‘NO STAR KID PRESSURE’
Sarika and Kamal Haasan’s younger daughter, Akshara, says her parents encouraged her to make her own mark
Akshara Haasan may have not done many Hindi films — it is big films in the south that have kept her busy. The actor, to be seen next in a short film titled Joyride, directed by Fardeen Khan, talks about her choice of films and being a star kid:
You haven’t been seen in many Hindi films after making your acting debut in Shamitabh (2015) alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush. Why’s that?
It’s been great after Shamitabh, I have gotten to learn the craft of acting a little bit more. I know I haven’t come up with many films after that, but at the same time, I have tried to make hay while the sun shines by going for workshops to improve my skills. Learning is something which never stops. The only constant is learning and change.
Were you typecast in any way? They (makers) weren’t sure if I would fit into many roles because my role was very tomboyish (in Shamitabh). I don’t blame them for that. I got some interesting roles but not quite what one is looking for. I didn’t either fit the role or I had to take a personal decision. Just because you want to work, doesn’t mean you do every role you get. You need to understand when to take a step back and say ‘no’.
A lot is said about how being a star kid is an advantage. Did being Kamal Haasan’s daughter help you in any way?
My parents have brought me up in a way that ‘you are our children, but you need to go out there and make it on your own, be independent and make your own name’. I always understood and respected that. I am happy to make it on my own, and I think I am doing a pretty decent job.
How do you deal with the pressure that comes with expectation of being his daughter?
We never got the pressure at home. If we did feel it, we were told to be our own person, and sure of who we are as people. We (she and her sister, actorsinger Shruti Haasan) are their children, but also Shruti and Akshara.