| Acting is not a job for me: Shruti Haasan | | From being branded unlucky to having a string of hits to her credit, Shruti Haasan comes full circle | | Shruti Haasan has had a dream run at the box office in the last two years, with Gabbar Singh, Balupu, Yevadu and the recent release Race Gurram turning out to be massive hits. She acknowledges that she’s hit a purple patch in her career. A guest appearance she did for Harish Shankar’s Ramayya Vasthavayya also earned her brownie points, even though the film met with mixed reviews. “I look at Ramayya Vasthavayya as NTR and Samantha’s film. I did a guest appearance because Harish is a good friend,” she says, talking to us in between shooting for her new Tamil film with Vishal, titled Poojai.
This phase of success didn’t come easy. Shruti began her career with big budget films backed by well known production houses — Anaganaga O Dheerudu in Telugu, 7aum arivu in Tamil (dubbed as Seventh Sense in Telugu) and Luck in Hindi, but none of them were commercial hits. Soon she was branded unlucky. “It was a tough phase and the criticism was unrealistic. I learnt not to take both criticism and appreciation to heart. I’ve relied on hard work than luck. It’s amazing how the same people who felt I was unlucky turned around and had good things to say when my films did well. I’ve worked hard to reach where I am and really happy that my recent films have gone on to become big hits,” she says.
Acting is an extension of what my family is known for. Cinema is what I knew as a child.
Shruti’s recent films have seen her as a quintessential glamorous heroine, a contrast to what she did in Nikhil Advani’s D-Day. “In terms of how I enact the roles, the approach towards D-Day and the commercial films have been completely different, but my commitment and integrity have remained the same. I am a director’s actor and go with his vision,” she insists.
If her four biggest hits have all been tailor made to cater to fan bases of Pawan Kalyan, Ravi Teja, Ram Charan and Allu Arjun, she has no misgivings. “Why just Telugu cinema? I feel the society we live in is male-dominated. With no offence to anyone, I understand how things work. But I’ve been lucky to get poignant roles in films like 3 and D-Day. Even in Gabbar Singh, as Bhagyalakshmi, my character is that of a girl who holds her own in the presence of the hero. I like to take up different genres to reach different kinds of audience,” she explains.
In the last five years, she has maintained that her career decisions are not dictated by either of her parents and she prefers to make her choices independently. “In between, there was an opportunity to work with dad, which eventually didn’t work out. I see my journey in cinema as my own, built on my own merit. If at all I have to work with dad, the project has to be really good and should have the potential to create an impact. Such a film will come with a huge expectations and I’ll have to be ready for it,” she says.
Cinema is a priority, she reiterates, though she occasionally takes up playback singing and ventures towards independent music. “Singing is my passion; it’s everything to me. Nothing makes me feel happier than singing, but I have too many commitments as an actor to be able to take time for anything else now. As an actor, I inhabit a different mindspace. It’s exciting to look into the future and see how I will balance both acting and singing. I continue to write music when I have time. Perhaps I will collaborate with others when I decide to bring out albums,” she muses.
A sore note in her recent phase of success came in the form of unflattering photographs being leaked online from the sets of Yevadu.
“The case is being dealt with, so I’d rather not say anything,” she says, and adds after a pause, “There are good and bad people everywhere, including cinema. At the same time, it’s through this industry that I have met wonderful people as well. I’d rather soak in the positive energy. Acting is not a job for me; it is an extension of what my family is known for. Cinema is what I knew as a child, so when such things happen, it does hurt me.” |
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