Shruti Haasan reacts to unfair ‘damsel in distress’ tag for her Coolie role: ‘It is someone else's vision’

Shruti Haasan played Preethi in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie. The film starred Rajinikanth in the lead role.

Updated on: Aug 23, 2025, 16:52:52 IST

By Santanu Das

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Shruti Haasan is basking in the success of her latest release Coolie. Starring Rajinikanth in the lead role, the gangster drama directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj was released in theatres on August 14. Taking to her Instagram Stories, Shruti did an AMA session on Friday where a fan asked her whether it is fair that her character Preethi is shown as a ‘damsel in distress’ in the film.

Shruti Haasan earned praise for her performance in Coolie. (ANI Photo) (Sunil Khandare)

What Shruti said

Shruti posted the question on her Instagram Stories, which read, “Don't you think Preethi's portrayal as a damsel in distress is unfair?” In response, Shruti said in the caption, “She was in distress and it is someone else's vision. Not about fair or unfair.”

About her role in Coolie

Coolie tells the story of a former union leader named Deva (Rajinikanth) who seeks answers after the sudden death of his friend Rajasekhar (Sathyaraj). Preethi plays the daughter of Rajasekhar who then takes the help of Deva to avenge her father's death. In the film, her character is abducted several times.

Meanwhile, Shruti also answered other fans' questions, revealing that her least favourite colour is Yellow and promising to do more Tamil films in the near future.

Ahead of the release, Shruti had spoken to HT in an interview where she shared what made her say yes to the project. "When a project like this comes to you with an actor like that, a director like that, it’s already exciting. But I really liked the character of Preethi and what she brought to the story,” she said.

Coolie also stars Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Upendra and Aamir Khan. The film is produced by Sun Pictures and has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It was released in theatres on 14 August and clashed with Ayan Mukerji’s War 2. It made ₹150 crore worldwide on its opening day. In India, the film has so far crossed ₹230 crore.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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