Mumbai: As Shruti Haasan enters her 40s, the actor is looking at the next phase of her professional journey through a perspective shaped by women whose careers continued to evolve beyond conventional age-related timelines.
In a conversation with Soha Ali Khan, Haasan opened up about entering a new decade, the way age can influence the professional environment and the women who shaped her understanding of career longevity.
The actor said she finds this phase of her life exciting, particularly because she grew up viewing the careers of women as something that could become more interesting with time.
‘I always looked at careers of women being much more interesting’
Speaking about what excites her about entering her 40s, Haasan said her outlook was influenced by the examples of women she admired.
“The thing I find exciting is maybe it was just my good fortune that I always looked at careers of women being much more interesting,” she said.
Haasan explained that she had developed this perspective much earlier in life. Even while she was in her 20s, she noticed women who continued to build significant and interesting careers after crossing their 30s.
“Past 40, even in my 20s I was like, oh look at Kate Plant, look what she’s doing. She did all that past 35, 36,” she recalled.
Her observations helped shape her understanding of professional growth as something that could continue across different stages of life, rather than being restricted to a particular age.
Madonna and Asha Bhosle among her influences
Haasan also highlighted musicians whose careers have influenced her outlook. She cited Madonna as one of her biggest influences and referred to legendary singer Asha Bhosle while speaking about women who continued to remain creatively active over the years.
“Even musicians, Madonna, who is like one of my biggest influencers, Aasha ji, whoever you say, these women just did not have a number on them. So that by default became my template,” she said.
For Haasan, these examples became a personal template for understanding career longevity. Rather than viewing age as a definitive marker for what a woman can or cannot pursue professionally, she said the women she admired demonstrated that careers could continue to take different directions.
A new decade, but an evolving career
Haasan’s comments come as she enters another phase of a career that has included acting as well as music and other creative pursuits. Her perspective reflects the influence of artists who have continued to explore their work across several decades.
The actor’s approach to turning 40 is therefore less about marking an endpoint and more about recognising another stage of professional and creative evolution. The examples she encountered while growing up appear to have given her a framework in which age does not necessarily dictate ambition or the possibilities available to women.
Her comments also highlight the significance of representation and diverse career paths for women in the entertainment industry. For Haasan, seeing women continue to work, experiment and evolve beyond their 30s helped establish a broader understanding of what a long-term career could look like.
Looking beyond conventional timelines
As she begins this new decade, Haasan’s perspective remains centred on the idea that professional journeys can develop in unexpected ways. The women she admired — from actors to musicians — demonstrated to her that creative careers need not be defined by a number.
Her reflections with Soha Ali Khan underline how those examples continue to inform the way she approaches her own career. Rather than treating 40 as a fixed milestone, Haasan sees it as another point in a journey that can continue to evolve.