Two years after her first single Edge, actor and musician Shruti Haasan released She Is A Hero, which focuses on the struggles and triumphs of women while celebrating them. Penned, composed and sung by Haasan, the track that also features rapper MC Altaf, released on September 9. It is the first release from her art label Blck, which she founded with her boyfriend, visual artiste Santanu Hazarika, and lawyer-entrepreneur Priyanka Khimani.
In an exclusive conversation with News18, Haasan sheds light on bringing She Is A Hero to life and how it had its genesis in one of her early diary entries. “I had a line in a poem that I had written long ago that goes like, ‘She has a fever and it’s burning her up from the inside.’ I wrote it from my point of view as I write autobiographically, but I’m sure that we’ve all felt that way. The one thing that truly resonates with me is the power, strength and conviction of women, be it the women I’ve seen or even those I haven’t met. This song was born from that perspective,” she elaborates.
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The track has been produced by Karan Parikh and Karan Kanchan with additional words by lyricist Niranjan Iyenger. Talking about the process of making and releasing the single, Haasan shares, “Santanu, my partner, had an art exhibit where MC Altaf and Karan Kanchan had agreed to collaborate on the song. Eventually, I played it to Altaf. He really liked it and I was excited to see what he comes up with and I must say that he truly elevated the song. I really like the way he raps and the things he talks about. What he came up with was moving because it had a lot of reverence for women from the male gaze. To me, that was really meaningful. It was a true collaborative experience.”
What’s also special about She Is A Hero is that it marks Haasan’s first collaboration with Hazarika, who was the creative director on it. He also designed the artwork on the album. Quiz her if working with her partner added a new dynamic to their relationship and the 36-year-old states, “We’re very professional and we don’t take personal things for granted. I value and respect his artistry very much.”
She further adds, “Work and personal life is separate. I’m a huge fan of Santanu’s work and I don’t take his artistry for granted ever. To have him be a part of this project and in the way in which he lent himself is brilliant.”
So, were there any creative conflicts while working on the single? “Not at all! We’ve good communication overall, so we were fine,” remarks the Laabam (2021) and Best Seller actor.
Known for her edgy and Gothic sartorial sensibility, Haasan is seen bringing it to the fore in the music video of She Is A Hero too. She reveals that it was her idea to go Goth to strongly convey her message and says, “My heroes have been musicians I love, who represent their thought processes through their clothing as well. Jonnhy Cash (American singer-songwriter) is one of my favourites. He was known as the man in black. Whether it is Elvis Presley or Beyoncé, fashion is a big part of musical expression. So, going all black and Goth was a conscious decision.”
She Is A Hero also stands out as it features a bunch of girls from the NGO, Shiksha Seva Foundation. For the Stereophonic Sannata (Shamitabh; 2015) singer, including them meant representing the future generation of women change-makers.
“The current generation in the video is represented by me. But then I wanted the future generation as well. We thought about bringing child actors and our friends’ daughters onboard. But I also had an idea to add a true social element to the video because the song is very socially motivated. My publicist Mansi Mehta does a lot of work in this field and works with a number of organisations. She suggested Shiksha Seva Foundation. To have these children be a part of the video is the most special thing for me. All the artwork that you see on the walls in the video is done by these kids. They’re such artistic and beautiful souls!” she expresses.
Recently, actor Sobhita Dhulipala took to Instagram, lauding She Is A Hero and she stated that Haasan’s angst-ridden vocals seems like a prayer. Talking about the response that she has been receiving from her peers, she shares, “They’ve all been really supportive. A lot of actors and directors I’ve worked with have been very encouraging about this different form of creative expression from me. I’m very grateful for that.”
