Shruti Haasan, who redefines the word ‘bitch’ in a video,talks about her recent release Premam, being the ‘Remake Rani’ and working with father Kamal Haasan in Sabaash Naidu
CHENNAI: In a powerful video aimed at those who refer to women as a ‘Bitch’, Shruti Haasan says, “Bitch is an eyeroll you make to classify any woman who is not your cup of tea just because she refuses to pour it.” The video titled Unblushed, written and narrated by Shruti Haasan, is unflinching, uncompromising and full of attitude. “Bitch is a teacher who stands against a system” and “A bitch is a stud with b**bs” — were some of the phrases used in this two-minute video, which has received an overwhelming response on social media.
In a way, this encapsulates everything about Shruti Haasan — the person. Daring, confident and bold — the actor seems to have a no-holds-barred approach towards acting and life in general. “I thought Unblushed was a great opportunity. When I really thought about what I wanted to say, I was really concerned about women’s rights and in my stead as a woman, I wanted to make a difference. When it came to expressing myself, I thought it was a great platform,” says Shruti.
She was recently seen in the Telugu remake of Premam, which released in theatres this Dussehra. Considering the makers of the Telugu version retained the other two female leads from the original Malayalam blockbuster, Shruti was the new addition. Her character was also the longest among the three female leads and it was a make-or-break character. When asked if this added more pressure, she quips, “Well if you haven’t already realised, my last name is Haasan so I learned to deal with pressure and comparisons at a very young age. Having this family name and having come to terms with myself, that kind of pressure doesn’t exist in my universe anymore.”
That aside, Shruti says she did take a cue from the original while preparing for her character in Premam. “I saw the original much before I was offered the remake. I really enjoyed it. After working in Premam, I feel Chandoo (the film’s director) has honoured and respected the original film but he’s made it in his own way for the Telugu audience. So I really liked that. My character is soft, graceful and dignified — the opposite of me in real life,” she chuckles.
Shruti was talking to us after completing day two of her shoot in Tollywood’s Powerstar Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming film Katamarayudu (a remake of Ajith’s Veeram). “I’ve just started and already there are really nice vibes around the set. I’m happy and honoured to work with him again. Gabbar Singh (2012) has been the turning point in my career and everything changed for me since then. So working with Pawan Kalyan again is very special for me,” shares the actor.
Katamarayudu will be her third consecutive remake for Shruti Haasan and her second with Pawan Kalyan, a fact that’s not lost on her. “Yes, I’m the ‘Remake Rani’,” she jokes. “In my whole career I’ve done so many remakes. In Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, everywhere — it’s become one big Bhel Puri.”
Despite earning the moniker ‘Remake Rani’, Shruti feels working in a remake is just as satisfying, since she approaches it like a fresh role. “I do my own homework. I approach it like I’m meeting a new person person for the first time. I give the character that feel and respect,” the 30-year-old points out.
Given her strong views on women’s rights and her bold expressions about who she is, would she like to do a film revolving around a strong subject? “It depends. It has to be treated very sensitively. One of the reasons I’m not always excited about love stories and female-oriented films is because they are very personal to me. So if they are not done sensitively, it can go really wrong. To be honest, I like all kinds of elements in a film, that deals with a different range of emotions. So what you call a complete package entertainer — I like very much,” Shruti expresses.
Apart from Katamarayudu, Shruti will also be working with her father Kamal Haasan for the first time in trilingual comedy Sabaash Naidu. “It was scary in the beginning to work with my father but I really enjoyed it. I realised that we’re very similarin terms of our approach. It was an amazing learning experience for me,” she says.
Kamal Haasan had taken over the reins of the director after TK Rajeev Kumar, who was supposed to make his directorial debut with the film, had fallen ill. Kamal himself is now recovering from a surgery, which he underwent in July for a leg fracture. “He’s much better now. We’ll return to the sets soon, but we don’t want to rush because it’s a very physical role. So we want him to be at his best, which he’s on his way,” she informs.
When asked if Kamal is a taskmaster on the sets, she adds, “I really like it because I don’t have a problem with people extracting hard work from me. I like working hard and knowing exactly what’s happening. I hate chaos and disorganisation. If there’s a tough taskmaster and things are on time, I’m like a soldier ready to go fight a war.”