I have been working all through last year: Shruti Haasan

After making her debut in the 2009-film Luck, the actress — daughter of renowned actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika — has been finding her way around the industry even as she’s been appreciated for her singing talents. She talks to us about the amalgamation of Bollywood and Tollywood and more.

Q What’s your work calender like?

I have been busy working all through last year and it continues. I’m shooting for the multilingual film, Salaar with Prabhas. I’m super excited about it. I also have a Hindi Amazon show, which is in post-production. And I’m doing a Telugu film opposite  Nandamuri Balakrishna to be directed by Gopi. But we’ll dub Salaar later because it’s really hard to shoot in 3 or 4 languages simultaneously though shooting it is an amazing experience.

Q Will you dub for your film in all the languages? Are you comfortable if someone dubs for you?

I will dub in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi — languages I speak fluently. I don’t speak Malayalam. But dubbing is a practical choice and we’ve been doing it for years. I don’t think Amitabh Bachchan gets dubbed for commercials in Tamil for sure. [Laughs] When I debuted in Telugu, I didn’t speak the language so the film was dubbed. But now I can dub for myself, which I think is a beautiful growth.

Q How is it shooting with the same team?

Gopi had also directed me in Krack and in 2013-film Balupu. I was much younger and a different person then. We’d grown individually when we reconnected for Krack in 2021. As for working with the same team, we work with people and go home. I value it when working with people I genuinely love. I feel like checking up on them and connecting with them even off the sets, which is something I really didn’t have before. That’s how I feel with Gopi. And I think that connection really opens up communication for actors, making it a collaborative process.

Q These days, most south filmmakers are heading to Mumbai to launch their trailers. How do you see this B-wood–South amalgamation?

It’s not new to me because of the house I have grown up in. I’ve seen my father do that for his films for years. India is such a vast country and everyone watches everybody’s movies. Earlier, when these films were dubbed, though north-Indian filmmakers may have not realised it existed, these dubbed-film channels created for them a south-Indian fan base among Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam audiences. And I actually believe that kind of access is a great equaliser.

Q Your dad’s recovering from COVID…

He has fully recovered and is back to work, as always. I was in Chennai throughout, though I couldn’t be with him because it was COVID. When a family or friend suffers COVID, you can only send energy and love. But I knew he was in the best of medical care as the hospitals were beyond fantastic. I really think we owe much to the medical community; they’ve been taking care of everyone.

Q Does your dad’s health worry you?

I’m not worried because he’s careful about his health and has always been very health-conscious. I’m just happy to see him work because that’s what he loves doing the most. He seems better and happier and healthier when he has work. So I’m really happy to see my dad work.