Exclusive/ Salaar Actor Sriya Reddy Opens Up About Her Acting Hiatus, Shares Deets About Prabhas Starrer Sequel

Actress Sriya Reddy became an overnight sensation after featuring in Prashanth Neel’s actioner Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire. Reddy essayed the role of Radha Rama Mannar in the Prabhas starrer and has been at the receiving end of appreciation for her performance.

In a conversation with Republic, Sriya opened up about Salaar's box office success and the sequel, titled Salaar 2 - Shouryaanga Parvam.

Sriya opens up about Salaar's success

Salaar has emerged as one of the biggest hits of 2023. It has collected over ₹600 crore at the worldwide box office and is still successfully running in cinema halls. Talking about its monumental success, Sriya said, “I don't know how to deal with this emotion. This is something which I never expected. I was hoping that people would appreciate my performance and leave it there. But this is overwhelming and I love the way people are going gaga over this particular character.”

The actress in our conversation revealed that she is closely associated with the character of Radha Rama. “I'm very much 50 per cent her and she is very much me and that makes everything look so believable onscreen. That poise, the stature, the way she comes, the confidence, the erected shoulders, all of that is me. And I think that was a little bit easier because I was able to bring myself into the character.”

I didn’t want to get back to the cinema but...: Sriya Reddy opened up about her comeback

Salaar marks Sriya's comeback to the big screens after over a decade. She actively worked in films across South languages from 2002 to 2008 but then took a break to focus on her family life. Sriya shared that she was "scared" of making a comeback but director Prashanth Neel left her no choice.

“I didn't have a choice to say no to the film because Prashanth said I'm not giving you a choice. I was so scared because I didn't want to go back to the cinema. It was he who said you know what I am not giving you a choice, you have to do this,” Sriya told us.

The Veyil actress added that she has been receiving a lot of offers post-Salaar but she is not in a hurry to sign any projects.

The 41-year-old actress said, “I'm not in any hurry in signing too many films, although there has been an outrageous pour of offers and filmmakers calling. I like to take my time. I like to enjoy my Salaar right now and I'm not thinking beyond that.”

How did Sriya Reddy transform into Radha Rama?

The Kanchivaram actress labelled her character in Salaar as "complex". Sriya's character in Salaar in a world dominated by men, stands on her own feet.

“She was a very complex character to play and it was extremely difficult. When you are the main antagonist, you have to come and show up, you have to be a very formidable force right from the beginning. When you're standing among so many men you have to be terrorizing enough to say, you know what, you mess with me, my mind is going to finish you people off. Because a woman can't bring a man physically down but what she can do is use her mind to do that. That’s how we shaped Radha Rama.”

Sriya spills the bean about Salaar: Part 2 - Shouryaanga Parvam

While Salaar is doing great business at the box office, its part 2 is highly anticipated. Talking about the sequel, she said, “Salaar 2 will probably happen soon but I don't know when. I think everybody including the director needs a break. He's doing some other films and I'm sure they have other commitments. But the script is locked and we haven't shot for part two as yet.”

“The world-building had to happen with part one. So the characters had to be established including the Khansar in part one. The actual story takes off in part two. It's going to only be more menacing and more interesting,” she added.

Sriya is enjoying the memes and fan theories around Salaar

Apart from commercial success, Salaar's release has also spawned memes and fan theories on social media. Talking about the same, Sriya said, “People are going really crazy. The memes are hilarious on a different level. I remember somebody telling me, ‘Can you be my national crush?’ And I'm like, say what? That was not our intention. I would have imagined people would think that they are scared of me. Here it's like no... it's on a different level.”

Talking about the lead star Prabhas, she added, “He is such a sweetheart. Who can say anything else about him? He's a gentle giant and he is extremely sweet. I always wish I could be like him. So I was asking my family why couldn't I also be like him. They were like, yeah, maybe not in this life, maybe next life.”

Sriya further opened up about her next, Pawan Kalyan starrer OG

Before Salaar 2, Sriya will be seen in Pawan Kalyan starrer OG which is currently under production. While talking about her next, she shared, “It is going to be another exciting character where you'll see a woman being in her full force again. I really hope people appreciate that women are coming out and doing something different from the usual.”

She then hailed Pawan and added, “He's a very nice person. When you work with such big stars, it's very humbling to see how people don't bring that to the table. It teaches you that you can be whoever in this world but when you are on a project, how you are with the rest of them, it's so important. He made everybody feel so comfortable and he's pretty much a dream to work with.”