Shruti Hassan- Child Star, Rock Star, Movie Star

The actor, singer and music entrepreneur opens up to Sandipan Dalal about working with father Kamal Haasan, love, heartbreak and why her 30th birthday celebrations included a black cake and a lace dress.

- Sandipan Dalal

Dressed in an all-black ensemble of a tank top and leather mini-skirt, when Shruti Haasan walked into the lobby of a suburban Mumbai five-star hotel, an onlooker remarked: “Who is that hot Goth chick?” Two hours later, as she took a music break at the piano during our cover shoot, all togged up in a Pankaj & Nidhi gown with sheer panels, you could hear murmurs of ‘Shruti Haasan, no?’ It is with this same fluid ease that the actor has moved between Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film industries, while somehow managing a full-fledged music career for seven years now. Her latest milestone is a new trilingual film, Sabash Naidu, with father and mega star Kamal Haasan. Witty and warm, Shruti got remarkably candid as she kicked back at our shoot, it was a brief moment of calm before a whirlwind month of shooting in Los Angeles. Edited excerpts

You are set to film Sabash Naidu with Kamal Haasan in Los Angeles. Is this going to be the most memorable film of your life?

Dad and I have been intending to work together for a long time. He is one of the few artists I look up to. I was crazy busy in the last two years, with multiple films (Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Yaara and the Telugu remake of Malayalam film Premam) on my plate. And very recently, it all fell into place. We are playing father and daughter in this family entertainer set in Los Angeles. Our love for cinema glues us together (smiles).

What are the other things that you enjoy doing together as a family?

My father and I work out together and usually end up watching science documentaries while working out. He listens to a lot of metal because of me; he likes System Of A Down. I even recommend new artists and movies to my mum (Sarika). We enjoy having meals at home as well as at restaurants at the Taj Coromandel and The Leela Palace in Chennai.