SONGS AND CELLULOID

Shruti Haasan straddles cinema and music, and is in demand internationally, too

- LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

Actor-singer Shruti Haasan first stepped into a recording studio when she was six years old. It was to sing a few lines of composer Ilayaraja’s song, ‘Potri Paadadi Penney’ for her father Kamal Haasan’s magnum opus, Thevar Magan (1992). Then, she clung to her father’s hand, butterflies in her stomach. That is when she saw a red heart sticker on the microphone. That heart comforted her and gave her the confidence that she would not make a mess of it all. Since then, she has always associated the recording studio with kindness and love. “It will forever remain an encouraging memory for me,” says Haasan, who has just returned to Mumbai after her shoot for The Eye, her international project with Mark Rowley.

Haasan, 37, has come a long way since then. After 14 years in the Indian film industry—she made her acting debut with the Hindi film Luck (2009)— she can proudly flaunt that she is one of the most sought-after stars, especially in the south. An array of accolades—including two Filmfare awards and a Power Corridors Indian Achiever’s Award earlier this year—has given her the freedom to choose diverse roles. Whether it was the RAW agent in Waltair Veerayya (2023) or the journalist in Laabam (2021) or the mother in Krack (2021), Haasan has defied typecasting. Her upcoming releases include Prashant Neel’s Salaar, opposite Prabhas, and Gopichand Malineni’s NBK 107, opposite Nandamuri Balakrishna.