Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and singer who works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. She is the recipient of various accolades, including two Filmfare Award South and three South Indian International Movie Awards. She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2015 and 2016.Born to actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur, she worked briefly as a child artist. She made her acting debut as an adult with the Hindi film Luck (2009). She made her Telugu debut with Anaganaga O Dheerudu and Tamil debut with 7aum Arivu both (2011), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South for both. Haasan established herself in South Indian cinema with the Telugu films Oh My Friend (2011), Gabbar Singh (2012), Balupu (2013), Yevadu, Race Gurram both (2014), Srimanthudu (2015), Premam (2016), and Krack (2021). She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Race Gurram.Haasan has also played the leading lady in the Tamil films, Vedalam (2015) and Si3 (2017), and the Hindi films Gabbar Is Back and Welcome Back (both 2015) . For her performance in D-Day (2013), she received a nomination for the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her highest-grossing release came with the Telugu film Waltair Veerayya (2023).In addition to acting career, Haasan also an established playback singer and has her own music band. She is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products.

Early life and family

to actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika Thakur in Madras (present-day Chennai) in a Tamil family. Her father is a Tamilian Brahmin Iyengar, while her mother is a Rajput. Her parents got married when she was one and got divorced in 2004. Haasan's younger sister Akshara Haasan, is also an actress. Actor and lawyer Charuhasan is her uncle. Actresses Suhasini Maniratnam and Anu Hasan are her cousins.Haasan completed her schooling from Lady Andal school in Chennai and moved to Mumbai to obtain a degree in psychology at St. Andrew's College. Haasan focused on cinema and music, and eventually traveled to the US to continue to learn music at the Musicians Institute in California, before returning to Chennai.

Acting career

Haasan's first appearance in a feature film was as a child artist in a cameo role as the daughter of Vallabhbhai Patel in the Tamil-Hindi bilingual ''Hey Ram'', based on a murder attempt on Mahatma Gandhi, directed by her father Kamal Haasan. After rejecting prominent film offers, most notably the lead role in Venkat Prabhu's ''Saroja'', reports suggested in late 2007 that Haasan was set to make her actual acting debut in 2008 with a film opposite Madhavan, directed by Nishikant Kamat. Entitled ''Endrendrum Punnagai'', the film was stalled before production began.Haasan eventually signed up to feature in Soham Shah's Hindi film ''Luck'', opposite Imran Khan, in July 2008, and shot for the film for nearly a year. Imran Khan, her childhood friend, had recommended her name to the director and Haasan signed on after listening to the entire script and accepted to play a dual role in the action film. Shruti took part in action scenes during filming and worked out extensively. The film opened in July 2009 to unanimously poor reviews from critics and took a poor opening at the box office, with critics stating that she "deserved a better launch vehicle". Reviewers were critical of her performance, with Rajeev Masand of IBN stating that she delivers "dialogues with deadpan expressions", while another critic added that she is perhaps "synthetic and fails to impress". Haasan then went on to appear alongside Blaaze in the promotional videos for ''Unnaipol Oruvan'' and ''Eenadu'', the bilingual films starring her father, which she had composed the music for. She made a further appearance in a promotional video for the horror film ''Hisss'', starring Mallika Sherawat, where she had also sung a song composed by Dave Kushner.She made her Telugu debut in January 2011, acting opposite Siddharth in the fantasy adventure film ''Anaganaga O Dheerudu'', directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, son of director K. Raghavendra Rao. The film, co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, saw Shruti play a gypsy with magic healing powers defended by a swordsman, played by Siddharth. The film opened to positive reviews, with her performance being praised, with a critic noting: "Shruti looks quite attractive and makes a wonderful screen presence", while a reviewer from Rediff.com wrote that she "looks beautiful and has a mystical aura about her".Her second Hindi feature film, Madhur Bhandarkar's romantic comedy ''Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji'', saw her appear in an extended guest appearance alongside an ensemble cast of Emraan Hashmi, Ajay Devgn and Shazahn Padamsee. The film portrayed her as Nikki Narang, the step-daughter of an ex Miss India model, with Hashmi's character falling for both mother and daughter. Her performance gained poor responses from critics, with a reviewer citing that her character has been "reduced to post-interval surfacing, last-ditch glamour", whilst another labelled hers as "so fake that she offers only disappointment"; however, the film went on to become a commercial success at the box office.In mid-2010, Haasan was signed by AR Murugadoss to star opposite Suriya in his next film ''7aum Arivu'', and the film's shooting began in June later that year. The director signed after he felt she looked the part of the scientist, mentioning that she seemed "intelligent and beautiful". She played Subha Srinivasan, a young scientist in the film, who hopes to re-activate the genes of 5th century Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, and her performance in the film won appreciation from critics. The film opened to mixed reviews, but became commercially successful. A critic from The Hindu noted: "rarely is a heroine given near-equal footing in Tamil films", describing her as "ravishing but that she ought to work harder on spontaneity, and fine-tune her Tamil accent", but concluded "the point is the actor shows promise". Her next Telugu release was ''Oh My Friend'', a romantic comedy film alongside Siddharth again, which also co-starred Hansika Motwani and Navdeep. The film told the story of childhood friends, and that of their platonic friendship that went on in their adulthood as well, and for the role Shruti Haasan went on to learn the dance of Kuchipudi. The film opened to average reviews, with several critics claiming the film evoked a sense of "déjà vu", though a reviewer noted: "Shruti, on her part displays the same conviction." though the film only garnered average returns at the box office. Her second release in 2012 was Harish Shankar's Telugu film ''Gabbar Singh'', a remake of the 2010 Hindi film ''Dabangg'', with the version featuring her alongside Pawan Kalyan. She played the role of Bhagyalakshmi, a village girl, which had been played by Sonakshi Sinha in the original version. The film went on to become a major commercial success at the box office and brought in more film offers for Haasan. Critics also gave her performance a favourable verdict citing that she "justifies her role" and "though she didn't have much of a role, she has left her mark."In 2013, she appeared in the Telugu action film ''Balupu'' opposite, Ravi Teja, which eventually became a "super-hit" at the Indian box office. She received positive reviews for her performance, with critics noting that she "provides the fun in the film with glamor and verve". Later that year, she starred in two Hindi films, Prabhu Deva's ''Ramaiya Vastavaiya'' and Nikkhil Advani's ''D-Day''. In the latter, a spy thriller, she played a prostitute involved with a suspended army officer. She also sang a song for the film, entitled "Alvida". Reviewing the film for ''Rediff.com'', Palomi Sharma found Haasan to be "perfect as a Karachi prostitute with a haunting aura about her". She also starred in the Telugu action film ''Ramayya Vasthavayya'' opposite Jr. NTR for the first time. The film received an average response from critics.Her first release of 2014, the Telugu film ''Yevadu'', opposite Ram Charan, emerged as a major commercial success. Her second Telugu release of the year, ''Race Gurram'', had Haasan star opposite Allu Arjun for the first time in her career. The film emerged as a "blockbuster" success. Along with the rest of the film, she received positive reviews for her performance, with one critic noting that she "plays her part well and looks glamorous". She also had a Tamil release; ''Poojai'', opposite Vishal, and performed her first item number in her career in the Telugu action comedy film ''Aagadu'', starring Mahesh Babu and Tamannaah.In 2015, Haasan performed her second item number in the Hindi film ''Tevar'', featuring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha. Next, she appeared in multiple films in such as the Hindi film ''Gabbar Is Back'' opposite Akshay Kumar, She also had a Tamil release; ''Poojai'', opposite Vishal, and performed her first item number in her career in the Telugu action comedy film ''Aagadu'', starring Mahesh Babu and Tamannaah.In 2015, Haasan performed her second item number in the Hindi film ''Tevar'', featuring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha. Next, she appeared in multiple films in such as the Hindi film ''Gabbar Is Back'' opposite Akshay Kumar, Koratala Siva's Telugu action film ''Srimanthudu'' opposite Mahesh Babu, Anees Bazmee's comedy ''Welcome Back'', alongside John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar and the Tamil films ''Puli'', co-starring Vijay and ''Vedalam'', opposite Ajith Kumar, marking her first collaboration with both the actors.In 2016 she appeared in ''Rocky Handsome'' opposite John Abraham for the second time Koratala Siva's Telugu action film ''Srimanthudu'' opposite Mahesh Babu, Anees Bazmee's comedy ''Welcome Back'', alongside John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar and the Tamil films ''Puli'', co-starring Vijay and ''Vedalam'', opposite Ajith Kumar, marking her first collaboration with both the actors.In 2016 she appeared in ''Rocky Handsome'' opposite John Abraham for the second time and in the Telugu film ''Premam'', opposite Naga Chaitanya which was a remake of the Malayalam film ''Premam''. She was signed to the fantasy film ''Sangamithra'', directed by Sundar. C, in which she was to play a warrior. However, citing date issues, she opted out of the film.In 2017, she appeared in ''Katamarayudu'', which marked her second collaboration with Pawan Kalyan, ''Si3'', with Suriya, for the second time, and ''Behen Hogi Teri'' alongside Rajkummar Rao. She made her American television debut in 2019 with the action drama series ''Treadstone'' in which she had a recurring role.Following a three years of hiatus in Indian films, Hassan returned in 2020 with the short film ''Devi'', followed by ''Yaara'' opposite Vidyut Jammwal and in the Amazon Prime anthology film ''Putham Pudhu Kaalai'' in which she appeared in the segment ''Coffee, anyone?'' directed by her cousin Suhasini Maniratnam.Later in 2021, she appeared in the Telugu action film ''Krack'' opposite Ravi Teja, marking their second collaboration after the 2013 film ''Balupu''. She also worked opposite Jammwal in the Mahesh Manjrekar film ''The Power''.Following a three years of hiatus in Indian films, Hassan returned in 2020 with the short film ''Devi'', followed by ''Yaara'' opposite Vidyut Jammwal and in the Amazon Prime anthology film ''Putham Pudhu Kaalai'' in which she appeared in the segment ''Coffee, anyone?'' directed by her cousin Suhasini Maniratnam.Later in 2021, she appeared in the Telugu action film ''Krack'' opposite Ravi Teja, marking their second collaboration after the 2013 film ''Balupu''. She also worked opposite Jammwal in the Mahesh Manjrekar film ''The Power''. Later that year, she starred in three other projects, which include the Pawan Kalyan starrer ''Vakeel Saab'', Netflix anthology ''Pitta Kathalu'' in the segment directed by Nag Ashwin and Vijay Sethupathi's ''Laabam''.Hassan will appear alongside Prabhas in ''Salaar'', where she will be seen as Aadhya. The film was supposed to release on September 28, 2023, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it has now been indefinitely postponed.

Debut and early career (2009–2011)

Haasan's first appearance in a feature film was as a child artist in a cameo role as the daughter of Vallabhbhai Patel in the Tamil-Hindi bilingual ''Hey Ram'', based on a murder attempt on Mahatma Gandhi, directed by her father Kamal Haasan. After rejecting prominent film offers, most notably the lead role in Venkat Prabhu's ''Saroja'', reports suggested in late 2007 that Haasan was set to make her actual acting debut in 2008 with a film opposite Madhavan, directed by Nishikant Kamat. Entitled ''Endrendrum Punnagai'', the film was stalled before production began.Haasan eventually signed up to feature in Soham Shah's Hindi film ''Luck'', opposite Imran Khan, in July 2008, and shot for the film for nearly a year. Imran Khan, her childhood friend, had recommended her name to the director and Haasan signed on after listening to the entire script and accepted to play a dual role in the action film. Shruti took part in action scenes during filming and worked out extensively. The film opened in July 2009 to unanimously poor reviews from critics and took a poor opening at the box office, with critics stating that she "deserved a better launch vehicle". Reviewers were critical of her performance, with Rajeev Masand of IBN stating that she delivers "dialogues with deadpan expressions", while another critic added that she is perhaps "synthetic and fails to impress". Haasan then went on to appear alongside Blaaze in the promotional videos for ''Unnaipol Oruvan'' and ''Eenadu'', the bilingual films starring her father, which she had composed the music for. She made a further appearance in a promotional video for the horror film ''Hisss'', starring Mallika Sherawat, where she had also sung a song composed by Dave Kushner.She made her Telugu debut in January 2011, acting opposite Siddharth in the fantasy adventure film ''Anaganaga O Dheerudu'', directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, son of director K. Raghavendra Rao. The film, co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, saw Shruti play a gypsy with magic healing powers defended by a swordsman, played by Siddharth. The film opened to positive reviews, with her performance being praised, with a critic noting: "Shruti looks quite attractive and makes a wonderful screen presence", while a reviewer from Rediff.com wrote that she "looks beautiful and has a mystical aura about her".Her second Hindi feature film, Madhur Bhandarkar's romantic comedy ''Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji'', saw her appear in an extended guest appearance alongside an ensemble cast of Emraan Hashmi, Ajay Devgn and Shazahn Padamsee. The film portrayed her as Nikki Narang, the step-daughter of an ex Miss India model, with Hashmi's character falling for both mother and daughter. Her performance gained poor responses from critics, with a reviewer citing that her character has been "reduced to post-interval surfacing, last-ditch glamour", whilst another labelled hers as "so fake that she offers only disappointment"; however, the film went on to become a commercial success at the box office.In mid-2010, Haasan was signed by AR Murugadoss to star opposite Suriya in his next film ''7aum Arivu'', and the film's shooting began in June later that year. The director signed after he felt she looked the part of the scientist, mentioning that she seemed "intelligent and beautiful". She played Subha Srinivasan, a young scientist in the film, who hopes to re-activate the genes of 5th century Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, and her performance in the film won appreciation from critics. The film opened to mixed reviews, but became commercially successful. A critic from The Hindu noted: "rarely is a heroine given near-equal footing in Tamil films", describing her as "ravishing but that she ought to work harder on spontaneity, and fine-tune her Tamil accent", but concluded "the point is the actor shows promise". Her next Telugu release was ''Oh My Friend'', a romantic comedy film alongside Siddharth again, which also co-starred Hansika Motwani and Navdeep. The film told the story of childhood friends, and that of their platonic friendship that went on in their adulthood as well, and for the role Shruti Haasan went on to learn the dance of Kuchipudi. The film opened to average reviews, with several critics claiming the film evoked a sense of "déjà vu", though a reviewer noted: "Shruti, on her part displays the same conviction."

Breakthrough, success and acclaim (2012–2017)

though the film only garnered average returns at the box office. Her second release in 2012 was Harish Shankar's Telugu film ''Gabbar Singh'', a remake of the 2010 Hindi film ''Dabangg'', with the version featuring her alongside Pawan Kalyan. She played the role of Bhagyalakshmi, a village girl, which had been played by Sonakshi Sinha in the original version. The film went on to become a major commercial success at the box office and brought in more film offers for Haasan. Critics also gave her performance a favourable verdict citing that she "justifies her role" and "though she didn't have much of a role, she has left her mark."In 2013, she appeared in the Telugu action film ''Balupu'' opposite, Ravi Teja, which eventually became a "super-hit" at the Indian box office. She received positive reviews for her performance, with critics noting that she "provides the fun in the film with glamor and verve". Later that year, she starred in two Hindi films, Prabhu Deva's ''Ramaiya Vastavaiya'' and Nikkhil Advani's ''D-Day''. In the latter, a spy thriller, she played a prostitute involved with a suspended army officer. She also sang a song for the film, entitled "Alvida". Reviewing the film for ''Rediff.com'', Palomi Sharma found Haasan to be "perfect as a Karachi prostitute with a haunting aura about her". She also starred in the Telugu action film ''Ramayya Vasthavayya'' opposite Jr. NTR for the first time. The film received an average response from critics.Her first release of 2014, the Telugu film ''Yevadu'', opposite Ram Charan, emerged as a major commercial success. Her second Telugu release of the year, ''Race Gurram'', had Haasan star opposite Allu Arjun for the first time in her career. The film emerged as a "blockbuster" success. Along with the rest of the film, she received positive reviews for her performance, with one critic noting that she "plays her part well and looks glamorous". She also had a Tamil release; ''Poojai'', opposite Vishal, and performed her first item number in her career in the Telugu action comedy film ''Aagadu'', starring Mahesh Babu and Tamannaah.In 2015, Haasan performed her second item number in the Hindi film ''Tevar'', featuring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha. Next, she appeared in multiple films in such as the Hindi film ''Gabbar Is Back'' opposite Akshay Kumar, She also had a Tamil release; ''Poojai'', opposite Vishal, and performed her first item number in her career in the Telugu action comedy film ''Aagadu'', starring Mahesh Babu and Tamannaah.In 2015, Haasan performed her second item number in the Hindi film ''Tevar'', featuring Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha. Next, she appeared in multiple films in such as the Hindi film ''Gabbar Is Back'' opposite Akshay Kumar, Koratala Siva's Telugu action film ''Srimanthudu'' opposite Mahesh Babu, Anees Bazmee's comedy ''Welcome Back'', alongside John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar and the Tamil films ''Puli'', co-starring Vijay and ''Vedalam'', opposite Ajith Kumar, marking her first collaboration with both the actors.In 2016 she appeared in ''Rocky Handsome'' opposite John Abraham for the second time Koratala Siva's Telugu action film ''Srimanthudu'' opposite Mahesh Babu, Anees Bazmee's comedy ''Welcome Back'', alongside John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar and the Tamil films ''Puli'', co-starring Vijay and ''Vedalam'', opposite Ajith Kumar, marking her first collaboration with both the actors.In 2016 she appeared in ''Rocky Handsome'' opposite John Abraham for the second time and in the Telugu film ''Premam'', opposite Naga Chaitanya which was a remake of the Malayalam film ''Premam''. She was signed to the fantasy film ''Sangamithra'', directed by Sundar. C, in which she was to play a warrior. However, citing date issues, she opted out of the film.In 2017, she appeared in ''Katamarayudu'', which marked her second collaboration with Pawan Kalyan, ''Si3'', with Suriya, for the second time, and ''Behen Hogi Teri'' alongside Rajkummar Rao. She made her American television debut in 2019 with the action drama series ''Treadstone'' in which she had a recurring role.

Hiatus, return to films and recent work (2018–present)

Following a three years of hiatus in Indian films, Hassan returned in 2020 with the short film ''Devi'', followed by ''Yaara'' opposite Vidyut Jammwal and in the Amazon Prime anthology film ''Putham Pudhu Kaalai'' in which she appeared in the segment ''Coffee, anyone?'' directed by her cousin Suhasini Maniratnam.Later in 2021, she appeared in the Telugu action film ''Krack'' opposite Ravi Teja, marking their second collaboration after the 2013 film ''Balupu''. She also worked opposite Jammwal in the Mahesh Manjrekar film ''The Power''.Following a three years of hiatus in Indian films, Hassan returned in 2020 with the short film ''Devi'', followed by ''Yaara'' opposite Vidyut Jammwal and in the Amazon Prime anthology film ''Putham Pudhu Kaalai'' in which she appeared in the segment ''Coffee, anyone?'' directed by her cousin Suhasini Maniratnam.Later in 2021, she appeared in the Telugu action film ''Krack'' opposite Ravi Teja, marking their second collaboration after the 2013 film ''Balupu''. She also worked opposite Jammwal in the Mahesh Manjrekar film ''The Power''. Later that year, she starred in three other projects, which include the Pawan Kalyan starrer ''Vakeel Saab'', Netflix anthology ''Pitta Kathalu'' in the segment directed by Nag Ashwin and Vijay Sethupathi's ''Laabam''.Hassan will appear alongside Prabhas in ''Salaar'', where she will be seen as Aadhya. The film was supposed to release on September 28, 2023, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it has now been indefinitely postponed.

Personal life and other work

Haasan earlier dated London-based actor Michael Corsale, of Italian descent. She broke up with him in 2019. She is in a relationship with the multidisciplinary visual artist, Santanu Hazarika, since 2020.Haasan is deeply spiritual and has a tattoo of Hindu deity Murugan's Vel on her body. Speaking about her tattoo, Shruti said, "I have always been spiritually inclined. Lord Murugan's Vel has a special place in my heart, and I wanted to showcase my devotion through this tattoo."She is associated with a lot of social causes. She has been associated with the RPG Foundation, an NGO committed to women's empowerment. She was a part of Julio Ribeiro campaign for Jammu and Kashmir floods of 2014, where she donated a large sum for the cause. For Bal Asha Trust, Mumbai, she organized an online clothes sale and promoted circular fashion. In 2019, she attended a painting exhibition, to raise funds for children of Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children.In 2014, she lent her voice for a digital campaign called TeachAIDS to spread AIDS awareness. Haasan made her Cannes Film Festival appearance in 2017, where she also graced the red carpet for British author Neil Gaiman. She has ramp walked at the Lakme Fashion Week and has been cover model for various magazines.Haasan has performed at various film awards and other events. She has done music gigs in London. She was signed as the brand ambassador for WWF India. Haasan also conducted an online session on social topics such as mental health, women in films and media, and sustainability in fashion.

Controversy

Haasan has been surrounded by various controversies. Post her debut, the actress went under the knife for her nose to get that perfect face. She received several criticisms for the same. She said, "As far as my nose surgery goes, it's a choice I made, even after my first film was done because my nose was broken. I didn't like the way it felt. I didn't like the way it looked. It was a personal choice. Nobody asked me to fix it."