Shriya Saran was recently roped into an exclusive tête-à-tête with Pinkvilla, with the actress recalling her years in the South Indian film industry, especially working in the film Sivaji: The Boss, and sharing details about her experience sharing the screen with Rajinikanth.
Speaking with Pinkvilla, Shriya Saran said, “I was very starstruck. I once told Shankar sir ke ek baar mujhe rehearsal se pehle milwa lena, because pehli baar unke saath kaam karungi toh I will be frozen; he was just laughing. In fact, jab woh film announce kar rahe the, it was all secret. Shankar sir ne bulaya aur pucha ek movie hain, tum kam karoge. Maine bola haan karungi. Toh ek mahurat hain, istfaq se main khaali bhi thi, toh main chali gayi Chennai.”
Watch the interview here:
(I was very star-struck. I once told Shankar sir to introduce me to him once before the rehearsal because it would be my first time working with him, and I would freeze. He was just laughing. In fact, when he was announcing the film, everything was kept secret. Shankar sir called me and asked if I would work in a movie. I said yes. There was a mahurat ceremony, and coincidentally, I was free, so I went to Chennai.)
She added, “Jab main gayi waha par bade bade log aa rahe like AR Rahman sir aur Rajinikanth sir. Mujhe laga ke itni badi film ho raha hai, and I thanked Shankar sir for making me part of it. I had no idea who usme kaun hai and kya ho raha hain. Then he said, ‘Meet your co-star Rajini sir’ and I was like, Whaattt! Tab sir ne Vaaji Vaaji song ke rehearsal aur shoot kar rahe the, jab shoot kar rahe the Rajini sir makes you feel very comfortable and very special, even making you feel like he’s your best friend.”
(When I went there, big names like AR Rahman sir and Rajinikanth sir were arriving. I realized that it was such a big film, and I thanked Shankar sir for making me a part of it. I had no idea who was in the film or what was happening. Then he said, ‘Meet your co-star, Rajini sir,’ and I was like, ‘What?!’ At the time, they were rehearsing and shooting the Vaaji Vaaji song. During the shoot, Rajini sir made me feel very comfortable and special, even making me feel like he was my best friend.)
Shriya continued, “I am very lucky that I got to work with kuch bohot hi interesting logon ke saath. Rajini sir bahut hi down to earth aur simple hain, bahut hi zyaada. Agar woh set pe aate hain, woh jiss tarah ek light boy ko treat karte hain, ussi tarah woh ek co-actor ko treat karte hain.”
(I am very lucky that I got to work with some very interesting people. Rajini sir is very down-to-earth and simple, extremely so. When he comes to the set, the way he treats a light boy is the same way he treats a co-actor.)
The actress added, “Jab maine unke saath film ki thi, uss waqt meri pehli aisi film thi. But for him, obviously he was already a superstar. Woh humesha mujhse batate ki apne kaam se pyaar kare aur seekhte rahe. Aur uss waqt hum ek gaane ko shoot kar rahe the, woh ek parody ki tarah tha. Tab unhone mujhse poocha ke ‘tumhe maalom hain main kya kar raha tha jab yeh gaana originally release hua?’ Maine bola pata nahi, tab unhone kaha ke uss samay unke paas paise nahi the but kisi tarah film school gaye. Unke paas khaane ke liye paise nahi the par woh films dekhte the, aur saare shows uss film ke.”
(When I worked with him in the film, it was my first such experience. But for him, obviously, he was already a superstar. He would always tell me to love my work and keep learning. At the time, we were shooting a song that was like a parody. He asked me, ‘Do you know what I was doing when this song was originally released?’ I said I didn’t know. He told me that at the time, he didn’t have much money but somehow managed to attend film school. He didn’t have money for food, but he would watch films and all the shows related to that film.)
She concluded, “Woh gaana unke liya woh mehativ tha but for me, ek insaan kuch naa hoke itna bada superstar ban jaata hain and he is so rooted and he has this whole air around him. He also has a great sense of humor and keeps doing some drama on set.”
(That song was significant to him. For me, it was inspiring to see how a person with nothing could become such a huge superstar while remaining so grounded. He also has a great sense of humor and keeps doing little bits of drama on set.)
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