There was a time when it was rare for the Southern film industries to see daughters following in the footsteps of fathers who were actors or filmmakers. This has changed in recent years, with someone like Shruti Haasan following in her father Kamal Haasan’s footsteps to become an actor. Talking to her paternal cousin, actor Suhasini Maniratnam, who also broke this barrier, Shruti recalled that Kamal had a befitting reply to someone who questioned it.
Kamal Haasan’s reply to naysayers questioning Shruti working in film industry
Shruti and Suhasini sat down for a chat posted by Galatta. In it, Suhasini asked her cousin to give savage replies to some questions. When asked when she was going to get married, Shruti sassily asked Suhasini when she was divorcing Mani Ratnam.
When asked why she would enter the film industry instead of pursuing something else, Shruti replied, “I wanted to do it; I did it. That’s all. As you know, there’s you (Suhasini), me, Rekha ma’am; there are very few of us who are daughters of cinema. I remember someone asking Appa (father), how did you allow Shruti to enter the film industry? So he said, how do you let your daughter be married into an unknown family in an arranged marriage? This is our family. My daughter will be very happy here. So, that to me, always stayed in my mind. How Appa elevates this world of cinema.”
Calls dad an inspiration in more ways than one
Shruti also mentioned to Suhasini that Kamal was an inspiration not just because he’s her father or because he’s still working at 72. She stated that he does his work with such ‘detail, precision and commitment’ that she can’t help but feel inspired. She also recalled stealing makeup from her parents, though her mother Sarika isn’t very fond of it.
“Akshara has no interest in makeup; she has taken after Amma (mother). One day Appa asked me, do you really like makeup? I said, you really shouldn’t be asking me that. You wear makeup in films like Dasavathaaram; you don’t talk to me about it. He said, okay, and let it be. I always say my love for makeup came from him,” said Shruti.
Shruti last starred in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie in 2025. She featured in the special number Hellallallo in Buchi Babu Sana’s Peddi, alongside Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor, this year. The actor now has Train in Tamil and Aakasamlo Oka Tara in Telugu lined up.