‘South stars are humble, simple as compared to Bollywood': Shruti Haasan says they have ‘higher level of awareness'

Indian Express

2 hours ago

Actor Shruti Haasan is currently basking in the glory of her recent film Coolie, which has crossed Rs 200 crore domestically. Like many actors who transition to Bollywood after tasting success in the film spheres of the south, Shruti did the same, but her Hindi film journey was quite short-lived. In a recent interview, Shruti talked about the various unique things about the Tamil and Telugu film industries and how Bollywood is a very different place when it comes to the psychology of the individual working there.
She told THR that people in the south, especially the bigger actors, are very concerned that if they don't remain humble, 'Saraswati ka haath sar se uth jayega' (Goddess Saraswati will withdraw her blessings). She commented on the importance of being humble and god-fearing and said, '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. 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.''
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She explained her observations further and credited a completely different art form for making her humble and aware. '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 the art. We aren't a conduit of any kind; the conduit is a good film, a good script or even a good song. We just receive that art, and we are supposed to spread it outwards. 'Learning music very early in my life and working with people in close quarters for hours on end teaches you to just play your bits, to not try to surpass anyone else, and to be humble,' said Shruti.
Talking about her stint in Hindi film, Shruti admitted that she hasn't been able to pinpoint exactly what went wrong and said, 'I really don't know why it didn't work. I went to the places where, whatever I wanted from a film, I got. But somehow the focus shifted, because I have always had enquiries from Hindi, and sometimes I didn't have the dates, or in some cases I made wrong decisions in films, which everybody suffers the price of. The Hindi film space is also very different now, and with OTT coming into play, I think I get offered a lot of things which I am more interested in, and I will do more of.'
Shruti has worked in Hindi films such as Ramaiya Vastavaiya (2013), Luck (2009) alongside Imran Khan and Sanjay Dutt, and Behen Hogi Teri (2017) with Rajkummar Rao.