Danced her way to films

Akshara Haasan will debut with a superstar and an established actor, and says she is ready to explode with excitement

THE GIRL WITH A THOUGHT Akshara Haasan Photo: G.Ramakrishna

Akshara Haasan had to pinch herself after agreeing to part with five minutes on R. Balki, the director’s request. “I answered in the affirmative to his question of whether I would act in his film and then realised what I just said yes to. I asked him what he said and also questioned him; I had heard right. Then came the script and after the script reading, I was like an excited kid who wanted to do the film at any cost,” says Akshara, who was in the city to promote Shamitabh , slated to release on February 6.

Young she is, but Akshara says she warned her family against spoon feeding her about the industry and the attachments that come with it. She clearly told her family, “Don’t feed me with suggestions. I will come back for some when I know I am stuck and when I know I failed to handle a situation,” she said, sipping espresso sans sugar.

The actor born to star couple Kamal-Sarika says she took her time to step into the industry because she was waiting to understand when she would be ready to devote her 100 per cent to acting. But acting wasn’t in her scheme of things while she was busy as an assistant director. Dance, her passion, kept her busy after work and that led her to theatre. “I was only doing a dance sequence in the play. But once on stage I secretly regretted not being a part of the play. Here again things fell in order on their own. I asked for a role in the play as well. I believe in giving my 100 per cent to whatever I do. So when

Shamitabh happened I accepted and agreed to act because I was conscious about my commitment.”

The cat-eyed actor is also someone who wouldn’t mince words. When she faces a battery of questions she takes it as a learning experience and says she processes it as “different ways of asking the same question. Or asking because someone doesn’t understand what is happening. Sometimes it is funny but most times I take it as a learning tool,” says Akshara.

Is the young actress missing her carefree life after stepping into the industry? “Not at all. I still go clubbing, I enjoy my street food and shopping in Mumbai. Now people approach me for photos, I feel awkward about the attention, but then I tell myself, ‘dude, take it when you are getting it’.”