Shruti Haasan: The entertainer
ate a platform or an opportunity for musicians or animators or graphic artists who have not had a platform otherwise.
Even If I ever want to make a feature film, I would smartly and wisely invest in something that I want to see, that I feel is missing, that me and my friends would want to see.
Q. You are also a part of Kamal Haasan’s Sabaash Naidu. How is the shoot coming along? A.
So it’s Sabaash Naidu in Tamil and Telugu, and Shabash Kundu in Hindi, and we have finished quite a bit of the work. I have about 20% of work left and it’s been amazing. It’s been an incredible learning experience and I am very happy that I got to work with him.
Q. Is it intimidating to have your father on the set? A.
I think I am not easily intimidated in general. Earlier on in my career, I used to be intimidated and bullied a little more easily and then I would go and cry in my vanity van or something. But now I have become so sure of what I am doing, I am so sure that I can take his direction well because I can take direction really well. So I just had to show up and take everything in like a sponge. So there was no intimidation. It was like a beautiful process.
Q. You say that you don’t get intimidated easily. Is this why internet trolls don’t bother you? A.
Well, some things sometimes bother me, because, of course, I am also human. I am, like, why are they saying something this stupid? But then it just passes… Because it is not worth spending energy on stuff like that. Because it is not an opinion that will build you or pay your bills or give you shelter. It’s just an opinion. So you just kind of move on.
Q. Your debut at Cannes was the talk of the town for long. The black and bold look was much liked by your fans. For those who follow your sense of style/ fashion, what is that one piece of advice that you would want to give? A.
Don’t follow anybody’s fashion sense or style sense. Do whatever you feel like because that’s what I have done.
Q. So did you have any particular look in mind while you were deciding what you were going to wear on the red carpet? A.
My poor stylist came with five suitcases and said, “Jo bhi fit hota hai peheno [wear whatever fits].” And I said okay but I like these. She said ‘they are all black’ and I said ‘yeah’, that’s me. We literally did it like teenagers get ready for a party on a Saturday night. This is exactly how we got ready for Cannes. And I think the people who prepare for such events will hate me… You don’t take it seriously, it’s just clothes: eventually they get washed or drycleaned and go in a cupboard. What you wear should be an extension of you and it should be fun.
Q. You come from a full-on filmy family. Your father, mother and now your younger sister, Akshara, is also part of the industry. So does it ever happen that you discuss your professional commitments with each other? A.
We do discuss work and stuff like that, but very fleetingly. I think we are like any other family that just discusses other stuff as well.
Q. Your younger sister Akshara is also an actress and is relatively new to the industry. Do you give her any career advice or any suggestion in general? A.
You know my advice could never work for her. All I give her is support… You can’t say this happened to me so you don’t do it. All of us learn through experience. I did. My parents tried to warn me about stuff but I was like, okay, and didn’t really listen. You go through it and learn. All of us do it. So I don’t see the point in advising her. She is an intelligent girl and she will make her mistakes, she will have her successes and she will learn on her own, so they will be her lessons because there is no point in her taking my lessons. They don’t even apply to her.
Q. Are there any particular kinds of roles you’d like to take up in the future? A.
There are many roles that I would love to play. There’s an awareness of women’s roles and stories centred on women, but then it gets put into another box: women-oriented picture hai ye [this picture is women-oriented]. There’s a kind of pre-conceived notion regarding female-oriented subjects, and when the film does well, the audience is like, ‘how amazing Vidya Balan’s Kahaani did’. It’s a movie, and every character should be well etched, and a lot of the time, only women’s characters get the attention. Just like a reflection of what our society is—it is, whether we like it or not, a male-dominated society and that just reflects. So I feel there are many roles I would like to play and I feel like working with people who can exploit me as an actor.
Q. What are your parameters by which you a sign a movie? A.
Myparametersforsigningafilmare the character and the script, but sometimes it is also about the people offering youthefilm.Youaskyourself,canthese people make this film? Can they take it to the audience? And there are also films like a Welcome Back, which you know people will love. And you want to be a part of the franchise that people will love and enjoy.
Q. Whom do you like better, Shruti the actor or Shruti the singer? A.
I like Shruti the entertainer, whatever I am doing.
Q. So you personally enjoy singing more or acting? A.
I like both. If you had asked me this question six or seven years ago, I would have said music hands down but now that I have worked so hard, acting has become a part of me. I can’t really pick.