‘Want to be a successful actor for my dad’

Lucknow girl and a contestant in an ongoing acting reality show, Shruti Sharma, has her future course clear in her mind.

“I want to become an actor and for that sky is the limit. It does not matter to me if I act in films or television. I believe in the adage: ‘It’s better to be a TV actor than a flop film actor’. Being able to show your creativity is important — be it in films, TV, theatre, commercial, web series or short films,” says the youngster on a visit to her hometown.

Shruti is among the 12 top contestants in ‘India’s Next Superstar’.

“During the show, industry stalwarts are training us at the academy. We are being trained and judged on our acting, discipline, dance and overall performance. They say that it is the making of a superstar. I am taking every day as a great learning experience — something I will not get anywhere else,” she says.

With entertainment industry bigwigs Karan Johar and Rohit Shetty as judges, Shruti is making full use to this opportunity. “Besides our mentors and super talented judges, I try to learn from everyone -- even from my fellow contestants: Ashish, Natasha, Naina and Ansh. They are my strong competitors,” she says.

Shruti is receiving training in ‘Bharatnatyam’ from the Bhatkhande Music University and has a diploma in creative writing from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). “Writing is my forte. I have written a play ‘Parityaag’ and ‘The Shagun Sharma Show’. I wrote, acted and directed the play with my brother Shugan and on-stage hero Vedant Shah in Lucknow,” she shares.

Shruti, who considers her father her guru, says she wants to make it big in the industry to fulfil his dream. “He is a government servant working in the electricity department in Pratapgarh. He wanted to become an actor, which could not happen. So, he has pinned his hopes on me and I want to succeed for him. After I completed Class 8, he stayed back in Pratapgarh but shifted us to Lucknow due to concern for my higher studies,” she says.

In Lucknow, Shruti has done a web-series, ‘Blockbuster Zindagi’ by Nitish Asthana, which was recently launched on the digital space. “The series is now on the web. I have shot for the initial few episodes, but now due to this show, I am unable to carry on any further,” says Shruti, who has also shot for a ‘ghazal’ video for Naushad Ali.

“Besides, in Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Daas Dev,’ I play Dev’s (Rahul Bhat) sister Pinki and daughter of actor Saurabh Shukla. The film is releasing next month. I am waiting to see how much space I will get in it. I have also written and acted in a short film ‘Samveg’, which is a thriller,” she adds.

Shruti’s house is in Triveni Nagar here. She completed her schooling from the New Way Senior Secondary School and graduated from IT College.

HT PHOTO Shruti Sharma