I'm yet to meet rushdie: Shriya

The year gone by offered actress Shriya Saran a mixed bag of fortunes. She had films in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu, and barring those in Kollywood, the rest were all BO hits.
And the new year is also starting off on a good note. She���������s winding up work on a Tamil action flick with Jiiva and is shooting for the Malayalam film Casanova with Mohanlal, which has been in the making for a long time.���������I don���������t know what���������s causing the delay. We���������re yet to finish shooting,��������� laments the actress. But she is quick to add that working on the film meant that in recent times she���������s had the good fortune to work with both the superstars of the Malayalam industry, having acted with Mammootty in Pokkiri Raja.
But what���������s got Shriya most excited is that she will soon begin work on both her international projects ��������� Shekhar Kapur���������s science-fiction romance film Paani, co-produced by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle that also stars Hrithik Roshan in the lead, and Deepa Mehta���������s adaptation of Salman Rushdie���������s Midnight���������s Children. Has she met the author yet? ���������Sadly, not yet but I���������m hoping that I will soon get to meet Salman. There have been reports that I���������ve already met him, but those are all jokes. That apart, though, I am also looking forward to working with Deepa Mehta. I���������ve interacted with her during the making of Cooking with Stella, which was directed by her brother Dilip Mehta and written by Deepa, but this will be the first time that she directs me,��������� says the actress.
Amid her busy schedule, though, the actress has stayed true to her promise of continually supporting the causes she believes in ��������� education and working in aid of the visually challenged. ���������There���������s a lot happening with education, but not so much for the visually challenged. Sure enough, there are people training them and giving them skills to make them self-sufficient. Sadly, society still doesn���������t accept differently-abled people and I want to work towards erradicating this stigma,��������� says the actress, who recently launched a beauty spa that employs visually-challenged therapists. But isn���������t there a fear that her employees could be exploited? ���������It���������s unbelievable how dirty and polluted people can be. We���������re trying to ensure that none of that happens. My mom will be there all the time. Right now, only friends have been checking out the place. We hope that people known to us, like friends and their friends, become regulars. Right now, it is about employing these people and getting people to respect them for that,��������� she signs off.
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