I was not avoiding Bollywood, says Shruti Hassan

Mumbai, Jun 24: Actress Shruti Hassan, who has made a place for herself in the southern film industry, says she was not avoiding Bollywood and commitments down south kept her busy.Shruti made her debut in Hindi films with a cameo appearance in her father Kamal Hassan's 'Hey Ram' in 2000. She was seen in a full-fledged role in 'Luck' (2009) and then in Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji' (2011). However, both the films did not fare well at the box office. The actress feels that she was yet to make a mark in any film industry. "I haven't made my mark anywhere. I am very young and still starting out in the industry," Shruti told PTI here today.The actress is now looking forward to the release of two Hindi films -- Prabhu Deva's 'Ramaiya Vastavaiya' and Nikhil Advani's 'D-Day'.However, Shruti said that through these films, she is not looking to make a foothold in the Hindi film industry."I don't know if there is any strategy that works. I was not avoiding Bollywood. I had commitments down south. I have always looked at it as Indian cinema. It just happened coincidentally that both the films are releasing together. But they are polar opposite films and characters," Shruti said."But I will be doing more Hindi films. You will get to see me more here," she added.Her two Bollywood films are releasing on the same day- July 19. But Shruti is not worried about it and says that it is the concern of producers. "It is always the character and the team that matters. Like in case of 'D Day' the character is strong and different. I feel this role is large guest appearance, Nikhil Advani disagrees with it," she said."I think it is an integral part of the film and I really wanted to do this role. In 'Ramaiya Vastavaiya' the whole love story is about us. In both the films the characters are strong," she added. Talking about 'Ramaiya Vastavaiya', Shruti says she would like to show her real side on screen. "I think no one has ever given me a part that is close to my personality or that people known me as off-screen. I would like that to come across," she added.In 'D Day', Shruti plays the role of a Pakistani prostitute. About her role in this action thriller, she says, "It is extremely intense, layered and complex to play and watch. I liked the part it is the youthful romantic track in the film. It is a turning point in the film." Directed by Nikhil Advani, 'D-Day' stars Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Sandeep Kulkarni and Huma Qureshi in the lead roles.