CHENNAI — Actress, singer, and musician Shruti Haasan says years of living and working across multiple cities and film industries have reshaped her understanding of what home truly means, leading her to see it not as a place on a map but as something deeply personal.
Haasan said she has realized that geography no longer defines her sense of belonging. While she feels a sense of ease and infinite love when she returns to Chennai, she experiences a different kind of warmth in Mumbai and Hyderabad, cities closely tied to her professional life.
“Home is not geography at all for me, is what I’ve realized,” she said, reflecting on how each city has offered its own form of connection and comfort.
Over time, she said, those experiences helped her discover something more profound about herself. Haasan explained that she has learned to find comfort wherever she is, driven by her love for meeting people, understanding cultures, and discovering what resonates with her in every place she visits.
“What I’ve realized is you could probably throw me in the middle of anywhere and if I have to find my comfort, I will,” she said, adding that making a place feel like her own is one of her greatest joys. “Home is really where I am.”
She described home as an internal state rather than an external environment, noting that even the most comfortable physical spaces can feel unsettling if she is not at peace with herself.
“I could be in what is so-called the most comfortable place, including my physical home, and I could be completely discombobulated because I don’t feel at home with myself,” she said. “I am my home and that has given me a great sense of safety and security in navigating anything in life.”
Haasan added that while her father feels like the closest physical embodiment of home to her, her strongest sense of belonging comes from within.
“To me, home has never been geography. It’s never been a person, maybe apart from my dad,” she said. “Nothing’s really been more home than me for myself.”
With a career that continues to take her across cities, languages, and cultures, Haasan’s reflections offer a quiet reminder that belonging is less about an address and more about feeling grounded within oneself. (Source: IANS)
