After working in the Malayalam film industry for the major part of her acting career, Shruthy Menon is making a niche for herself in the Hindi film industry with projects such as The Test Case, His Storyy, Ray and Ganapath. We spoke to Shruthy about her latest work, the drama series Shehar Lakhot streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

How did you land the role in Shehar Lakhot?

Shruthy Menon: Casting director Jogi Malang gave me a call and his assistants took my audition. They prepped me very well in terms of what the director was looking for. The audition scenes were tough though. Then there was a delay of about a few months. I did not hear back from them. And one fine day, I got a call saying they would like to meet me. I went to the office of Off Road Films, where I met Shehar Lakhot’s director Navdeep Singh and co-producer Khalil Bachooali. They said that the role was mine. It took me a few minutes for it to sort of sink in. But yeah, the role was mine.

What was your first interaction with director Navdeep Singh like?

Shruthy Menon: In the very first interaction, he was not very talkative. But he said something which was quite refreshing. He said, ‘You go through the script and see what you like. There are certain things and some intimate scenes. If you are comfortable with it, then let’s go ahead’. It was quite flattering to hear that from a director like him. That excited me a lot, and I instantly knew that this was going to be a lot of fun to work on. He just said, ‘Read the script and let me know.’ That was my first interaction with Navdeep Singh. After that, of course, we did a lot of workshops.

What about Sandhya, the character you play in Shehar Lakhot, appealed to you the most?

Shruthy Menon: What appealed to me the most about Sandhya was that this girl had a lot of struggles. She was ostracized by society but she owned up to her negatives. She had to do something with her life and she went in whichever direction was available to her but she owned it, as opposed to having a moral compass to rule her decisions and then not achieving what she wanted. She let her dark side come through and shine. That’s what appealed to me the most about Sandhya. She’s an absolute fighter, which I enjoyed playing. Sandhya is the most unpredictable character in the show. You just could not say what was going on in her head.

There’s a slapping scene between you and Priyanshu Painyuli. Was it challenging to do?

Shruthy Menon: Oh my. We were all set to shoot in the lovely winter of Rajasthan, around October-November. But it just so happened that there was some technical glitch somewhere and we had to postpone the shoot. We ended up shooting in Udaipur in the middle of summer at 40-41 degrees Celsius. The geography of the location was a bit challenging.

The most challenging day for me was when Sandhya and Dev (Priyanshu Painyuli) had a confrontational scene. The premise of the show is that Dev returns to his hometown Shehar Lakhot after a decade. And Sandhya is like, where were you all these years? He says something out of line and Sandhya slaps him.

We shot the entire night. This was the last scene we had to shoot because Sandhya was coming back from work early in the morning. So, we were shooting and suddenly the sun, the light was changing. If the light is changing, you have to do a retake. And retake means the slap goes again. Then suddenly traffic started coming on the streets. So, we had to reshoot. There were people walking in and out of the frame. I must have slapped Priyanshu at least seven-eight times. And no matter how technically you slap, it’s a human being; he would get hurt. After a point, it was just uncomfortable to do it. But as actors, this is what we are trained for. And no matter how much you say sorry, and your co-actor understands that this is the actor’s job, the pain remains on the face.

What were your takeaways from working with an ensemble cast in Shehar Lakhot?

Shruthy Menon: As cliche as it might sound, all of us would spend time together in between shots. We would wait for each other to finish a scene to have meals together. It came very organically. We still meet and catch up over coffee. Nobody tried to be anybody’s friend. We just got along so well. That was my most important takeaway from Shehar Lakhot. Also, you get to learn a lot from everyone when there are so many creative minds around.

Most of your work until now has been in the Malayalam film industry. How has that experience helped you enter the Hindi film industry?

Shruthy Menon: Of the 10-11 Malayalam films that I have done, about nine directors were state award winners and National Award winners. The discipline that is there in the Malayalam film industry and the kind of characters and stories that they write have shaped my thought process, which has given me confidence.

I have experienced failures. I did my first project when I was 16. I have been around for a long time. I have got yelled at on the set; I have cried on the set. I have been through so much while working with these accomplished directors, and that is what gave me the confidence to enter the Hindi film industry.

You made your Hindi film debut with Ganapath this year. What are your Hindi movie dreams?

Shruthy Menon: I have been an out-and-out Bollywood film kid. I grew up on Hindi film music. I have some professional Carnatic singers in my family, my uncles and my aunts. So, I’ve grown up listening to Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle. This has been a part of my understanding of films. There are a few kinds of roles I would like to play. Being a part of the Hindi film industry is a dream that I have nurtured from a very young age. And now, even via OTT, via Ganapath, I have started to realise my dream. And who knows what’s coming up next.

Is modelling still a very integral part of your work life?

Shruthy Menon: Yes, modelling is still very much a part of my life. It is something that I enjoy tremendously. I don’t see why I should give up modelling. When you are a model, you have to take care of so many things about your appearance when you are in front of a camera because there are no lines, there is no character to portray. It’s just your exterior beauty that they see. So, that has always kept me grounded — taking care of myself, my skin, and my body and in turn has kept me disciplined. These are the basic foundations that I have gotten from modelling. These things make me who I am.

Your social media profile is full of fitness and travel photos and videos. Is that how you unwind after work?

Shruthy Menon: I travel tremendously but not as a tourist. I don’t go to the most popular places to do the popular things. I try and live in a particular country or a place that I go to. I like to go to a little town and see how the locals live, and eat local food at a local place.

While traveling, I disconnect from the industry, work and everything that is here in the city. That refreshes me, rejuvenates me, gives me perspective. Sometimes you are stuck with some problem in life. When I travelled and spent time with myself, I realised that the answer is always right there in front of us but we can’t see it because we are so consumed with everyday life. Other than that, I read books. I have a small library in my house where I just sit and read. It really helps me unwind.