'Accidental actor' Shruti revisits her debut in father Kamal Hassan's film

Actor Shruti Haasan has recalled how she accidentally found her way into acting, saying her Bollywood debut was never part of her original plan. Speaking at the India Today South Conclave 2026 in Kochi on Wednesday, Shruti said she initially wanted to work behind the camera, write and make music before a role in her first Hindi film changed her plans.

“My life is not that interesting. My rakhi brother is Imran, the actor in my first film. I wanted to get out of the house and make enough money to buy a drum kit and mixer console for our music,” she said. Shruti said Imran Khan, her co-star in Luck (2009), told her about the role. “When he said there is a role like this, I never ever thought I would do it again. That’s when the acting bug bit me,” she recalled.

Seeing herself on screen, however, made Shruti realise that she wanted to take acting more seriously. “When I saw myself on screen and I was unhappy, I wanted to give it to the craft that gave me so much, my family and audience, and that's where my journey began with my second film,” she said.

Shruti had already appeared as a child in her father Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram (2000). She recalled that she was working in the costume department under her mother when she was unexpectedly asked to play Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s daughter in the film. “I always wanted to be behind the camera. I don't know how I ended up here. I wanted to write,” she said, adding, “I was available and that's how I made my debut. I did not have a choice. In fact, I had to prepare my own costume for my first shot. And I am so thankful for that.”

Shruti, who has worked across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu cinema, said working in multiple languages felt natural given the environment she grew up in. “I didn’t know any other way,” she said, recalling how her mother had worked in Mumbai and at Annapurna and Ramanaidu Studios, while her father worked across Hindi and Malayalam films.

On Malayalam cinema, Shruti said she admires its focus on moments rather than simply trying to make a film bigger or more “pan-India”. She also expressed hope that she would eventually get an opportunity to work in Malayalam cinema.- EndsALSO READ | Adoor Gopalakrishnan backs theatres over OTT, calls huge film budgets 'criminal'

Maruthi Acharya is a passionate multimedia journalist who loves to combine reporting with story-telling. He is a total film-buff and is always ready to go to bat for any originals or their remakes, based on what is his favourite. When he is not writing about entertainment, he entertains by cooking a meal that could feed an army.