Chip off the old block

She may be just one film old, but veteran actor Kamal Hassan's little girl Shruti is making waves in Bollywood. Abdulla Mahmood catches up with the talented actress.

Shruti Hassan may be lucky when it comes to her genetic inheritance, but it didn't quite translate in her favour at the box office. The 23-year-old actress defends her record: "It's unfair to compare me to my parents. I am only a film old. So if anyone is looking for a performance similar to that of my parents' then they should watch my parents' films instead."

Born to South Indian super star Kamal Hassan and National Award-winning actress Sarika, Shruti's career didn't turn out to be so lucky after her debut performance in Luck.

Star power

She may not have given a solid debut performance, but there's no denying that she's star material.

"It feels good to be complemented and compared to my mother's looks and, more importantly, it's necessary to have good physical attributes to survive in this industry," says Shruti. There's no doubt that good physical attributes help one make one's mark, but to survive in the industry talent is imperative.

Kamal is regarded as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. So how much of an influence has Kamal had on Shruti? "My dad has always pushed me to do what I believe in. I've taken independent decisions and, in fact, it was my decision to act in Hindi films. Having said that, I do take his advice when it comes to films because he is so experienced," adds Shruti.

Ask her to pick her favourite Kamal Hassan film and she immediately says, "I'm a huge fan of my dad's films and Pushpak is one of his best films ever."

Action versus romance

Ideally, star kids make their debut in romantic flicks, which are almost always sure-fire box office hits. Surprisingly, Shruti chose action for her debut. "It's not that I didn't want to make my debut in a romantic film, but I was initially offered Luck and I found the storyline intriguing. Moreover, Imran Khan convinced me to take on the role. Also, it was great to work with veteran actors like Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty and Danny Denzongpa," says Shruti.

Her performance may not have received as much appreciation as her daredevil stunts in Luck, but this sassy lass shrugs off the hard work. "It wasn't the most comfortable situation, but it's the most fun I've had in the longest time. I am proud of all the bruises I suffered during the stunts and I am lucky that I didn't suffer any major calamity during the shoot." She has indeed had a 'lucky' experience with Luck, despite the film's lack of it at the box office.

Special rapport with Imran

Long before Luck hit the screens, the media was abuzz with Shruti's alleged link-up with co-star Khan. First, they reported their 'brother-sister' bond and later their alleged affair. "The fact is that Imran and I've been very good friends since childhood. All this talk of our sibling-like relationship or for that matter any sort of relationship is media-created and baseless. I share a special rapport with him and in fact, he has been instrumental in helping me make my debut. Imran has a lovely girlfriend and we know that all these rumours don't affect us," she says.

Multi-talented

Before Shruti made her acting debut, she had a rock star image after performing for a local rock band. In fact, she has worked on her vocal chords for film music as well, with her song in Gautam Menon's critically-acclaimed Tamil film Vaaranam Aayiram winning her the Tamil music awards industry's 'best new vocalist award'. Shruti also lent her voice to Luck on the Aazmale track. In fact, it was Khan and the film's director Soham Shah were instrumental in making her sing.

Incidentally, Shruti had teamed up with her dad as a child singer in Chachi 420 and Hey Ram. The musical genes can be attributed to Kamal, who is also known to be a good singer and occasionally does playback singing. Last heard, Shruti was co-directing the promotional hip-hop music video of her dad's film Unnaipol Oruvan, with younger sister Akshara helping out with the choreography.

Future

Luck may have tanked, but there's no dearth of offers coming Shruti's way, and she's being extremely selective about choosing her next film. If things don't work out in Bollywood, she has Tamil films to fall back on. "Actually I was supposed to debut in a Tamil film along with Madhavan, but the film never took off. So I looked at different options and then Luck happened."

So what about Tamil films now? "As soon as I get a good offer, I am game to do a South Indian film. I would love to do good films in any language."

This talented girl definitely has her options open. And if nothing else, she has her killer voice to do the magic for her!

Musical debut

With Unnaipol Oruvan, Shruti makes her debut as a music composer. Initially, Kamal was apprehensive of assigning his daughter the musical task but it is reported that he is extremely satisfied with Shruti's unconventional music. In fact, Shruti convinced her talented father to sing two tracks for the film one a Sufi-based track and one with elements of rock. "It's an honour to compose for my dad's film and I'm proud that he has sung for me," says Shruti.