Shruti Haasan: I am a product of a pan-Indian home

Having starred in a web show, Bestseller, recently, and looking forward to her next film, Salaar, with actor Prabhas, actor Shruti Haasan enjoys balancing the web and big screen outings.

She credits streaming platforms for making content from regional industries accessible to the world and adds that the success of the Kannada film KGF Chapter 2 and Telugu hits Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and RRR have proven that there is an audience for every kind of content.

“When movies do well, it adds to the financial nutrition of the market. I see movies doing well as a positive. There are different stories that will always be told. Every movie doesn’t have to be like the other. What we all know for sure is that we don’t know what works and what doesn’t work at the box office. It is all about the right time and the right place and what the audience wants to see and what creators want to make,” she says.

While projects from the south film industries have been ruling cinemas across India, there’s been discourse on them being a threat to Bollywood.

Haasan says, ““I am a product of a pan-Indian home. I have worked in all industries, including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. So [I don’t think pan-Indian films are a] threat to Bollywood. I feel I am pan-Indian person because of my parents and their careers. I grew up in a house where my dad (actor Kamal Haasan) had film premieres in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. So, a pan-India movie never felt like an unfathomable situation,” she says, adding, “Thanks to OTT, the way we consume content has changed. People get to see what they want. It’s an interesting time.”

Other than acting, Haasan is also a musician and has been writing new songs. She admits that in the past she had to give up music assignment for acting projects, while “trying to establish myself, pay my bills and buy a house”, she has found balance in her career now.

What had her excited recently was a performance at a Beatles tribute music show in Mumbai recently. She says, “It was a surprise performance. More importantly, as a musician, it was lovely to see live performances again. Events are so important for the health of the independent music industry. I was honoured that I got to be a part of this beautiful tribute.”