BENGALURU: Shruti Haasan walked into the artistes’ lounge at Under 25 Summit and all eyes were on her. She was funny, goofy, and a person who could easily sweep away the ‘life of the party’ tag. And why not...Known as someone who
always speaks her mind, Haasan wears multiple hats. “Multi-tasking is something that I am good at, in life and at work. I have one life to live and I don’t see the point in limiting myself. I am learning to be more courageous now,” says Haasan.
If you are wondering about the secret behind her calm, she reveals that it is with doing ‘good work’. “Working makes me happy,” she says. “And heavy metal keeps me calm,” she adds with a smile. Speaking of which, she also shares her secret of dealing with jitters before going on stage. “I have to eat potatoes. The thing is when I was very young, my mum told me ‘Tum aloo khao (eat potatoes), then you will perform well’. And I won the best athlete cup that year, so I have just associated potatoes with a good performance. That is a superstitious ritual. Apart from that a vocal warmup and breathing exercise is must,” she shares.
Having inherited a renowned surname from her father Kamal Haasan, and being raised by her mother, acclaimed actor Sarika, the 38-year-old is both aware and proud of the artistic legacy it entails. “Both my parents have great personalities. I don’t know who I am more like but I try to emulate their good qualities. My dad is direct and authentic with his communication which I have always idealised and tried to apply. My mum has a clarity of thought,” she says.
The actor-musician is soon going to collaborate with AR Rahman for the movie Kadhalikka Neramillai, starring Jayam Ravi and Nithya Menen. The last time she sang for him was in 2016. “This is the first time I am singing with him for a film. I am a huge fan of Rahman sir’s music and I admire him as a person. Despite his success, he is a calm and spiritual person. He still enjoys music as if he started yesterday,” says Haasan.
She currently juggles work in multiple cities, and having lived her life on the go, she now feels at home anywhere. “The impact of a place is slowly reducing. I have lived in Mumbai for 15 years. It’s my mum’s home originally, and it’s been a second home to me. I am a very Chennai ponnu at heart. I am proud of my Tamil roots and what they mean to me. Hyderabad gave me a career and I always receive so much love when I come to Bengaluru. Geographically, being fluid is the way forward,” says Haasan.
Before she bounces back on stage for her session, she concludes, “There is a certain quality of chillness to Bengaluru, people are super friendly here and I have always loved that. Now my connection to Bengaluru is Prashanth [Neel] sir and Bhubhan sir through Salaar.”
When all is not well
It’s safe to say that actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s session at the Under 25 Summit was highly anticipated, given the number of times the session was interrupted by an audience member screaming ‘I love you, Sam’. The star, there to discuss her diagnosis with the autoimmune condition myositis, handled the interruptions with grace. She even posed for a selfie with the crowd at the end of the session. “I was healthy and went to shoot. I woke up the next day feeling extremely weak and my eyes were completely swollen and extremely painful. I thought it was normal fatigue but the moment I went to the doctor, I was put on steroids. I thought I would take three days off from the shoot and would bounce back. It took me one and half years and I am not yet fully okay,” she shared on stage. Apart from a heavy dose of medication, the actor was also forced to make substantial lifestyle changes following the diagnosis, including having to forego salt entirely. “I have not tasted salt for one and half years,” the 36-year-old shared. On stage, she was joined by her wellness coach and nutritionist, Alkesh Sharotri – with whom she recently launched her first podcast Understanding Autoimmunity. Meanwhile, the actor also revealed that she has now switched to a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet from her earlier pure vegetarian diet owing to her illness. The actor, known for her long-standing association with South Indian film industry
will next appear alongside Varun Dhawan in Citadel – a TV spin-off of the American series of the same name – helmed by Raj & DK.