Shruti Haasan: Balancing between South and Bollywood is CRAZY

Shruti Haasan opens up about her upcoming film - Behen Hogi Teri, her unlikely pairing with Rajkummar Rao, balancing between South and Bollywood, social media and much more...

For someone who has completed nine-odd years in Bollywood and South, Shruti Haasan still has the zeal and excitement to approach all her roles with equal enthusiasm. However, she mentions to me that balancing between the two industries is CRAZY! The actress also reveals how she has a fascination for unlikely pairings. So much so, she’s excited about her own pairing with Rajkummar Rao in her new film Behen Hogi Teri. Dressed in a pink Lucknowi salwar kameez, Shruti was just about to shoot for a mehendi scene when we meet in Lucknow. Excerpts from our chat…
What made you take up Behen Hogi Teri?
I liked the freshness of it. The thing that struck me the most about the script was that the emotions were so simple and wonderful and they leave you feeling warm and reminiscent of a time in your own life when things were simpler and purer.
A bit about your character…
She has this fun, boisterous kind of energy. She also has this sensitive, girly side to her. The mix of the two is something I really liked about this character.
Is your pairing with Rajkummar exciting for you?
I like to see unexpected pairings. Just like people in the business think that A and D would gel together or this and this would go well together, even the audience kind of mentally prepares itself to see them like that. Breaking expectations, even as an audience member, is something that I have enjoyed. So, I really hope that people like that kind of quirkiness of the pairing.
Is it easy balancing between working in the South and Bollywood?
Yes, it is crazy, the packing and the travelling. But it is something that I always wanted to do because I grew up in a multi-cultural home. I am really lucky that I got to do it. 
You are quite active on social media…
I like it because it connects me to a certain group in a certain way. It gives me a certain meter and a better sense of things as well. And there is a lot of rubbish as well, any actor saying that there is no rubbish, is lying. There are absolute nut cases out there, which is also entertaining. But on a day-to-day basis, the kind of love and encouragement you get is unparallelled.
What other films are you working on?
In the South, I am working with Surya and Pawan Kalyan again, two of the most wonderful superstars and both of whom I started my career with. It was really wonderful to revisit that. So I am really excited.
The three biggest events that happened to you this year…
I have changed a lot as a person. It has been a year of self-awareness. I think I have been open to a lot of things that I have not been open to before. I think I have become tougher about the things I like and I don’t like, which is great and comes with turning 30. I think I am also doing a lot more music, which is exciting.