‘I’ve learnt to love myself’

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The multi-talented Shruti Haasan may still be waiting for that one elusive hit in Bollywood but that doesn’t seem to have dampened her spirits one bit. The actress-cum-singer continues to ride high on the success she has got in the South film industry and is happy with the film offers she has been getting in Bollywood.

She has already worked with a bunch of big names here such as Imran Khan, Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi as co-stars and Madhur Bhandarkar and Prabhu Deva as directors. Shruti says, “Language is no barrier for me as I always go by depth of character.” She also remains unfazed about hits and flops at the box office. “Every actor would love to see a hit. As for me, neither do I let a hit go to my head nor do I take a flop to my heart. If people remember my performance after 10 years even though the film didn’t do well, that will boost my morale more than anything,” she adds.
Shruti says her upbringing played a huge role in making her the person she is. Speaking of the separation of her parents, she says, “When I was all of 10, I understood that if two people cannot live together peacefully, it’s better they separate.” Shruti continues, “My mom has been a strong woman — she has always followed her heart and did what she felt was right. She has taught her daughters the importance of doing the same. My mother is an amazing multi-tasker. Besides acting, she has also tried her hand at costume designing and sound designing. And my dad has the passion to push the envelope in filmmaking. Both our parents have taught us to be confident and determined. And since Akshara and I can meet them whenever we want to, we don’t miss them at all.”
On the personal front, it has been an uphill ride for Shruti too. Talking about her separation from boyfriend Siddharth, she says, “Love can happen anytime. When your heart breaks, you cry and then you move on. At the moment, I am not keen on getting married at all. Undoubtedly, I have learnt my lessons in love. I have learnt to love myself better. That’s more important than crying over spilt milk.”
As the conversation veers towards music, Shruti’s face lights up. “I have grown up listening to jazz and other Western forms of music, but I am trained in Hindustani classical. For me, music is food and the more I intake, the more I feel hungry for it,” she says. However, now she would like to concentrate more on acting. “Singing I can always do at a later stage, but acting is confined within a certain period,” Shruti says, adding, “I also enjoy penning and composing songs. I am not a romantic person, so I love to pen down dark lyrics. I’d also love to be an independent musician but there has been no calling for me yet on that front.”
Shruti says the industry has taught her a lot and the learning never ends. “Here people’s attitudes change with hits and flops. But I am here for the long run. I’m not here for some five years to make money and then leave. I’m a lambi race ki ghodi,” she says with a smile.
Shruti doesn’t want to capitalise on her celebrity pedigree, at least not yet. She says, “I have worked hard for so many years because I want to make my own identity. My father and I may work together at a later stage.”
Speaking of the role women play in films, Shruti says, “A woman celebrates her body on screen through the character she enacts. It is indeed a matter of pride to possess a lovely woman’s body. As a woman I feel proud of being born as one.”