In bed with...Shriya Pilgaonkar Actor, 32

"You don't need a one-word answer for your career"

Sariye hriya Pilgaonkar wears many hats and is a performer at heart. Brought up in a simple, albeit famous, family, her parents always encouraged her to explore through learning. She grew up as a professional swimmer, who also loved to sing and dance. Having made her Bollywood debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Fan, Shriya became a household name after playing Sweety in Mirzapur. My dad always taught me you don't need a one-word answer for your career. When you're an artist, you're everything, says the actor, director, producer and stage artist, but it was her mother who pushed her out of her comfort zone, motivating her to travel alone and be more fearless. (Her first self-funded solo trip was a backpacking trip to Japan—It was like a coming-of-age movie where I found myself.)

As of right now, work is keeping her busy, she has six releases this year, which means we're going to see her on our screens as a RAW agent, a lawyer, a news reporter and a forensic expert. The best part of being an actor? I get to film many lives in one lifetime, she says. -URVEE MODWEL