Shruti Haasan discussed her experiences in South Indian cinema, emphasising humility among actors and the cultural differences compared to Bollywood.
Actor Shruti Haasan is winning praise for her performance in Coolie, which has crossed the ₹400 crore mark worldwide in less than a week. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Shruti opened up about her experiences working in both the Hindi and South Indian film industries, and why she finds South stars more grounded than Bollywood actors.
Explaining her remark that South stars are more humble because they fear that if they lose it, “Saraswati ka haath sar se uth jayega (Goddess Saraswati will withdraw her blessings).” She explained, “I mean, it’s hard to talk about being pious or anything of that sort in my home because my father doesn’t believe in anything of that sort. But when I started working, I noticed those small things, like having coconut in the morning or having a photo of a deity sitting in the corner.”
She added, “There were rules regarding what was and wasn’t allowed on set, and the actor and their staff were always very aware of how they presented themselves. I found there to be a higher level of awareness and consciousness in the South, compared to when I worked in the Hindi film industry. I think it’s just a South Indian thing to do; you know, many people who have a lot of money won’t dress up very flashy. They will still have that old Ambassador car for many years. It’s just the psychology of the place, and it’s very important to realise that we are merely vessels for art.”
Shruti Haasan’s Bollywood films
While Shruti has enjoyed a flourishing career in South cinema, her journey in Bollywood has been less successful. She made her Hindi debut with Luck (2009) alongside Sanjay Dutt and Imran Khan, which underperformed at the box office. Subsequent films such as Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji, Ramaiya Vastavaiya, Welcome Back, Rocky Handsome and Behen Hogi Teri also struggled commercially. Her only Bollywood hit was Akshay Kumar’s Gabbar Is Back (2015).
Shruti Haasan’s recent and upcoming work
Currently, Shruti is basking in the success of Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and starring Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Upendra, Sathyaraj and Soubin Shahir. The film has collected over ₹200 crore in India within six days, despite stiff competition from Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2.
Up next, Shruti will be seen in a cameo role in Mysskin’s Train, starring Vijay Sethupathi. She also has Prashanth Neel’s Salaar Part 2: Shouryanga Parvam with Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran in the pipeline.
