rockin' on a roll!
She does stunts that action heroes would proudly put on their resumes but sizzles in a bikini too, is not the usual star kid, is not the usual girl! Shruti Hassan in an exclusive conversation with Mona Ramavat and Anil Merani
Luck surely favors the brave.
Jumping off burning trains, dangerous stunts and no body doubles, a stunning debut packed with adrenaline. Add to it oomph, determination and defiance. Luck has indeed favored the brave and the beautiful Shruti Hassan! Versatile. Singer, actor, music maker... Bollywood's latest offering makes a rather unconventional beginning on the silver screen.
"But I honestly don't know how to define unconventional," confesses a mildly bemused Shruti. We get the impression she's been told this by way too many people that she's playing a `different' sort of role in her first film. More so because she was all set to do a Tamil film with Madhavan that never took off. "Aren't most debutante actors these days making unconventional beginnings? The perfect formula of romance, comedy and drama to launch a new actor has really changed over the years. The only thing that mattered to me was that my role in Luck fitted with what I was excited to do and I took it up.
It's as simple as that."
Simple? She's got to be joking. In the scene where the entire cast had to jump off a train on fire, Shruti not only sent the body double away but also motivated Mithun da to do it! "Imran singed his eye lashes and I ended up with the kind of nicks and cuts that my dad really thought I've been in a duel with a mountain lion! But it was the most exciting thing I've ever done," she recalls.
Talk to her about southern cinema and it's like catching her at home. "I would be very happy doing southern films sometime in the future. Especially in Tamil." And Hollywood? "Well, why not?
These days the world is so globalized that Hollywood doesn't seem as far fetched as it was a few years ago." Truly global as she is, Shruti is also quite grounded in her Tamil roots. "Growing up in Chennai has been a blessing. Chennai is a culturally rooted city where learning is of utmost importance with discipline and this has been of great value for me. Also there are so many talented musicians I've met there who have helped widen my musical perspectives. I'm very proud of being a Tamil girl."
And Daddy's girl too. "You bet! What I've emulated the most from him is his sense of commitment and living life on your own terms. He's always made me realise that I owe answers only to myself and nobody else."
We also hear he's the only man in her life at the moment. She's got a tattoo somewhere between the nape and shoulder blade, but it's no proclamation of undying love for a man here. It's her own name in Tamil.
From love we move to attachments. And here comes, Akshara, Shruti's younger sister who's a Ballroom Latin dancer.
"Guess what, she's younger and yet she keeps throwing dance moves at me and I have no choice but to learn them!" We went on to ask (hesitantly though) about how her parents' divorce has affected her and expected awkward pauses. Instead, we heard Shruti say this: "My parents' divorce didn't impact me much. I'm still what I have always been.
Their separation was their choice. My choices impact me the most," she smiles that infectious smile.
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