Shriya Saran(born as Shriya Saran Bhatnagar on 11 September 1982), also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian actress and model known for her work in South Indian cinema, Bollywood and American cinema. Saran was born in Dehradun and spent most of her childhood in Haridwar. In 2001, her dance master gave her the opportunity to appear in Renoo Nathan's debut music video "Thirakti Kyun Hawa", which brought Saran to the attention of many Indian filmmakers. Although Saran aspired to become a well-known dancer, she was offered a leading role. Thus, Saran made her film debut in 2001 with the Telugu film Ishtam and had her first commercial success with Santhosham (2002).
She subsequently appeared in several more Telugu films, while making in-roads in the Hindi and Tamil industries. In 2007, Saran starred in Sivaji, the highest-grossing Tamil film at that time. She also gained critical acclaim for her role in the 2007 Bollywood film Awarapan. In 2008, Saran played the lead role in her first English film, the American-Indian co-production The Other End of the Line. 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 2012, she was cast in the British-Canadian film Midnight's Children under the direction of Deepa Mehta, based on Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, for which she received international critical acclaim. She achieved further commercial success by starring in films such as Pavitra (2013) and Chandra (2013). In 2014, Saran starred in the critically acclaimed Telugu film Manam, which she received accolades for her performance.
In addition to her work in films, Saran has been the brand ambassador for brands across India, endorsing beauty and health products. Among other philanthropic activities, she has volunteered for charity organizations. In 2011 she opened a spa employing exclusively visually challenged people. She also was the brand ambassador Celebrity Cricket League for its two first seasons.
In early 2013, Saran appeared in an item number in the film Zila Ghaziabad. This was her first item number in a Hindi film. On 7 June Saran's Pavitra was released, in which she played a prostitute. At a press conference in Hyderabad, she said that the film is very special for her, and that she was touched by the sensitivity that director/writer Janardhana Maharshi gave to the topic.According to a review from The Times of India, the most cinematic part of the film is a sensual number "Sukumara Ra Ra..." in which the camera shows in the curves of the main character. He summed up the review saying, "Besides Shriya Saran's curves there is nothing in this movie that's worth watching per se.Her bi-lingual film Chandra directed by Roopa Iyer was simultaneously made in Kannada and Tamil languages. She played the role of a princess in the film opposite Kannada actor Prem Kumar.The film released in Kannada on 27 June 2013, and in Tamil on 14 February 2014. It became a moderate success at the Kannada box office. The film marked Saran's return to Tamil cinema after more than five years.
Saran's first film of 2014, released May 23, was the Telugu family drama Manam, which was a success in India and America. Saran's first film of 2015 was Gopala Gopala, a remake of Bollywood blockbuster Oh, My God, released in the January festive season. She will next appear in director Karan Bhutani's Hindi film Valmiki Ki Bandook, which is currently under production. She appeared opposite Ajay Devgan in Drishyam, a remake of the Malayalam film of the same name, which turned to be a box office success. In mid January 2016, she made a special appearance in Nagarjuna's Oopiri, while also signing her next Hindi film Tadka opposite Nana Patekar. In May 2016, she was selected as a female lead in Balakrishna's 100th film Gautamiputra Satakarni.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shriya_Saran & Google image.