Shruti Haasan: If I’m not part of rat race and I’m considered stupid because I’m not doing something people expect me to, that’s fine

With OTT platforms ruling the scene today, the boundaries between language seem to be disappearing faster than ever before. However, as actors, is there still some resistance one has to face in adjusting to different film industries across India?

Shruti Haasan, who made her acting debut with a Hindi film, Luck, and has since went on to do films in Telugu and Tamil, says there’s always been one thing that she found difficult.

“I’m born and brought up in the South India, and I’m very proud. I work in Telugu and Tamil cinema and they’re as equal, if not more important, as my stint in Bollywood. For me, they all are different industries, and I had to navigate two industries here itself,” says Haasan, adding that things function quite differently in Hindi film industry.

“What happens in Mumbai (Bollywood) is, if you’re not sitting there at their beck and call, people feel you are not as committed, which is just not true. It’s just that I am committed to multiple languages. That’s the beauty of our country,” she explains.

Not sitting and waiting for only Hindi films is a definite decision that Haasan took.

“People used to ask me ‘Abhi aap picture nahi kar rahe ho’, just because they wouldn’t see me in a Hindi film. And I’d tell them that’s not the only industry. That’s an internal thing clear in my head. You know what, if I’m not part of a rat race and people think I’m stupid because I’m not doing something they expect me to, that’s fine. I’ve been here for 11 years, and it’s been a beautiful journey,” confesses the 34-year-old.

Her career choices have been hers alone, but it isn’t as if Haasan wasn’t bombarded with a lot of advice on how she should go about them. She says though she has learnt to slow down in life and not take up just about anything coming her way, she has get her priorities right.

She tells us, “I always want more, I’m a really greedy person like that. I always push myself to improve mentally, physically, and emotionally. There was a time in life when I didn’t prioritise it enough. I keep my priority right, now — it’s physical, mental and artistic health. I feel I definitely want more. People have appreciated Ramaiya Vastavaiya , D-Day (both 2013) — the thing is, everyone has a favourite of mine in different languages, that makes me feel I want more. The art of saying no is something I learnt, I learnt not to get carried away. ‘You should do this, you must do this to maintain your level in the market’, I would keep hearing these things, though they never resonated with me, and I did those films, and didn’t enjoy. The films I liked though, people enjoyed.”

Interact with the author on Twitter/ @RishabhSuri02

Follow @htshowbiz for more