Shruti Haasan recently opened up about the challenges she faced growing up under the shadow of her famous father, Kamal Haasan.

In a candid interview, the actress shared how, in her younger years, she would sometimes pretend to be someone else to avoid the constant attention tied to her legendary father’s fame.

As the daughter of two renowned figures, Sarika and Kamal Haasan, Shruti expressed that while she’s incredibly proud of her parents, the incessant questions about her father often left her feeling frustrated.

She recalled how people would constantly refer to her as “Kamal’s daughter,” which made her long for a sense of individuality. To escape this, she even went as far as to tell people that her father was Dr. Ramachandran, the family dentist, and claimed her name was “Pooja Ramachandran”.

Shruti explained that her father’s fame was so overwhelming that she knew from a young age that he was unlike anyone else. Growing up in Chennai, where her father’s posters were everywhere, it was especially hard for Shruti to separate her identity from his.

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“It’s not just that my dad is an actor or a famous person, I knew from childhood that he was different,” she admitted. She went on to say that living in Chennai, where her father’s fame was all-encompassing, made it even harder to carve out her own space.

The actress also spoke about how the strong personalities of both of her parents influenced her upbringing. “I was brought up by two stubborn people, and that rubbed off on me and my sister,” she said, reflecting on how her parents’ determination shaped her.

Shruti also revealed that her move to Bombay after her parents’ separation in 2004 gave her some relief, although the weight of her father’s fame remained ever-present.

Despite the early struggles with her identity, Shruti today embraces her family legacy. “I don’t even want to imagine Shruti without Kamal Haasan,” she said, acknowledging the inevitable connection between her and her father.

On the work front, Shruti Haasan is gearing up for the release of two major films: ‘Salaar Part 2’ and ‘Coolie’, where she will share the screen with Rajinikanth.