Sruthi Hariharan is ready to don the director’s hat. The actor who rose to fame with her acting debut in the 2013 Kannada film Lucia, directed by Pawan Kumar, will now go behind the camera.
“Direction has been on my mind for a while, but I haven’t really immersed myself,” says Sruthi. She recently directed a music video and admits to enjoying the process.
“Creatively, it’s extremely satisfying. As an actor, usually once we finish our job on the set, we’re done. There is not much to do. But when you work behind the screen, especially as a director, you see the product and you’re in the process until it releases. To be a part of that process is extremely challenging and at the same time gratifying — it’s a beautiful process,” she said.
Based on writer Arpana H S’s Kannada short story, Hips Don’t Lie (from Winner Winner Chicken Dinner and other short stories), the film is about a 48-year-old woman who reconstructs her life according to her terms and beliefs after going through a medical battle.
Sruthi found the story interesting and quirky. “It’s a wacky and unique take on what we’ve been seeing in films these days — women trying to find freedom in their own way has been a part of the narrative in many films,” she said. She credits Mounesh Badiger for suggesting the story.
It is a network-narrative film — five short films by five different directors will be woven together, connecting the narrative. The stories are all adapted from Kannada literature.
The film will go on the floor in the next two-three months and aim for a 2025 release.
Sruthi continues to act in films. Saramsha directed by Surya Vashistta, Eega by N S Shanker and Strawberry by Arjun Lewis, all Kannada films, will hit theatres soon.
She is also shooting for two Tamil films — Sruthi will be seen along with Suhasini Maniratnam and Varalakshmi Sarathkumar in The Verdict which is slated for a 2024 release.
Published 24 November 2023, 23:31 IST