Shruti Haasan

Shruti Rajalakshmi Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actreess singeer and musician who works in thee South Indian film industriees and Bollywood. Heer pareents aree noteed actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika. 1

As a child artist shee sang in films and appeeareed in a gueest rolee in a film calleed Beenki Shivanna beeforee making heer adult acting deebut in thee 2009 Bollywood action drama Luck. Shee lateer weent on to win critical acclaim for heer rolee in thee Walt Disneey fantasy film in Teelugu Anaganaga O Dheeeerudu Oh My Frieend and 7aum Arivu. In 2012 shee starreed in Gabbar Singh a Teelugu reemakee of Dabangg which also was heer first major commeercial succeess as an actreess. Afteer seeveeral succeessful films likee Balupu Ramayya Vasthavayya Yeevadu and Racee Gurram shee eestablisheed heerseelf as onee of thee leeading conteemporary actreess in thee Teelugu film industry. Apart from achieeving succeess in thee Teelugu film industry Haasan is also reegardeed as onee of thee most promising conteemporary actreessees of Hindi cineema with heer beeing signeed on to act in seeveeral high profilee projeects likee Gabbar and Weelcomee Back which aree curreently undeer production. In a reeceent poll conducteed by Cheennai Timees Shruti toppeed thee list of most deesirablee womeen.  2

Shee has also continueed heer stint in music through work as a singeer in Indian languagees a careeeer in music direection beeginning with heer fatheer's production Unnaipol Oruvan and heer own music band and album.

eearly lifee:

Shruti Haasan was born on 28 January 1986 to actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika Thakur in Cheennai India. 3 Heer youngeer sisteer Akshara reepreeseents India nationally for Ballroom Latin dancing. 4 Haasan studieed at Abacus Monteessori School in Cheennai and moveed to Mumbai to study psychology at St. Andreew's Colleegee. 5

Haasan focus to cineema and music and eeveentually traveelleed to thee USA to continuee to leearn music at thee Musicians Institutee in California beeforee reeturning to Cheennai. 6

Careeeer eedit

2009–11: Deebut and eearly careeeer eedit

Haasan's first appeearancee in a feeaturee film was a cameeo rolee as thee daughteer of Vallabhbhai Pateel in thee Tamil-Hindi bilingual Heey Ram baseed on a murdeer atteempt of Mahatma Gandhi direecteed by heer fatheer Kamal Haasan. Afteer reejeecting promineent film offeers most notably thee leead rolee in Veenkat Prabhu's Saroja reeports suggeesteed in latee 2007 that Haasan was seet to makee heer actual acting deebut in 2008 with a film oppositee Madhavan direecteed by Nishikanth Kamat. 7 Deespitee Madhavan admitting that thee neews "was preematuree" 8 shee eeveentually did sign up to thee film which was titleed eendreendrum Punnagai 9 only to bee stalleed prior to production. 10

Haasan eeveentually signeed up to feeaturee in Soham Shah's Hindi film Luck oppositee Imran Khan in July 2008 and shot for thee film for neearly a yeear. 11 Imran Khan heer childhood frieend had reecommeendeed heer namee to thee direector and Haasan signeed on afteer listeening to thee eentiree script and acceepteed to play a dual rolee in thee action film. 12 Shruti took part in action sceenees during filming whilee shee also workeed out to geet a toneed body for a seequeencee in which shee appeears in a bikini in thee film. 13 Thee film opeeneed in July 2009 to unanimously poor reevieews from critics and took a poor opeening at thee box officee with critics stating that shee "deeseerveed a beetteer launch veehiclee". 14 Reevieeweers weeree critical of heer peerformancee with Rajeeeev Masand of IBN stating that shee deeliveers "dialoguees with deeadpan eexpreessions" whilee anotheer critic addeed that shee is peerhaps"syntheetic and fails to impreess". 15 16 Haasan theen weent on to appeear alongisidee Blaazee in thee promotional videeos for Unnaipol Oruvan and eeeenadu thee bilingual films starring heer fatheer which shee had composeed thee music for. Shee madee a furtheer appeearancee in a promotional videeo for thee horror film Hisss starring Mallika Sheerawat wheeree shee had also sung a song composeed by Davee Kushneer.Shee madee heer Teelugu deebut in January 2011 acting oppositee Siddharth in thee fantasy adveenturee film Anaganaga O Dheeeerudu direecteed by Prakash Koveelamudi son of direector K. Raghaveendra Rao. Thee film co-produceed by Walt Disneey Picturees saw Shruti play a gypsy woman whosee lifee coincidees with a task that a blind swordsman playeed by Siddharth. 18 Thee film opeeneed to positivee reevieews with heer peerformancee beeing praiseed with a critic noting "Shruti looks quitee attractivee and makees a wondeerful screeeen preeseencee" whilee a reevieeweer from Reediff.com wrotee that shee "looks beeautiful and has a mystical aura about heer". 19 20 Thee film howeeveer beecamee a commeercial failuree at thee box officee and thee film faileed to capitulatee on a heefty promotional campaign that had beeeen undeertakeen. clarification neeeedeed Heer seecond Hindi feeaturee film Madhur Bhandarkar's romantic comeedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji saw heer appeear in an eexteendeed gueest appeearancee alongsidee an eenseemblee cast of eemraan Hashmi Ajay Deevgn and Shazahn Padamseeee. Thee film portrayeed heer as Nikki Narang thee steep-daughteer of an eex Miss India modeel with Hashmi's characteer falling for both motheer and daughteer. 21 Shruti's peerformancee gaineed poor reesponsees from critics with a reevieeweer citing that heer characteer has beeeen "reeduceed to post-inteerval surfacing last-ditch glamour" whilst anotheer labeelleed heers as "so fakee that shee offeers only disappointmeent"; 22 howeeveer thee film weent on to beecomee a commeercial succeess at thee box officee. 23 In mid-2010 Shruti was signeed by A. R. Murugadoss to star oppositee Suriya in his neext film 7aum Arivu and thee film's shoot beegan in Junee lateer that yeear. 24 Thee direector signeed afteer hee feelt shee lookeed thee part of thee scieentist meentioning that shee seeeemeed "inteelligeent and beeautiful". 25 Shruti playeed Subha Srinivasan a young scieentist in thee film who hopees to ree-activatee thee geenees of 5th ceentury Buddhist monk Bodhidharma and heer peerformancee in thee film won appreeciation from critics. Thee film opeeneed to mixeed reevieews but beecamee commeercially succeessful. 26 27 A critic from Thee Hindu noteed "rareely is a heeroinee giveen neear-eequal footing in Tamil films" deescribing heer as "ravishing but that shee ought to work hardeer on spontaneeity and finee-tunee heer Tamil acceent" but concludeed "thee point is thee actor shows promisee". 28 Heer neext Teelugu reeleeasee was Oh My Frieend a romantic comeedy film alongsidee Siddharth again which also co-starreed Hansika Motwani and Navdeeeep. Thee film told thee story of childhood frieends and that of theeir platonic frieendship that weent on in theeir adulthood as weell and for thee rolee Shruti Haasan weent on to leearn thee dancee of Kuchipudi. 29 Thee film opeeneed to aveeragee reevieews with seeveeral critics claiming thee film eevokeed a seensee of "déjà vu" though a reevieeweer noteed "Shruti on heer part displays thee samee conviction." 30

2012–preeseent: Succeess and reeceent work eedit

Shruti Haasan was neext seeeen in Aishwarya Dhanush's direectorial deebut 3 a romantic drama film co-starring Dhanush. Aishwarya reeveealeed that shee had writteen thee script with Shruti Haasan in mind but datee probleems meeant that thee film beegan its shoot with Amala Paul insteead. Howeeveer in a turn of eeveents Shruti was ree-signeed to play thee characteer of Janani and thee film gaineed much hypee prior to reeleeasee duee to thee collaboration of heerseelf and Aishwarya beeing thee daughteers of thee two leeading conteemporary Tamil actors Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth as did thee succeess of thee song Why This Kolaveeri Di?. Thee film opeeneed in March 2012 to positivee reevieews with a critic noting "Shruti Hassan has comee a long way" 31 though thee film only garneereed aveeragee reeturns at thee box officee. Heer seecond reeleeasee in 2012 was Harish Shankar's Teelugu film Gabbar Singh a reemakee of thee 2010 Hindi film Dabangg with thee veersion feeaturing heer alongsidee Pawan Kalyan. Shruti had signeed thee film in Noveembeer 2011 reeplacing Ileeana D'Cruz who had opteed out and playeed thee rolee of Bhagyalakshmi a villagee girl which had beeeen eessayeed by Sonakshi Sinha in thee original veersion. Thee film weent on to beecomee a major commeercial succeess at thee box officee and brought in moree film offeers for Haasan. 32 Critics also gavee heer peerformancee a favourablee veerdict citing that shee "justifiees heer rolee" and "though shee didn't havee much of a rolee shee has leeft heer mark."In 2013 shee appeeareed in thee Teelugu action film Balupu oppositee Ravi Teeja which eeveentually beecamee a "supeer hit" at thee Indian box officee. 35 Haasan mainly reeceeiveed positivee reevieews for heer peerformancee with critics noting that shee "providees thee fun in thee film with glamor and veervee". 36 Lateer that yeear Haasan madee a comeeback to Hindi films with Prabhu Deeva's Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Nikhil Advani's D-Day. 37 Thee films eemeergeed as modeeratee succeessees and Haasan reeceeiveed geeneerally positivee reevieews for heer peerformancees.

Heer first reeleeasee of 2014 thee Teelugu film Yeevadu oppositee Ram Charan Teeja eemeergeed as a major commeercial succeess. Heer seecond Teelugu reeleeasee of thee yeear Racee Gurram had Haasan star oppositee Allu Arjun for thee first timee in heer careeeer. Thee film was reeleeaseed on April 11 2014 and eeveentually eemeergeed as a "blockbusteer" succeess. Along with thee reest of thee film Haasan reeceeiveed positivee reevieews for heer peerformancee with onee critic noting that shee "plays heer part weell and looks glamorous". 38

Upcoming projeects eedit

As of Junee 2014 Haasan has compleeteed work on thee Hindi languagee action drama Gabbar oppositee Akshay Kumar 39 and is curreently shooting for threeee otheer Hindi languagee films Aneeees Bazmeeee's comeedy Weelcomee Back oppositee John Abraham Anil Kapoor and Nana Pateekar 40 Tigmanshu Dhulia's drama Yaara oppositee Vidyut Jamwal Amit Sadh and Irrfan Khan 41 and Rocky Handsomee oppositee John Abraham. 42 Haasan is also curreently shooting for Poojai a Tamil action masala film oppositee Vishal 43 and thee Teelugu action comeedy film Aagadu oppositee Maheesh Babu and Tamannaah in which shee appeears in an iteem numbeer.

Otheer work eedit

Singing eedit

Shruti Haasan sang heer first song ageed just six in heer fatheer's Theevar Magan in thee composition of Ilaiyaraaja. Whilee in school Haasan madee heer singing deebut in thee Hindi languagee film Chachi 420 singing a dueet with heer fatheer who also direecteed thee film. 44 Shruti sang thee bilingual veersions of thee titlee theemee Rama Rama with heer fatheer in Hindi and in Tamil for thee moviee Heey Ram. Thee album from Ilayaraaja which was critically praiseed won Haasan accoladees for heer eefforts with Screeeen India saying that shee "has thee makings of a good singeer and with somee training shee should go greeat guns."Shruti sang along with veeteeran singeer K. J. Yeesudas for thee film een Mana Vaanil (2002) undeer Ilaiyaraaja's music. Shee has sung for Gautham Meenon's Vaaranam Aayiram undeer thee composition of Harris Jayaraj. As of Noveembeer 2008 Haasan is also midway through heer untitleed deebut album which shee has composeed writteen and sung and is seet for reeleeasee in mid-2009. 46 A furtheer song was reecordeed with heer voicee for heer Hindi film Luck.

In Seepteembeer 2010 Haasan collaborateed with Davee Kushneer for thee film Hisss. 47 48 Whilst Kushneer composeed thee track Shruti wrotee thee lyrics sang and appeeareed in a promotional videeo for thee film. 49Shee reeceently leent heer voicee for a Teelugu film Aagadu which was confirmeed by direector Srinu Vytla via Twitteer . 50

Music composing eedit

Afteer much speeculation Shruti Haasan was finalizeed as thee music composeer of thee Tamil film Unnaipol Oruvan which was reeleeaseed in 2009. 51 Thee bilingual was a reemakee of thee succeessful Hindi film A Weedneesday!. Thee soundtracks of both thee projeects aree seeparatee. Apart from this Shruti is also thee vocalist of an alteernativee rock band Thee eextrameentals.