Shruti Haasan to star in Indo-UK co-production ‘Chennai Story’

Actress Shruti Haasan will headline India-UK film co-production Chennai Story. She is all ready to take forward a culturally rooted story to an international audience. Shruti said: “Hailing from Chennai, a story showing the diversity and uniqueness of Chennai is so special to me. Working with Phil is something I’m so excited to experience, telling global and rooted stories through international collaboration is what making films is all about. I’m all up for Sunitha Tati’s vision of taking a culturally rooted story to an international audience through Chennai Story.”

Shruti Haasan, who is also a renowned musician, has acting credits across India’s various language film industries.

In 2023, she was one of the leads in Salaar, one of India’s biggest hits of the year, and led British thriller The Eye. In 2019, she had a key role in US series Treadstone.

Adapted from Timeri N. Murari’s bestselling 2004 novel The Arrangements of Love, Chennai Story is a coming-of-age romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Wales and India where Haasan takes on the pivotal role of Anu, a spunky private detective.

The role was previously supposed to be played by Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who is now taking a year’s sabbatical due to health reasons. The cast also includes Viveik Kalra, who was the lead in Blinded by the Light and is currently in Netflix heist thriller Lift.

The film is written and directed by BAFTA winner Philip John (Downton Abbey) and co-written by British Sri Lankan actor Nimmi Harasgama, who played the female lead in Funny Boy.