Akshara Haasan, 23, couldn't have asked for a better, and also challenging, debut in Shamitabh. Directed by R Balki (Cheeni Kum and Paa), the film features Haasan alongside South superstar Dhanush and legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan. Daughter of renowned actor Kamal Haasan and Sarika, Akshara can't tell us much about her role in the film other than that she essays a character who "is quirky, knows what she wants and is headstrong". "You can't mess with her," says Haasan. Here are a few things we learned from our chat with the soft-spoken Haasan who is yet to get accustomed to the limelight.

She was having a bad day when R Balki first spotted her.

"I was outside Pixion [a studio in Bandra] when he saw me. I had landed there almost immediately after finishing shooting a commercial in Goa. I was one of the assistant directors on the ad film. I just left my stuff at home, took a quick shower and was at the studio, which is only five minutes away from home. I didn't even know he [Balki] was there. I had finished a really long session of edit. I had had barely any sleep. I was not looking my best. I was just relieved that the work was over. I just desperately wanted an auto to go home. I knew I could walk home but I was too exhausted then."   

She likes to dance. A lot.

"I started dancing when I was eight, learning jazz in Chennai. Then I moved to Latin ballroom - cha cha, salsa and jive. Thereafter, I learned hip hop and ballet. I got the freedom to try these styles because at the Academy of Modern Danse [in Chennai] you had them all of them under one roof. It was out of pure passion for dance that I learned so many styles. There are so many more dances out there to learn. I also trained for a year in two classical styles as well - bharatanatyam and kuchipudi with Dr Padma Subrahmanyam and Sailaja respectively.  Then I moved to Mumbai in 2009. You will see me dance a bit in Shamitabh."

She is not a trained actor.

Prior to Shamitabh, Haasan had not faced the camera other than stand in to give a look test to the actor/model, during her stint as an assistant director. She has been filmmaker Rahul Dholkia's DA (director's assistant) as well as assisted Ruchi Narain. Having been behind the camera, she understands what a technical person goes through when dealing with the actors. "Just saying 'Thank You' to a spot or a light man, it means the world to them. I know what it means when you have worked so hard and you don't even hear a Thank You."

Growing up in Chennai, Haasan spoke little Hindi. Before shooting the film, she went for Hindi diction classes. "I trusted Balki Sir completely," says Haasan. "I knew he'd not let me get lost [in the film]. I knew he'd guide me and let me shine equally as others. He had faith in me to deliver as an actor when I have not performed before. It meant so much more. It made me want to work harder."

Remembering her first day on the sets in Mumbai, she says, "While facing the camera, I just froze. I was really lost. Without Balki Sir I wouldn't be able to do it. I was struggling to loosen up or even make myself move." It was later in Goa that she worked with Bachchan. Talking about the experience, she says, "Oh my gosh! From somewhere I got some guts to see him as just another actor. When I had to throw a bucket of water on him, I was like, 'How do I do this? Why are you making me do this? This is not fair."

She has drawn qualities from both her mother and father.

Akshara's parents split when she was 10. "I became a little extra sensitive to things around me," she says. "Shit happens. You can't do much other than pick yourself up and move forward. I am happy with the person I am today. I have become stronger. We have been there for each other when we needed each other."
Talking about older sister Shruti, she says, "I jabber a lot more than her. She is a bit reserved at times. We both love meeting new people. We are both crazy in our own way."

Akshara gives her parents the credit for teaching her the importance of "discipline, working hard and giving your 100 per cent." She adds, "I don't take things for granted. We were taught to value the smallest of things in life. Be sensitive to things around you."

She couldn't care less about looks.

"You are beautiful the way you are. Don't try to be somebody else. If they don't like you, too bad ask them to fly a kite. It's OK if there are not many people who like you genuinely for who you are. Better to have a few of them by your side."