Being bold is in her nature and standing up for what’s right is a commendable trait that she possesses. From impressing movie audiences with her performances in films like Lucia, Urvi and Nathicharami to being one of the few South Indian actresses to expose her alleged abuser in the #MeToo movement, actress Sruthi Hariharan’s life has created waves, both onscreen and offscreen

How did your tryst with films happen?
I was on set as a background dancer and I remember seeing the lead actress and wondering how her life would be. My interest in acting started off as a small curiosity and then one day, someone asked me if I’d be interested in doing films. I decided to give it a shot – it took me two to three years to make things work before Lucia happened. In those days, making a portfolio was not so easy and was an expensive affair. When you don’t have support, you have to figure out everything by yourself.

You’re making your directorial debut. Tell us more about that.
The film is going to be a coming of age story of a 50-year-old woman who breaks all the shackles of the system and everything that entraps her as a person and finally finds herself. The genre is comedy and it is one part of a five-story network narrative film. All films are based on Kannada literature and are directed by different directors. We hope to go on floor early next year. I’ve always been curious about what happens behind the camera and given that I come from a management background, I wanted to explore it. I had planned to study screenwriting abroad, but that never happened. Later on, I produced two short films which gave me an opportunity to explore what happens behind the camera.

What are your upcoming projects?
I have NS Shankar’s film Eega which is ready for release and I have a bilingual film called The Verdict which is in Tamil and English. It’s a story set in Austin, Texas and I travelled to the US to shoot it. I also have Cheetah with Prajwal Devaraj where I play the antagonist, which is a very interesting space for me. While I play the titular character in Paramvah’s Strawberry, Saaramsha is a multi-starrer and an independent film with a whole new team. I really want to be part of a biopic or period film. One more genre that I want to explore is a war film where the role will require a lot of athleticism.

How important is it for your character to have a strong role in the films you’re doing?
I always try to find meaning in whatever I do, especially as a creative person. If the role is morally against certain values or ideologies that I believe in, I tend to stay away from it. I also don’t prefer to take up the project if I have to work with a team that I disagree with. I have now reached a point where I understand that at some level, a film chooses you too. Whatever roles are coming to me in Kannada seem interesting.

You’ve won a National award for Nathicharami. How did that feel?
It’s great motivation and encouragement for sure, but as the late Sanchari Vijay (my co-star in Nathicharami who’s also a close friend) said – don’t expect work just because you’ve won an award. Being able to continue getting work is a whole different ballgame, irrespective of what award you win.

Now that you’ve done a Tamil film, will we see you more in other languages?
I’ll take it as it comes. I have never been the kind to go looking for work actively. I know that it could be considered a flaw or a weakness. Asking is something I can’t do – it’s not because I have an ego issue, but I believe that if it’s meant for me, it will come to me. I don’t know if that’s a good attitude to have, but that’s who I am.

You’ve been posting fitness videos online. When did the fitness bug bite you?
I’ve always looked at myself as a dancer and I’ve never really hit the gym as much as I did in the last six months. I actually did it for a role which required me to lose weight, but that movie got pushed indefinitely. I also had a lot of postpartum weight, which is very hard to lose as your hormones and whole system changes post pregnancy. I also ended up with a lot of body issues which I’d never had previously. It started affecting my personal life to such an extent that at one point, I enrolled myself into a naturopathic centre in Kerala. They put me on a strict diet which made lose a lot of weight. And there was a switch that went on in me which pushed me towards taking fitness seriously. Once you start seeing results, then there’s no stopping you.

You’ve posted some fashionable pictures recently. What does fashion mean to you?
I love fashion and I enjoy looking at people who are wearing nice and fun clothes. I’m interested in design and understand the importance of styling. Fashion has always intrigued me and I’ve enjoyed wearing nice clothes. Fashion to me is something that’s super comfortable and something that makes you feel super confident. My favourite designers apart from my designer friends are Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, Hemanth and Nandita.

How has life changed post motherhood?
Life has been phenomenal. For two years, I was a very anxious mom, but once my daughter Janaki crossed two years of age, we started letting go of a few things. We started enjoying the process more consciously. She’s now four and a half years old – we get to have great conversations with her and enjoy with her. Everyday, she surprises us with something she’s learnt whether it’s reading or writing. She’s now learning numbers and having fun with them. Janaki is the best part of life right now. Nowadays, there’s so much information about parenting and so many conversations surrounding it. We want to do things the right way and give her the best opportunities.

How is your husband Raamkumar as a partner and as a father?
He’s the best father ever. He’s patient, plays with Janaki and is extremely involved. I’m able to work so much because Raam is a hands on dad. He’s extremely supportive and wonderful and that’s how it ought to be. If I have a ten day project, I know he can take care of things and I can go ahead with my work. As a partner, he’s a friend first and that’s what’s kept our relationship going. We dated for 6 years and we’ve been married for 7 years. We both work in industries which are extremely interactive with people with various walks of life. To understand each other’s working schedules and patterns is important.

You exposed your alleged abuser in 2018 during the peak of the #MeToo movement. How has life been since then?
Looking back, I don’t feel any pain or remorse. I only feel stronger and empowered and I now have this fire in me where I want my work to speak. I will definitely continue to lend my voice to important things when it’s necessary. I can now talk about my experience without any emotional attachment. I’m still fighting the defamation case that has been filed against me by Arjun Sarja – my lawyers appear at every single hearing. As for the criminal case I filed against him, it has now been shut. The legal route was too much for me to handle, but I believe my victory and justice happened when I found the courage within me to come out. The good thing that happened as a result of this incident/movement was that now there are more conversations about sexual harassment in the workplace. Also, men will now think twice before making a move on a woman. It’s not normal to be a creep anymore and the movement was imperative in bringing about a systemic social change. This is just the beginning and it was necessary for it to happen. I’m glad I was a small part of something so radical.

How did you exposing your alleged abuser affect your career?
It did affect my career a lot. I was removed from films that I was part of. Even today, the people I’m working with tell me that they’ve been told not to work with me. At the end of the day, choosing to work or not work with someone is a statement by itself. In my case, the male in question was believed by the public and the media mostly supported him. So, when there’s negative publicity about a certain actor, some people don’t want to associate with them because everything comes down to money and business.

Given the hate and misogyny that came your way, do you regret speaking up?
Not anymore – not even a bit. Back in the day, especially in 2019, during my postpartum phase, my peace of mind was severely affected. My mother, my family, my in-laws and husband were bombarded with questions and it was not easy to face it. But now, we’ve all come to an understanding where we know that it was important for me to speak up. With time, we’ve learnt to heal and deal with this in a better manner. I have found strength within myself to put myself out there in the best possible way.