‘Computer that dad gifted me when I turned 18 changed my life’
For Shruti Haasan, birthdays are mostly a simple affair. This time too things won’t be different. While the actor-singer is working on her birthday today, there might be a small celebration.
“The one time I had the biggest birthday bash was when I turned 30, otherwise it’s mostly very quiet,” she says. Looking back, Haasan remembers her most cherished birthday gift. “On my 18th birthday, dad (Kamal Haasan; actor-director) gave me my first keyboard and computer to make music. That remains special as music became an important part of me, I started training, writing, singing and composing,” recalls the actor, who turns 35. Talking about music, Haasan’s 2020 song Edge was received well. She’s now working on her next titled Bare Naked. Interestingly, her original songs are primarily in English. “I grew up in a home with Hindi because of mum (Sarika; actor) and in Chennai I learnt Tamil and in school it was English. Travelling across the country, English became the language we all communicate in and I also listened to English music predominantly. So my expression comes naturally in English,” she explains.
Content with response around Edge, Haasan says it joins the list of songs that she’s mostly asked to perform at concerts. “The song Wash Me Away is about my journey through sobriety, then there’s Very Me that raises conversations about our culture, and now Edge, which is about my experiences being alone during the lockdown, I’m often asked to perform them,” she adds.
Meanwhile, recently Haasan hinted being in love during an interactive session with fans on social media. Ask about the new relationship and she says, “I want to keep my personal life protected. There was a time when I spoke about it and regretted. I think maturity to understand women talking about their personal and professional life openly without being questioned lacks in our society.”
Soorarai Pottru, a Tamil film starring actor Suriya, is in the Oscars race, tweeted coproducer Rajshekhar Pandian. “#SooraraiPottru joins OSCARS under General Category in Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Score & other categories!” he shared in his tweet.
I grew up in a home with Hindi because of mum (Sarika; actor) and in Chennai I learnt Tamil and in school it was English. SHRUTI HAASAN, Actor