Black isn’t just a colour; it’s who I am: Shruti Haasan

Scroll through Shruti Haasan’s social media and you’ll find a feed drenched in black — moody, grungy, and unapologetically her. It’s a reflection of how she has shaped her individuality, on her own terms.

“I always felt a little different.

Not because I was trying to be, but because I saw the world differently. I was drawn to things people found unusual. Heavy metal, horror, even the villains in cartoons. There’s something fascinating about the parts of human nature that people shy away from,” she says.

Those leanings, she recalls, began in childhood. “It all started with Batman and vampires. Dracula also fascinated me. He could turn into a bat, and that just made perfect sense to me! By 12 or 13, I was already into metal music, and dressing in black just felt right. I remember listening to Johnny Cash and reading Edgar Allan Poe and thinking, ‘Yes, I want to be the person in black.’

And honestly, once I went down that path, there was no turning back.”Today, that sensibility shapes not just her fashion but also her artistic choices. “Goth isn’t just a look. It’s a way of seeing the world. For me, it’s about embracing beauty in the shadows, finding poetry in the things people usually avoid,” she reflects.

Her cinematic tastes are just as distinctive. That same sensibility shapes the kind of filmmakers she admires. “Robert Eggers is one director I’d shamelessly fangirl over! Whether it’s The Northman, The Witch or The Lighthouse, his work blows me away every single time,” she admits. But she also points to what’s missing. “The only time I’ve ever been frustrated about representation is watching his films and thinking, ‘I wish he’d make a movie about brown people someday!’ Because let’s be real, everyone in his movies is always so pale! (laughs) If that opportunity ever comes up, I’m going to hunt him down and tell him, ‘I have to be in your film!’”– Shrestha Mukherjee