‘I’m from Chennai, we’re used to…’: Take a tour of Shruti Haasan’s gothic Mumbai home

Every woman can relate to the ritual of entering her sanctuary. “I take off my shoes… I take off my bra… I wear my shorts and my T-shirt, and I chill,” she says. I immediately shower and change.”

From a powder room door etched with a Neil Gaiman quote to an altar housing crystals, tarot decks, and Lord Murugan, Hassan’s home is filled with personality. “Neil Gaiman is my favourite author… this is from the Sandman series,” she explains, gesturing to a dramatic quote. Around her home are art pieces sourced from Goa, Greece, London, and LA. “That’s my Frida Kahlo candle. That was from LA… this is my Mahabharata tarot deck.”

The spiritual mingles freely with the quirky. Shruti points to an energy cleansing spray. “People laugh at me… It’s probably a scam. But it’s a psychological belief.”

One corner has her awards—barely noticeable. “I’m quite under-confident… Little self-doubt is nice, otherwise you become an asshole,” she says, quoting Akshay Kumar: “Rewards, not awards.”

Her dining area is a spiritual jungle—a mix of gnomes flipping the bird (“to say a spiritual ‘F-off’ to what you don’t want in life”), elemental stones, ducks, and trolls. “I loved trolls as a kid… they’re now my least favourite thing,” she jokes.

The musical side of her, often hidden behind her film persona, is very much alive here. “I do vocal exercises every alternate day. This is my new music book—my dad gifted it to me… I write a lot on airplanes. There are no phones, no calls. Being in the sky is really inspiring.”

Shruti also shares her love for darkwave, grime, Korn, and Anirudh’s Leo soundtrack, playfully saying: “More black. More metal. That’s me.” In her words, “I had this attitude of—don’t let social media affect you. But we’re human. I went to therapy… and the more I worked on my mental health, the more I returned to who I was.”

Even her home workouts mirror her essence. “My TRX cable is hidden here… I love MMA. Heavy metal and martial arts are my way to go in life.”

Her two best friends—Adola and Fiona, quirky mannequins named after a Russ Millions track, sit by the piano.