‘Angry women do it best’
She is a rebel with a cause, unsparing when it comes to speaking the truth and is unapologetically herself. The multi faceted Shruti Haasan believes in walking her talk
“BOX
OFFICE FIGURES
ARE IMPORTANT BUT IT’S THE DISTRIBUTORS AND THE PEOPLE AT THE BACKEND WHO KNOW THE REAL TRUTH. I DON’T GET THESE BANNERS ANNOUNCING SO MANY HUNDRED CRORES, IT’S LIKE THOSE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS WHICH SUDDENLY GET 20 MILLION FOLLOWERS”
I LOOK FOR THINGS I DON’T HAVE IN MY LIFE AND IN MY PERSONALITY. SO I AM CHOOSING THOSE PERSONALITIES AND WOMEN TO PLAY WHERE I NO LONGER NEED TO SAY, ‘OH THIS RELATES TO MY OWN CHARACTER’ RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON THE OVERARCHING DRIVES OF WOMEN AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS. WE ARE ALL SO DIFFERENT, COMPLICATED AND LAYERED. I AM MAKING THAT CHOICE TO CONNECT TO EVERY WOMAN AND HER STORY”
It’s been a good start to the year for Shruti Haasan. Her Telugu releases, Veera Simha Reddy with Nandamuri Balakrishna and Waltair Veerayya co-starring Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja, performed well at the box office.
“It’s a good life I am really thankful, I had two big releases in the start of the year and two at the end, and in the middle, I will do all that I love to do, says Shruti, who recentl y wrapped the schedule f o r Prashanth Neel’s much awaited Salaar starring Prabhas. The actor is careful not to spill the beans about the film due for release September 2023. She says, “Prashant Neel has always delivered. In Salaar he has created a beautiful world which we are all a part of, and it’s super exciting.” Talking about costar Prabhas, she says, “He is wonderful and is the second biggest foodie I have ever encountered. His love for food is so real, he just wants to feed everyone around.”
Equating box office numbers with social media followers, Shruti says with a laugh,
“the figures are important but it’s the distributors and the people at the backend who know the real truth. I don’t get these banners announcing so many hundred crores, it’s like those Instagram accounts which suddenly get 20 million followers.”
SEEKING CHALLENGING ROLES
Shruti has had her share of mega box office hits and notso-hit films. While she has shared screen space with the biggest stars in the Tamil and Telugu industry, the actor seems to have now consciously struck a balance between mainstream and alternative cinema and also the digital space. From Puli, Vedalam, Si3 and Krack to anthologies such as Puthum Pudhu Kalai and Pitta Kathalu, it is evident that her approach to her craft has undergone a change, bringing with it a sense of ownership.
“I feel it took me longer than others to figure out who I am, why I’m doing this, and what the meaning and purpose of it is. Some women have the energy of ‘I do what I want to do and how I want to do’, and their career has followed suit. For some of us it’s been a little more complicated. I am adapting, realizing there is a particular space and time for me. Now I look for things I don’t have in my life and in my personality. So I am choosing those personalities and women to play where I no longer need to say, ‘Oh this relates to my own character’ rather than focusing on the overarching drives of women and their motivations. We are all so different, complicated and layered. So I think I am making that choice to connect to every woman and her story.”
ESPOUSING EQUALITY
“SHANTANU RESPECTS MY INDUSTRY BUT DOES NOT CARE FOR IT BEYOND A POINT. HIS ONLY CONCERN IS HOW I WORK AS AN ARTIST, HE REALLY PULLS ME UP AND KEEPS ME GROUNDED. EARLIER I USED TO SAY I DON’T WANT TO GET MARRIED. NOW I AM OPEN TO THE CONCEPT, BUT DON’T KNOW WHEN I AM DOING IT”
Calling out the disparity in the pay structure for male and female actors, Shruti says the pressing priority is to have more femaleoriented stories as well as representation for women in the bastions of power. She brushes off ageism as a small problem, saying that with experience comes power, which is truly amazing. “What we need are a lot more female stories, a lot more women telling those stories, it’s not that effective through the male gaze,” she stresses.
Citing her latest international project —The Eye, a psychological thriller directed by Daphne Schmon — as an example, she says, “it’s a fully female team, from the writer, producer and director, and you can see the difference.