Shruti: 7 Aum Arivu is a dream Tamil debut

Shruti Haasan is only four films old but she is one of the most promising actors today. Though from Chennai, she has so far acted only in Telugu and Hindi films.

Her Tamil debut film is Diwali release 7 Aum Arivu, directed by A R Murugadoss and with Suriya as her co-star. It can't get bigger than this.

Shruti spoke to Shobha Warrier during a break in the shooting of her second Tamil film, 3, directed by Aishwarya Dhanush and co-starring this year's National Award winner, Dhanush.

A film release during a festival is quite big in India. Your debut film in Tamil is releasing on Diwali day. What are your feelings right now?

It is very special to me. I am not a festival person, I don't need a reason to celebrate. But Diwali is very special to me. This is just the fourth release in my career. I have done films in Telugu and Hindi and I am happy that finally I am doing a Tamil film for the Tamil audience because I was brought up in Chennai.

This is a special Diwali for me for a number of reasons. 7 Aum Arivu is the prime focus of my Diwali celebrations.

How do you celebrate Diwali?

I am not exactly a festival person. Diwali is the usual, with fire crackers but not much. During the last two Diwalis, I have been working. But this year, I am going to enjoy that my film is releasing.

You must have been getting offers to act in Tamil films. Were you waiting for a film like 7 Aum Arivu to make your Tamil debut as it cannot get any bigger than this?

I was getting offers, and acting in Tamil was special as Chennai is special in my life. You want to impress the people at home more than those outside. That is because they will be the most critical. So I always wanted a good project, good production house, a good director and a good co-star.

But I never imagined that it would fall in place like 7 Aum Arivu. It was beyond my wildest plans and dreams. It is really a dream debut in Tamil; nothing short of that.

Can you relive the moment?

When my office told me that A R Murugadoss was trying to reach me, I thought somebody was playing a prank on me. Only when I saw him in person did I realise that it was really happening. It was really an amazing experience to be a part of the project and shoot for the film.

Was it A R Murugadoss, Suriya and the production house, that excited you, or the role?

I will tell you one thing: a film is not made by one person alone. I have learnt this in my short experience in cinema. Even if you have a great role, if you don't have a great director, if you don't have someone who can promote the movie properly, if you have a co-star who doesn't support you, it will not work.

You work hard and people will say 'she was good', but that's all. Ultimately, you want the film to be good and not your role alone. You are only a part of the film. It takes two hands to clap! And what better hands than these two!

Yes, first and foremost is my character and there is no doubt that Murugadoss has always written fabulous characters for women. When I went to meet him, I knew the character would be an interesting woman. She is a great character to play.

Murugadoss said somewhere that he wanted a beautiful and intelligent woman to play the role of a young scientist. How do you react to that description?

Beautiful, I have heard before. I take intelligent as a great compliment. It is a greater compliment than calling me a beauty.

You rarely see a woman scientist in films. How did you learn the body language and looks of a scientist?

A scientist is also a person, like a doctor or an actor. What is different is what they do daily. That character sketch, body language, description, etc was clearly given to me by Mr Murugadoss.

She is a young girl and all young girls in any part of the world are similar. What makes the difference is the experience. The beauty of her character is that she is young but she has also got an intelligence that is way beyond her age. She is somebody who has the emotions, drive and energy of a young person with a mind, ability, and capacity of someone who is older and more sensible than most people her age. What she plans to do in the film is very, very crucial.

It was created and designed by Murugadoss Sir. You have to only go there and listen to him and do what he wants you to do. He already has the entire film in his mind. Working with him was like asking, Sir, what do you want me to do? And, then, doing it to the best of my ability.

So, it was very easy for you as a performer...

It was not easy; I wouldn't say it was easy. If it is easy, it is not worth doing. It was challenging. The process was made more comfortable because somebody was clear about what was wanted.

Everything about the film looks quite intriguing. Was it an intriguing experience for you?

Definitely. It is a very riveting story. It was very exciting to be a part of the film though we knew the story and how it went.

Ram Gopal Varma wrote a blog about Suriya's eyes and said that no other actor in India has such eyes...

Suriya definitely has magical eyes. I have always admired his work. He is a very dedicated actor and he is very hard working. And to see someone who has risen to stardom, yet works that hard is very, very inspiring.

In the beginning, I was a bit nervous to act with such a big star. All my friends who are girls were like, Suriya, Suriya!!! In the first two weeks, I was bombarded with questions like how is he, how does he look, what does he do, what does he eat etc etc. And there I was telling them all about him.

He is so down to earth, very helpful and very hard working. He never made me feel like a newcomer. One would feel intimidated working with a big star but he made me very comfortable and was very encouraging.

Our parents know each other. My dad and his dad have known each other for ages. So, there was a family angle to it also. I learnt a lot about working hard from him.

You spoke of the family angle, and you grew up in the industry. So, do you get extra respect and space when you are on the sets unlike just any newcomer?

Like in any other business, being a star child opens the door for you, but what happens to you after that is completely in your hands. You cannot earn respect on somebody else's name. This is something I firmly believe and feel strongly about. That is not the kind of respect I want. You have to make your own name and make your parents proud.

Ultimately, what is important is what you do with your life. You may be born with a silver spoon in your mouth but do nothing with it. You can also be born without a silver spoon and you can turn it into gold. I firmly believe that it is your own actions that define what you are in life.

What about the opportunities that come to you?

Well, it is a double-edged sword. In one way, the doors are open. I would be lying if I were to say people were more interested in me not because of my father's name. After that, you can't hold anyone's accomplishments as your own. Hard work is what pays off no matter who you are.

Last time when we met, you spoke of how singing and acting are two aspects of your creative personality. Is there any difference in the happiness and creative satisfaction you derive from these two?

They creatively satisfy different parts of me, without a doubt. Singing and acting are different but the source and the root are the same. It is like asking a mother to choose one child over another. Each child is different but where they came from is the same.

It is not like one makes me happier than the other. I have spent more of my life and time learning music, making music and singing. But acting gives a different kind of satisfaction and joy. I have also found that acting improves the singer and the singer improves the actor.

For me, my art is my God. That is what I live for and pray for.

Do you like to be known as a singing star?

No. I would like to be known as a comprehensive artist.

On the whole, how do you sum up the experience of acting in 7 Aum Arivu?

It was a life-changing experience for me in many ways. I am very excited for people to see the film. I am very happy that I am a part of 7 Aum Arivu.