Shruti Haasan makes singing debut in a café

By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, March 6 Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruti stunned everyone at the Hard Rock Café in Mumbai by belting out her own compositions.

Last week Shruti, accompanied by her father, went to the café with family-friend R. Madhavan in tow. Shruti, who has learnt music abroad, went on stage and belted out a few numbers that left the crowd at the café stunned and begging for more.

"It was unbelievable! We knew Shruti has always been a singer. In fact, she sang in her father's film 'Hey Ram' as a child. Since then, she has pursued singing relentlessly. In fact, Kamalji's friends presumed Shruti was going to be a singer," Madhavan said.

"If she's as good an actress as she's a singer, then I'm glad to say India will have its best singing-actress since Noor Jehan and Suraiya. Yeah, she's that good," said the actor with whom Shruti is making her debut.

Apparently, the crowds at the café couldn't get enough of Shruti's singing.

"Yes! And I was spellbound. I just kept staring at the proud father. And the best thing was Shruti was singing her own compositions! Isn't that cool? It's so easy to make listeners happy with evergreens. Shruti won them over with songs they weren't familiar with."

And now Kamal and Sarika's first-born will be singing for herself in her debut film, which is being directed by Nishikant Kamat.

"Oh yes, definitely," asserted Madhavan. "Shruti will sing in our film. Meanwhile, I'm off to England for some serious body toning so I look compatible with her on screen."

"I realise I have been doing a lot of losing and gaining weight for my roles. But since I'm doing it naturally and not using artificial supplements and drugs, it's not a health hazard. This time my director Nishikant Kamat has issued strict instructions to tone up my physique. Shruti is a very pretty young lady. I can't afford a single ounce of extra flesh when I'm with her."

Madhavan left on Thursday for David Lloyd's health clinic in Kent, Britain, to burn a few serious calories.