I'm planning to produce my singles in Telugu and Hindi soon: Shraddha Das

Shraddha Das began her film career at the young age of 18, starring in Siddu from Srikakulam opposite Allari Naresh. Over the past 15 years, she has appeared in numerous films across Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali cinema. Calling her journey an “incredible experience”, Shraddha shares, “As an outsider, sustaining a career in this industry without any support has been challenging.I am grateful for the opportunity to work in various languages and cultures. I feel blessed to have had the chance to transition from one project to another, even when a film didn’t succeed.” In an exclusive chat, the actress opens up about the turning point in her career, her love for music, and upcoming films...
‘I have been training in Hindustani and Western vocals’
Apart from acting, singing is my other love. Music transports me to another world... it’s like meditation. Devi Sri Prasad was a guiding force in my musical journey; he gave me a chance to sing the mass masala number Gajjela Gurram for Charmme Kaur’s film Sye Aata in 2010. Now, after many years, I sang again, and this time for my film Parijatha Parvam. It felt great to sing Rang Rang Rangeela with music composer Ree. I am now planning to produce my own singles in Telugu and Hindi soon.
My passion for music began in childhood, inspired by my mother. Coming from a Bengali family, I think music is ingrained in us. I was inspired by watching my mom sing and perform in shows in Mumbai, which gave me a basic understanding of music, its sur, and taal. For the past year, I have been training in Hindustani and Western vocals.

‘It is incredibly challenging to grab audiences’ attention nowadays’
My recent Telugu film Parijatha Parvam received decent reviews but helped me realise the difficulty of capturing audiences’ attention in today’s era. I gave my best, and it felt great that the audience appreciated my performance. However, I must admit that it is incredibly challenging to make audiences like our films nowadays because so much content is available at their fingertips. People now only want to go to the theatre if the movie is exceptionally good. I’m currently looking forward to my next Telugu film, a female-centric project titled Lechindi Mahila Lokam, directed by Carthyk-Arjun. It features a talented female cast, including Lakshmi Manchu, Ananya Nagalla, Hari Teja, Supritha, and others. Additionally, I’m part of a trilingual film with Master Mahendran, which is a survival thriller directed by Nawin Ganesh.
‘Arya 2 was a game-changer and will always be close to my heart’
Arya 2 was a significant turning point in my career, as people still recognise me for my role in the film. Just the other week, while vacationing in Bali, a Telugu-speaking grandmother at a nearby table recognised me because of the film. When I worked on Arya 2, I didn’t anticipate its impact nor realised its magnitude. Things changed for me overnight. Even after so many years, people still ask me about it, so I can confidently say it was a game-changer and a film that will always be close to my heart. My character, Shanthi, is memorable, perhaps because of her unconditional love for Arya, her distinctive way of speaking, and her body language. I have fond memories of working with Allu Arjun, Kajal Aggarwal, and Navdeep on the film. Bunny’s aura and energy are contagious, and seeing him achieve great success is wonderful.

By- M Priyanka Goud