Shruti Hassan

Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and singer, who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films.

Shruti Rajalakshmi Haasan was born to actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika in Chennai, India. She also has a younger sister named Akshara, who represents India nationally for Ballroom Latin dancing.

Haasan studied at Abacus in Chennai, until 10th grade, when she moved to Mumbai to study psychology at St Andrew’s College. Later Haasan shifted her focus to cinema and music, and eventually travelled to the USA to continue to learn music at the Musicians Institute in California, before returning to Chennai.

Shruti Haasan sang her first song aged just six in her father's Thevar Magan in the composition of Ilaiyaraaja. Later while pursuing her studies in school, Haasan made her singing debut in the Hindi language film, Chachi 420, singing a duet performing for the voice of a child, with her father Kamal Haasan, who also directed the film.

Shruti Haasan's second song came in Hey Ram, where she sang the bilingual versions of the title theme, Rama Rama with her father, in Hindi and in Tamil. The album from Ilayaraaja, which was critically praised, won Haasan accolades for her efforts with reviewers, Screen India praising that she "has the makings of a good singer, and with some training she should go great guns".

Shruti Haasan had the opportunity to sing with veteran singer K J Yesudas for the movie 'En Mana Vaanil' under Ilaiyaraaja's music. The song was 'Roattorap paattuch chaththam'. The movie was released in 2002. She has sung in a Tamil film, for Gautham Menon's Vaaranam Aayiram under the composition of Harris Jayaraj. As of November 2008, Haasan is also midway through her untitled debut album, which she has composed, written and sung, and is set for release in mid-2009.