The bold and the beautiful

IN THIS CANDID TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH PROVOKE, SRUTHI HARIHARAN, THE STUNNING STAR WHO RECEIVED RAVE REVIEWS FOR LUCIA, OPENS UP ABOUT HOW HER CHOICE TO SPEAK UP AFFECTED HER CAREER, HOW BEING A MOM HAS TRANSFORMED HER LIFE FOR THE BETTER AND MORE...

- IKYATHA YERASALA

Being bold is in her nature and standing up for what’s right is a commendable trait that she possesses. From impressing movie audiences with her performances in films like Lucia, Urvi and Nathicharami to being one of the few South Indian actresses to expose her alleged abuser in the #MeToo movement, actress Sruthi Hariharan’s life has created waves, both onscreen and offscreen

How did your tryst with films happen?

I was on set as a background dancer and I remember seeing the lead actress and wondering how her life would be. My interest in acting started off as a small curiosity and then one day, someone asked me if I’d be interested in doing films. I decided to give it a shot – it took me two to three years to make things work before Lucia happened. In those days, making a portfolio was not so easy and was an expensive affair. When you don’t have support, you have to figure out everything by yourself.

You’re making your directorial debut. Tell us more about that.

The film is going to be a coming of age story of a 50-year-old woman who breaks all the shackles of the system and everything that entraps her as a person and finally finds herself. The genre is comedy and it is one part of a five-story network narrative film. All films are based on Kannada literature and are directed by different directors. We hope to go on floor early next year. I’ve always been curious about what happens behind the camera and given that I come from a management background, I wanted to explore it. I had planned to study screenwriting abroad, but that never happened. Later on, I produced two short films which gave me an opportunity to explore what happens behind the camera.

What are your upcoming projects?