Shriya Saran says Drishyam team sent her home before Ajay Devgn when she was a new mother: ‘Very supportive’

Shriya Saran highlights the need for more supportive film sets for new mothers, referencing her positive experience on Drishyam 3.

Shriya Saran recently praised the makers of Drishyam for being sensitive to her needs as a new mother. The actor, in a recent interaction, shared that the Drishyam 3 team would send her home, sometimes even before the film’s lead actor, Ajay Devgn, because she has a young daughter.

Drishyam 3 has earned more than ₹300 crore in worldwide collection.

'They were very supportive'

Speaking to India Today, she said, “My daughter was eight months old when I did Drishyam 2. And in Part 3, of course, she’s older. But they were very supportive. After the shoot, they used to send me off earlier, sometimes even before Ajay sir, because they were like, ‘She is a new mother.’ They’re very kind, sweet, and I’m grateful to them.”

Shriya also shared that her perspective on film selection changed after becoming a mother, as she is mindful that her daughter will also see her on screen. She said, “See, I have to be mindful, of course. I want to spend a lot more time with my daughter, and I want to do films that I know one day my daughter will be proud of. I want her to get up and say, ‘You know, Mama, that was a great film. And I’m glad that you did this film.’”

Parineeti Chopra on being a working mother

Shriya’s comments come at a time when there is a growing debate about making film-set environments more compatible for new mothers. Another mother, Deepika Padukone, exited Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Spirit over a fixed working-hour demand, among other conditions, sparking this debate.

Parineeti Chopra, who welcomed her son last year, also spoke about being a working mother. She spoke at her web show, Shaque’s trailer launch, “I would hate to stop working just because I became a mom. It’s a two-way relationship, I’ve to be offered work and I would be sad to lose work because I’ve done such a beautiful thing in producing a baby. The audience is not cancelling mothers, and hence writers, directors and actors are able to make content."

She also took examples of other working mothers like Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and her cousin Priyanka Chopra Jonas and said, “I’m so glad that our generation, including Alia (Bhatt), me, Deepika (Padukone), my own sister (Priyanka Chopra), who is working in the West, and all of us are able to be mothers and we are doing the same quality of work. In fact, I think we are doing better work now,” she added.

Meanwhile, Drishyam 3 is enjoying good success at the box office. The film has earned over ₹300 crore in worldwide collections.