Dad was super safe but still contracted Covid: Shruti Haasan

Actor Shruti Haasan, who has been shooting through the past two years, continues to be paranoid on a film set. While she is relieved that most of the country is vaccinated now, she remarks that the Omicron variant is “a matter of concern across the board”. “I lost a friend to Covid. There are no particular permutations and combinations as to who can contract it but I definitely do believe that vaccination has reduced the impact of the virus,” she says.

Talking about her father, actor-politician Kamal Haasan, who contracted the coronavirus last month, she shares, “My dad was super safe but it still happened. But he has recovered 100% and he has back to shooting. That’s wonderful news to all of us. The hospital was amazing and we’re really thankful to them.”

On the professional front, Haasan plans on donning the hat of a professional author as she is all set to release a book of poetry, penned and compiled by her. She says, “There was something personal that kept developing over time. I could just share them with my friends and family. Since, my job entails writing now, I thought that I might as well compile the poems into a big bundle and share it with everyone.”

She adds, “I’ve been writing since I was 13. As a teenager, poetry was my sanity. Poetry has always been the driving force for me to communicate about myself to myself and maybe find a common thread with somebody else.”

The Vakeel Saab actor, who is also known for her music, says that she gradually took to writing lyrics of her own songs, something that came to her rather naturally. “I love reading poetry and lyrics. I hadn’t ever thought of writing songs but my teacher at music school told me that I should start it, and the most amazing part is that I didn’t have to learn it. I’m still the person who looks up for lyrics online. Hip hop and rap lyrics are so intelligent. I love the way they use words and tell a story,” Haasan concludes.