Shriya Saran may have shared the screen with some of the biggest names in Indian cinema, but her first meeting with Rajinikanth remains one of the most unexpected stories from her career. While recalling her experience of working on Sivaji: The Boss, Shriya revealed that director S Shankar had kept details of the project under wraps when he first approached her. She was simply told that there was a film in which she would be working and that she needed to be present in Chennai at an auspicious time.
Shriya agreed because she was free that day and travelled to Chennai without knowing the full scale of the project.
The big reveal happened at the film’s launch
Things began to make sense only after Shriya arrived at the event and noticed several major names, including music composer AR Rahman and Rajinikanth. The actress recalled thanking Shankar for making her part of such a big project, while still being unaware of exactly what was happening.
It was then that Shankar introduced her to Rajinikanth as her co-star. Shriya recalled being stunned by the revelation, saying she reacted with a simple, “Wow.”
Shriya was so nervous she feared she would freeze
The surprise was followed by another challenge. Shriya admitted that she was extremely nervous about working opposite Rajinikanth for the first time. She told Shankar that she wanted to meet the superstar before their rehearsal because she feared she would “freeze” while working with him. Shankar, she recalled, simply laughed at her reaction.
However, the meeting quickly eased her nerves. Shriya said Rajinikanth made her feel comfortable on the sets and did not behave like someone conscious of his superstar status. She described him as approachable, humble and someone who could make people feel special within minutes.
Why ‘Sivaji: The Boss’ became a turning point for Shriya Saran
Released in 2007, Sivaji: The Boss was directed by S Shankar and featured Rajinikanth as the titular character, with Shriya playing Tamizhselvi. The film had music by AR Rahman and became a major commercial success. For Shriya, the film arrived at an important stage of her career. She had already worked in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil cinema, but Sivaji significantly expanded her popularity. She went on to appear in films including Awarapan, Drishyam, Midnight’s Children and RRR, establishing herself as an actress who could move across languages and industries.
Born on September 11, 1982, Shriya had initially aspired to become a dancer and was trained in Kathak before entering films. She made her Telugu film debut with Ishtam in 2001 and later built a career spanning Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other-language cinema.