionaries' journey away from home before they began fighting for their country in the 1920s.

RRR

2022

Awarapan 2 poster
NR

Shivam returns to the crime world, where his path forward demands redemption, love, and sacrifice. As relationships deepen and conflicts intensify, every choice tests his resolve and shapes his destiny.

Awarapan 2

2026

N.T.R: Kathanayakudu poster
5.2

Based on the journey of the legendary Telugu actor, filmmaker and ex-Chief Minister Late Taraka Rama Rao Nandamuri.

N.T.R: Kathanayakudu

2019

Awarapan poster
6.9

A loyal henchman is ordered by his boss to keep an eye on his mistress, and trouble begins when he refuses to kill her.

Awarapan

2007

Drishyam: The Conclusion poster
NR

Years after outsmarting the police, Vijay Salgaonkar's past resurfaces when a new evidence threatens to expose his secret. As the investigation reopens, he must outwit the system once again to save his family.

Drishyam: The Conclusion

2026

The Other End of the Line poster
6.4

An employee at an Indian call-center travels to San Francisco to be with a guy she falls for over the phone.

The Other End of the Line

2007

Drishyam poster
7.5

When his family stares down the barrel of criminal charges, a commoner channels his street smarts and knowledge of action films to tie the long arm of the law into an investigative Gordian knot.

Drishyam

2015

Munna poster
4.7

Munna (Prabhas) is a college student. His aim is to finish off mafia don Kakha (Prakash Raj) who keeps the entire city under his grip. Munna has personal vengeance to take on Kakha. An honest politician Srinivasa Rao (Kota Srinivasa Rao) relentlessly works to expose Kakha but gets killed. Meanwhile, Munna’s classmate Nidhi (Ileana D'Cruz) falls in love with him. The twist in the tale is that Kakha is none other than his estranged father who tries to sell off his mother and was responsible for the death of his mother and his kid sister. Another don in the city named Aatma, who is the opposition of Kakha (Rahul Dev) asks Munna to join him. But Munna refuses his proposal. Munna starts to beat Kakha and the mind game begins. Kakha's second wife and son-daughter left him and join Munna. After some incidents including the death of his best friend, Munna finds out that Aatma was working for Kakha all along.

Munna

2007

Gamanam poster
7.3

The lives of six individuals across the city change just as the city is reeling under floods. Will they all make it safely to the other side?

Gamanam

2021

Kanthaswamy poster
4.8

A CBI officer moonlights as a modern day Robin Hood in the guise of the masked Kanthaswamy, as he helps fight corruption and aid impoverished people.

Kanthaswamy

2009

Retro poster
6.4

A man with a violent past seeks a fresh start, but the life he left behind resurfaces, forcing him to face old conflicts and redefine his future.

Retro

2025

Veera Bhoga Vasantha Rayalu poster
7.2

Missing are a flight consisting of 300 VIPs, a house along with the couple that inhabit it and an orphaned girl child. Embroiled in midst of all three cases are two young boys and a man calling himself Veera Bhoga Vasantha Rayalu. What is the mystery behind either of these cases?

Veera Bhoga Vasantha Rayalu

2018

Paisa Vasool poster
4.3

A self-proclaimed criminal Theda Singh who’s just been released from Tihar Jail is recruited by India’s premier intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) to infiltrate the gang of mafia don Bob Marley and ultimately eliminate him.

Paisa Vasool

2017

Drishyam 2 poster
8.0

7 years after the case related to Vijay Salgaonkar and his family was closed, a series of unexpected events bring truth to light that threatens to change everything for the Salgaonkars. Can Vijay save his family this time?

Drishyam 2

2022

Mirai poster
6.0

Following the historic Kalinga battle, where King Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty emerged as the winner, he chose to walk the path of peace instead of continuing warfare. Yet, the kingdom appointed nine warriors to protect some ancient scriptures rumored to have the ability to make someone divine or godlike.

Mirai

2025

Sivaji: The Boss poster
7.1

A wealthy engineer arrives in India with the mission of serving the nation and investing in the country's welfare but is met with strong opposition from corrupt officials and politicians. After being faced with insurmountable hardships, he decides to take drastic measures.

Sivaji: The Boss

2007

Azhagiya Tamil Magan poster
5.4

Guru has the ability to predict future events. With his unique ability, he identifies several future events, including the attempted murder of his lover by a look-alike.

Azhagiya Tamil Magan

2007

Nakshatram poster
2.9

A young boy is made to realise that the police form the backbone of society and every cop is akin to Lord Hanuman the protector. He then makes up his mind about becoming a cop when he grows up.​

Nakshatram

2017

Kutty poster
5.4

Kutty, a kind young man, falls in love with Geeta, but she does not reciprocate his love. He continues to love her even after learning that she is in love with Arjun, her college-mate.

Kutty

2010

Chatrapathi poster
7.0

Sivaji and his family are uprooted from their community in Sri Lanka and wind up as bonded labourers in Vishakhapatnam. Like his legendary namesake, he rises up to become the saviour of the oppressed.

Chatrapathi

2005

Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam poster
6.1

Guru hatches several plans to separate Priya and her lover Thirukumaran. However, Thirukumaran successfully manages to escape from Guru's evil plans and traps him in another problem.

Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam

2006

Gautamiputra Satakarni poster
5.3

The emperor of Satavahana kingdom, Satakarni comes across many challenges when he attempts to convince his wife that their son is bound to take part in battles and vanquish his enemies.

Gautamiputra Satakarni

2017

Naa Alludu poster
3.8

Karthik seeks revenge after Bhanumati refuses to hire him despite his qualifications. When he vows to marry one of her two daughters, Bhanumati hires a bodyguard for them.

Naa Alludu

2005

Oopiri poster
7.2

Impressed by his carefree attitude, quadriplegic multi-billionaire Vikram hires a convict out on parole as his caretaker. What follows is a string of life lessons they learn from each other.

Oopiri

2016