
For her performance, she earned a nomination for the CineMAA Award for Best Actor- Female, giving her a good foothold in the Telugu industry in the early part of her career. Saran played a woman who lets someone she loves go with another, but wins him back later in life. The film took the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film and Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu). In 2002, she starred in Santosham, co-starring Nagarjuna, Prabhu Deva and Gracy Singh, which was her first commercial success. Saran accepted the part and, even before it was released she was signed to four more films, including Nuvve Nuvve, in which she played a millionaire's daughter who falls for a middle-class man. Shot in Banaras, the video was seen by Ramoji Films who offered her the lead role of Neha in their film Ishtam.

Following her dance teacher's recommendation, she was invited to appear in the music video of Renoo Nathan's "Thirakti Kyun Hawa". While in her second year at the LSR College in Delhi, Saran got her first opportunity to appear in front of the camera for a video shoot. Main article: Shriya Saran filmography Early career (2001–03) They would incorporate social issues into their dance routines. She was involved with many dance teams in college and with her teacher. She was first trained as a child by her mother in Kathak and Rajasthani folk dance, and later trained in the Kathak style by Shovana Narayan. She later studied at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature. Her family lived in the small town of BHEL colony in Haridwar when she was growing up. She has an elder brother named Abhiroop who lives in Mumbai. Saran completed her schooling from both schools where her mother had taught. Her father worked for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and her mother was a chemistry teacher in Delhi Public School, Ranipur in Haridwar and Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, New Delhi. Shriya Saran Bhatnagar was born on 11 September 1982 in Haridwar in Northern India, to Pushpendra Saran Bhatnagar and Neeraja Saran Bhatnagar. She was also the brand ambassador for Celebrity Cricket League for its first two seasons. In 2011 she opened a spa employing exclusively visually challenged people. Among other philanthropic activities, she has volunteered for charity organizations. In addition to her work in films, Saran has been the brand ambassador for brands across India, endorsing beauty and health products. In 2014, Saran starred in the critically acclaimed Telugu film Manam, which brought her accolades for her performance. She achieved further commercial success by starring in films such as Pavitra (2013) and Chandra (2013). In 2012, Saran starred in Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Children, an English adaptation of Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name, for which she received international critical acclaim. Her following projects included popular films such as Kanthaswamy (2009) in Tamil and Pokkiri Raja (2010) in Malayalam - roles that established her as one of the leading actresses in the South Indian film industries. In 2008, Saran played the lead role in her first English film, the American–Indian co-production The Other End of the Line. She also gained critical acclaim for her role in the Hindi film Awarapan (2007).

In 2007, Saran starred in Sivaji, the highest-grossing Tamil film at that time. She subsequently appeared in several more Telugu films alongside Hindi and Tamil films.

She is one of the most popular and highest-paid actresses in south cinema industry, and has acted in over 75 films. Although Saran aspired to become a well-known dancer, she became an actress with her film debut in 2001 with the Telugu film Ishtam, and had her first commercial success with Santhosham (2002). Shriya Saran Bhatnagar ( pronounced (born 11 September 1982) mononymously known as Shriya, is an Indian actress and model who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi language films.
