Shriya Saran has recalled the unusual way she landed one of the biggest roles of her career — opposite Rajinikanth in S Shankar’s Sivaji: The Boss. The actor revealed that when she was first approached for the film, she did not even know who her co-star would be. It was only when she arrived in Chennai for the film’s formal announcement that she realised she would be sharing the screen with Rajinikanth.
In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Shriya said Shankar had initially kept details about the project under wraps.
“When he was announcing the film, it was all secret. So, he called me. Shankar sir said, ‘There is a movie in which you will work.’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘There is an auspicious time.’ Coincidentally, I was free that day. So, I went to Chennai.”
What followed was an unexpected introduction to the scale of the project.
“So, there were big people coming there (for Sivaji The Boss launch). Rahman sir, Rajini sir. I looked at Shankar sir and said, ‘Thank you so much for making me part of it. So many big people are coming here.’ And I had no idea who was there and what was happening,” she recalled.
Shriya Saran said she only discovered who her co-star was when Shankar introduced her to Rajinikanth.
“I didn’t know anything. So, then he said, ‘Meet your co-star, Rajini sir.’ And I was like, ‘Wow,’” she said.
Shriya admitted that she was initially intimidated by the prospect of working with one of Indian cinema’s biggest stars. She even told Shankar that she wanted to meet Rajinikanth before rehearsals so that she could overcome her nervousness.
“I told Shankar sir, ‘Let’s meet before the rehearsal. Because if I work with him for the first time, I’ll be frozen.’ He was laughing,” she said.
Shriya Saran said meeting Rajinikanth during rehearsals helped ease her nerves almost immediately.
“I met him for the first time for the rehearsal, so I am grateful that I met him in this way. And when I was shooting, he made me very comfortable. He doesn’t let you feel that he is such a big actor. He is very approachable,” she recalled.
She added that Rajinikanth had a way of making people around him feel at ease.
“Within five minutes, he makes everybody feel very special. And in the next 10 minutes, he will make you feel like he is your best friend. That is special about him,” Shriya said.
That experience, she said, was consistent with what she observed about Rajinikanth throughout the shoot.
“Rajinikanth sir is very down-to-earth and simple. In fact, when he comes on set, he treats everyone with respect whether a light boy or an actor,” Shriya said.
According to Shriya Saran, Rajinikanth’s attitude towards work left a lasting impression on her.
“He always used to tell me that hard work is the most important thing. You should love your work, keep working hard and keep learning. In life, it doesn’t happen that you’ve learned everything,” she said.
The actor also recalled Rajinikanth’s playful side, saying his sense of humour made the working environment more relaxed.
“And he has a great sense of humour. He’ll keep pulling somebody’s leg. Something or the other he’ll keep saying. He’ll say, ‘I think that guy is hitting on you,’” Shriya recalled.
“He keeps doing some drama on the set, like pulling somebody’s leg all the time. So, yeah. And very well-read also. Very well-read,” she added.
Released in 2007, Sivaji: The Boss was directed by S Shankar and starred Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran, with music by A R Rahman. The film was mounted on a then-record scale and became a major commercial success.
For Shriya Saran, the film became a significant turning point. She later worked across Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam cinema, with credits including Awarapan, Drishyam, Midnight’s Children and RRR. Her career has also included work in international cinema.
