Akshara Haasan, 24, is mad and chilled out, but cannot be pushed around. She knows exactly what she wants and while she will take advice from her parents and sister, she will finally do things her own way. She is sensitive, intuitive and quirky with her own crazy style of dressing. Ahead of her debut drama film Shamitabh, she talks to Bombay Times about her strong mother Sarika, her protective sister Shruti Haasan and what makes her an atheist like her father. Excerpts:

Was being a movie star the obvious career choice for you?
I was born in Chennai and brought up in Chennai. My parents separated when I was about 10. Shruti akka and I moved with my mom to Mumbai in 2002. I went to school here for two years and then moved to a boarding school in Bengaluru. I dropped off from studies post Class XI. I felt that if you can't give 100% to studies, why do it? I would rather fail after giving my 100% in something as against failing after giving my 50% to it. Since my childhood, I have been in love with dance. And I started learning dance from when I was eight, be it salsa, hip-hop or pop. So, post dropping out of school, I decided to take a year off in Chennai to learn dance - Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi, during which time, I stayed with my dad and then returned to Mumbai in 2009. My mom had done a film with Rahul Dholakia sir and was friends with him, so, I started off by being his AD for a film titled Society. As a kid, I would go to his set and do my homework and projects sitting in the van. I wanted to train in dance at the Lasalle Singapore and returned to Chennai to apply with the help of my dance teacher. It was tough to get in and involved selection after auditioning. But as luck would have it, just a few days before I had to make my audition tape, I was dancing when my leg crashed into a pillar and I tore my tissue, my muscle and my nerves, and badly injured my ankle. I was completely heart-broken and shattered. It was a very nasty accident as a result I could not dance for the next one year and went into a sort of depression as I was unable to do something I was so passionate about. After a few months of resting in Chennai, I returned to Mumbai. After recovering, I did a few commercials and a dance-based theatre and realised how I also loved acting. Now I had fallen in love with not just one but two art forms, dance and acting. I was doing a commercial one day and was waiting to catch a rickshaw outside Pixion studio and R Balki sir saw me. We then met much later and he narrated Shamitabh to me. I am a huge fan of Balki sir and obviously would not have left the opportunity to work with him. I can proudly say today that I have two mentors in the film industry - Balki sir and Rahul sir.

Who do you love the most in the world?
Myself and after me, my mom. My mom is the princess and the queen of my life. I connect with both my parents and equally at different levels, but there is a thing that I have with my mom and where there is a bigger connect with her. We have a similar mindset where she is easy-going but you can't push her around. She is a strong woman and I get my strength from her. So, today I can say that I am a strong woman. My mom is a sweetheart. She is very warm and loves feeding people. She likes the fact that I am adventurous and sporty, stress-free, have clarity of thought and can be responsible. Of course, she does not like my slight bit of laziness. My dance teacher Kokila is also like my second mom and if I am talking to her, no matter how much I may cover up, she will know if I am upset.

Talk about your dad?
He is awesome fun. I am a mix of both my parents and get my naughtiness from the both of them. Even at this age, he works out the same like he did 20 years ago. He is so much into fitness. I love that. He is very hardworking and knows what he wants, is very practical and very simple. He simplifies everything. No one can mess with him as he believes that when I am not pushing you over, you don't push me over. I have grown up seeing him do his own stunts. Like my father, I too am an atheist. Being an atheist for me means not to do idol worship. I have been to temples, but do not feel connected. Sometimes I do visit the Mount Mary Church and just sit there for hours looking at different people and just lighting a candle. I am not praying like a religious person would do, but there is something in that place. Also somewhere, I feel talking to the father in the confession box is in some ways therapeutic.

How naughty are you?
I am a big prankster and have always got my sister into trouble for my naughtiness. Mom would ask me who did this and I would say Shruti akka to get her into trouble. I remember once when I was in boarding school in Bengaluru. I must be just 15 and was very bored and fried one Saturday, so, I decided to be adventurous. I was always hungry and first decided to sneakily take tuck from somewhere. I then walked up to the terrace. I found a hard plastic suitcase. And I decided that it is mine and I started lugging it down. Then I thought why not surf down the stairs. So I put on my horse-riding helmet, put gaddas on both sides of the staircase, asked two friends to push me down and started surfing downwards sitting on the suitcase till I finally went and smashed into the glass at the end of the staircase. I knew I was in trouble and was detained and suspended by my dormitory mam, but finally negotiated with her and managed with just a detention.

How painful was the separation of your parents for you?
It actually gave me strength and helped define who I was, but as a kid I did feel shit ya. People looked at me differently and there was a lot of pity, which I didn't need at all. But I would say to myself, 'Dude shit happens and I can't do anything about it'. I became more sensitive as a person and maybe more stronger. I also became over adjusting towards my mother, which also worried her.

How different are you from your sister Shruti Haasan?
She is a lot more headstrong than I am. Our likes and dislikes are very different. I am more the boyish type, whereas she has a more womanly side to her than I do. We have a true sister bond and she is very protective about me.

Your experience working with Amitabh Bachchan?
To be honest, anyone would be intimidated by Mr. Bachchan. He has that large majestic energy. I would take so much time while he would patiently be waiting there. I didn't want to piss him off. I kept thinking before meeting him, how do I greet him, do I say Hello sir or Namaste sir. What do I say? I love the way he says, 'Namaskar!' My mom took me to the set of Yudh to meet him. He is so chilled out and kept trying to easen me up. He was so kind and I will never forget that. If I got stuck in a scene, he would ask, 'Do you want some help?' I would say no and he would again say, 'Let me show you.' He made me so comfortable that by the end of the schedule we felt a bond and that is only because of him.

What about working with Dhanush?
He is very quiet and keeps to himself but when the camera comes on, he transforms into somebody else. He is not just powerful on screen, he is also powerful in person and you can get carried away just seeing him performing.

You were earlier dating Vivaan Shah. Are you still friends?
Yes, we are still friends. He is a very good and genuine person and works very hard.

Do you ever want to be a director?
That plan is there. I do write on the side. I have stories and concepts in my mind. I get that from my father.

Is Tamil cinema an option for you?
Yes, but not right now. Having started in Bollywood, I need to first get my feet grounded here.