Shriya Saran's plea - do not divide films on regional basis

Feb 4, 2012 IANS

New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) Do not to divide the movie industry based on regions, urges multilingual actress Shriya Saran and requests people to refer to filmdom as "Indian cinema".

"I feel films can be used as cultural instincts, so let's call it Indian cinema... Dividing it in north, south, east and west will cause nusance and it will divide the industry. We are one big family and let's be like that," Shriya told IANS.

The 29-year-old has worked in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam movies and said: "I have been part of every industry and I believe that it is nice to know different languages and cultures because it opens up your window to life."

"I understand all the languages - whether it's Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam or Hindi. For me, every language is important and they have their own charm. The same holds true for the film industry," she added.

Shriya made her acting debut in 2001 with the Telugu film "Ishtam" and tasted her first commercial success with 2002 Telugu hit "Santhosham". However, it was the unprecedented box-office success of Rajinikanth starrer Tamil film "Shivaji: The Boss" that gave her acting career a boost.

In 2007, she stepped into Bollywood with "Awarapan" and did films like "Mission Istanbul" and "Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke".

Her next Hindi film is just released "Gali Gali Chor Hai", a political satire about a common man's fight against corruption. The film also stars Mugdha Godse and Akshaye Khanna.

In the film, directed by Rumy Jaffery, she plays a teacher who is married to Akshaye character.

"I think 'Gali Gali...' is one film which is going to create a lasting impression on every single individual who will watch it. The movie shows how common man gets sucked into the system and becomes a victim, but in a humourous way," she added.

Shriya is also doing Deepa Mehta's "Midnight's Children" and she feels that it's like dream come true.

"I am a huge fan of Deepa's films and I appreciate her work from heart. She is one woman who has followed her heart and is the winner in her beat. For me, it was a dream come true when I got the offer to be part of the movie," she said.

"Midnight's Children", is the big screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie's 1981 novel of the same name.