Meet Telugu Cinema’s Newest Star

‘Being
a
Telugu
native
and
growing
up
on
Telugu
films,
the
industry
always
felt
like
home.’

Shriya
Kontham
makes
her
Telugu
debut
with
Samantha’s
first
production,

Subham,
and
is
thrilled
about
the
way
her
career
promises
to
be.

“Samantha
ma’am
is
one
of
my
biggest
inspirations.
The
moment
I
realised
I
wanted
to
pursue
acting,
it
was
her
career
I
looked
at,”
Shriya
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

What
was
your
first
reaction
when
you
were
offered

Subham?

Pure
excitement!

I
have
always
wanted
to
work
with
Praveen
sir
(Kandregula,
Director)
ever
since
I
watched

Cinema
Bandi
during
the
COVID
lockdown.

I
remember
watching
it
with
my
dad,
and
we
were
in
awe
of
the
director’s
brilliance
and
the
film’s
depth.

It
was
in
that
moment
that
I
knew
I
wanted
to
work
with
him
one
day.

So
when
I
saw
the
casting
call
for

Subham
with
his
name
attached,
I
knew
this
was
a
project
I
had
to
be
a
part
of.

I
believe
I
manifested
that
role
because
I
wanted
it
so
badly.

Was
Samantha
on
the
sets
to
help
you?

When
I
found
out
that
Samantha
ma’am
was
also
involved,
it
felt
like
a
dream
team.

But
it
wasn’t
just
about
Praveen
sir,
it
was
also
about
the
incredible
collaboration
between
him
and
(Writer)
Vasant
Maringanti
sir
—
two
brilliant
minds
which
I
had
seen
shine
in

Cinema
Bandi.
Honestly,
even
before
I
knew
the
script,
the
team
behind

Subham
had
me
excited.

Comedy
horror
is
not
easy
to
pull
off.
How
tough
was
the
challenge?

One
thing
Praveen
sir
told
me
when
I
got
selected
for
the
role
really
stuck
with
me.
He
said,
‘Shriya,
treat
this
project
as
a
grad
film,
not
as
cinema.’

That
advice
gave
me
the
freedom
to
approach
this
role
with
a
fresh
perspective.

Before
shooting,
we
did
workshops
for
about
a
month.

Harshit
and
I
rehearsed
every
scene
together.
By
the
time
we
started
shooting,
we
already
knew
our
lines
and
had
built
a
strong
chemistry.

That
level
of
preparation
made
a
huge
difference,
especially
with
the
horror
aspect.

Praveen
sir,
the
team
and
I
exchanged
ideas
about
how
the
horror
should
feel.

We
spent
a
lot
of
time
discussing,
critiquing
and
experimenting
with
different
takes.

Tell
us
about
yourself.
Was
your
chosen
profession
always
cinema?

Honestly,
until
my
12th
grade,
I
did
not
consider
cinema
as
a
profession.

My
focus
was
on
going
to
the
US
for
my
graduation.

But
just
before
leaving,
during
the
summer
of
my
12th
grade,
Nani’s

Gang
Leader
happened.

It
was
my
first
audition,
my
first
film,
and
a
turning
point
in
my
journey.

That’s
when
I
realised
it
wasn’t
just
acting
that
fascinated
me
—
it
was
the
entire
world
of
filmmaking.

Being
a
Telugu
native
and
growing
up
on
Telugu
films,
the
industry
always
felt
like
home.

After
completing
my
education
at
Boston
University,
I
returned
to
India
in
2023.
Alongside
acting,
I
have
had
a
keen
interest
in
business,
which
led
me
to
intern
at
ETV
Win
as
a
creative
producer
for
eight
months.

Right
now,
I’m
in
a
phase
of
exploration
—
diving
into
acting,
production
and
different
aspects
of
the
industry,
learning
as
much
as
I
can.

What
was
Samantha
like
as
a
first-time
producer?

I
grew
up
watching
Samantha
ma’am’s
films.
From
her
debut
to
her
latest,
I’ve
watched
every
one
of
them.

She
has
an
impeccable
script
judgment,
so
when
I
found
out
she
was
producing

Subham,
I
knew
instantly
that
it
was
going
to
be
something
special.

One
thing
I
truly
admire
about
her
is
how
she
ensures
pay
parity
on
set
—
male
and
female
actors
are
paid
equally.

That
speaks
volumes
about
her
not
just
as
a
producer,
but
as
a
person.

Even
though
this
was
her
first
time
as
a
producer,
it
never
felt
like
it.
She
handled
everything
with
so
much
clarity
and
confidence.

Her
team
was
also
fantastic
—
our
line
producer
and
executive
producer
ensured
everything
ran
smoothly
and
that
the
entire
crew
was
well
taken
care
of.
So
while

Subham
was
her
first
project
as
a
producer,
she
and
her
team
made
sure
it
was
a
seamless
experience. 

Who
are
your
favourite
actors
and
role
models
in
the
film
industry?

Mahesh
Babu
sir
has
always
been
at
the
top
of
my
list.
He’s
been
my
favourite
since
childhood,
and
while
many
others
have
been
added
to
the
list
over
the
years,
he
remains
my
number
one.

As
for
role
models,
Samantha
ma’am
is
one
of
my
biggest
inspirations.

The
moment
I
realised
I
wanted
to
pursue
acting,
it
was
her
career
I
looked
at.

I
have
always
admired
her
impeccable
judgment
in
choosing
scripts.

Whenever
her
film
would
release,
I
would
know
that
it
would
become
a
hit.
That’s
how
much
influence
she
had
on
me
as
an
audience
member.

Even
at
a
young
age,
I
truly
admired
her.

Where
would
you
like
to
go
from
here?

For
me,
it’s
really
about
taking
my
time.

I
want
to
find
scripts
that
excite
me
and
roles
that
make
me
proud
when
I
watch
my
work.

Satisfaction
is
crucial
to
me,
so
I
don’t
want
to
rush
the
process.

When
I
heard
the
script
for

Subham,
I
immediately
felt
a
spark
and
knew
this
was
a
project
I
wanted
to
be
a
part
of.
That
feeling
of
excitement
and
anticipation
is
what
I
want
to
continue
chasing.

Moving
forward,
I
want
to
pick
roles
and
stories
that
give
me
that
same
thrill
and
fulfilment.