She comes from a top Bollywood family but refuses to use her surname to find work. Who is Shriyam Bhagnani?

While she comes from a long line of veteran Bollywood producers, actress Shriyam Bhagnani refuses to bank on her surname to bag acting gigs. In a candid chat with Bollywood Bubble, the ‘Baaghi 2’ actress maintained that she had always believed in auditioning and cracking them by her own merit rather than asking her relatives for work.

The actress revealed she loves to audition, and the feeling of cracking them on her own is nothing short of exhilarating. “From my perspective, I love auditioning, and clearing auditions like that is my kick because jab mei koi audition clear karti hu, it feels good. So I’ve never really tried the other route, also, of trying to ask for a recommendation from anyone, like my family or people outside,” she told the magazine.

However, she also acknowledged how privileged she was to have a safety net and had been fortunate enough to meet well-meaning people in her Bollywood journey. “I have been very fortunate to have met very good people in the industry, otherwise as well, but I somehow enjoy doing it by myself. I also understand because I carry this surname. For anyone who sees me from the outside, I may look like an insider, but my journey so far is like, ‘You decide what it’s been,’ because I can’t really classify it into any one of these sections per se myself,” she said.

Who Is Shriyam Bhagnani?

Shriyam hails from Bhagnani, a well-known producer family in Bollywood. Her father, Deepak, is an angel investor. Her cousin is producer-actor Jackky Bhagnani, the son of producer Vashu Bhagnani. Vashu is the founder of Pooja Entertainment, which produced many hits such as ‘Coolie Number 1,’ ‘Hero No. 1,’ ‘Bell Bottom,’ etc.

Bhagnani began her acting journey with supporting roles in Baaghi 2 and Batti Gul Meter Chalu. Her breakthrough came when she received critical acclaim for playing Tanya Mehta in City of Dreams 2. She is now set to headline Sumo Didi, where she takes on the challenging role of Hetal Dave, India’s sole professional female sumo wrestler—a character that required rigorous physical preparation and a complete transformation.

As per her LinkedIn profile, she’s also an investor.