These days, the word ‘bitch’ has become part of the colloquial language we use with our friends to describe women who do not fall under the category of a ‘perfect woman’. Even though it may sound offensive, many even choose not to react to it! Shruti Haasan, who is known for strong and bold societal thoughts, has now teamed up with Culture Machine for their #UnBlushed series, and released a video that is not just liberating to watch — but a slap to those who demean a woman for being a strong alpha woman.
Speaking to DC, Shruti, who also wrote the script for the viral initiative, spills the beans on what made it work — “There is no motive or agenda as such. It was just that Blush has always done good projects and I love their tone and approach towards certain things. When they approached me, I wanted it to be a topic that I can personally relate to in terms of the concept. Rarely do we get an opportunity to cater to a wider range of audience and use our voice and opinion against certain preconceived notions in the society. The ‘Be The Bitch’ video was something that I had thought and conceptualised in bits and pieces and I decided to put it in the form of a video. “
When asked if she’d ever been abused verbally personally, she asserts, “It’s not about that... calling someone a bitch has become casual, which is why we kept the tone of the video subtle and laid-back. People use it very often these days, but women do get offended. The video has my personal experience and the sufferings that women I know have undergone. “
The initiative has gained support from her co-stars and well-wishers from the industry right from Samantha to Radhika Sarathkumar and Khushboo. However, Shruti doesn’t plan to churn out more such videos in the future — “For me, it has to be organic and I wouldn’t be part of videos just because it has got good reception.”
Certain sections of people believe that the video is feminist-driven. But in an earlier interview, Shruti admitted that she is not a feminist. The S3 actress clears the air saying, “I’m an egalitarian.”
She added that her hands are now full with films in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. “I would love to extend my writing to films too, but right now, I am busy. Writing makes me very happy,” she says.
Prior to the release of Premam (the Telugu remake of the Malayalam flick of the same name), many expressed criticism, especially on social media, that Shruti may not be able to carry off the role originally played by Sai Pallavi. But to everyone’s surprise, Shruti’s role of a teacher in the film has become the highlight. Comparing the two, she says that the Telugu character is more dominant. “She is dignified, elegant and graceful — not like me, and that’s the reason I liked the character. When it comes to pressure, I am above all of it because if you notice, my surname is Haasan. I have seen pressure from my childhood and I never feel it,” she says.
The actress has now been paired opposite Pawan Kalyan for the second time, in his upcoming film, Katamarayudu, which again, is a remake. “I am a remake rani. If you look at my entire career, I have done so many remakes,” laughs the actress.
(Inputs by Suresh Kavirayani)
