Back in 2012, Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Haasan teamed up for the first time in Gabbar Singh. What followed was a blockbuster which changed the fate of both the lead actors. While the film ended Pawan’s streak of no shows, Shruti Haasan herself went on to become the most sought after actress overnight. As they team up after a gap of nearly five years for Katamarayudu, anticipation is really high. Shruti reveals that “it’s always exciting to work with” him. “Gabbar Singh was a film that changed my career and that’s why working with Pawan Kalyan again is wonderful and special for me,” shares the actress.
One wonders how different it was to share screen space with him after so long, especially since her career is in a totally different shape today, and she has become the toast of film industries across the country. “This time, my approach has been a lot more positive and confident. I was quite unsure the last time. People were being negative and I was hoping for something to work out. I was younger and new to the industry. Luckily, by God’s grace, things have changed today,” says Shruti, who’s reprising Tamannaah’s role from the original Tamil film Veeram.
Ask if her role is going to be just the same, and she responds, “This film is being made with a completely new approach by the director (Kishore Kumar pardasany) and it is his vision of the film. Since he is treating the story differently, my character might have some brief changes. I have been part of several remakes in my career and each time, I approach the role afresh. The same is the case this time too.”
The actress has been taking it slow, and is being seen in only one Telugu film a year. While 2015 saw the release of Srimanthudu, 2016 only had Premam. One wonders whether the actress is unhappy with the roles coming her way, or has she just become very choosy? “It’s just that I am making a consistent effort to balance work in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi film industries alongside my music. I am trying to do as much as I can and whenever something interesting comes up, I try my best to take it up,” she says on a parting note.
