Shruti Sinha On Fame, Faith And Finding Herself

A career built on dance, dreams and dedication — Shruti Sinha came to Bombay to build her life and she did just that. A performer at heart and soul, the actress delves into how fame opens doors, but talent keeps you in the room.

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Before Netra, before Campus Beats, Shruti Sinha was a four-year-old who couldn’t imagine a day without dancing. A passionate dancer and a master of all trades, she was well versed in various styles from kathak to ballet to jazz.

She describes dance as a form of oxygen for her stating “As an actor and a performer, dance has helped me immensely. It makes you so much more aware of your body, your expressions, your rhythm, and the way you communicate emotions without saying a word. All of that naturally translates into acting. I genuinely have to give credit to dance for shaping me—not just as a performer, but as a person.”

She wasn’t given anything on a silver platter, so she decided to create her own. From assisting choreographers, working on films and music videos, and doing commercials, she decided to reframe her narrative.

Photograph: (Instagram // @shrutisinhahaha)

Sinha then came to Mumbai, the city of dreams. The world met her through reality television. Dance India Dance in 2015 gave Sinha a name, a platform, a reason to pack her bags for Mumbai. With resilience, patience and a will to achieve her dreams, she came and literally conquered. “Moving from Delhi to Mumbai honestly wasn’t that difficult for me because I genuinely fell in love with the city. I truly believe Mumbai has a way of embracing people who come here with dreams. Of course, there’s struggle, but I think that’s a part of the journey” she says, describing her entry to Mumbai.

Reality TV was hard, but it helped her grow as a person and discover herself and it wasn’t long before she made it to OTT platforms. 2023 is when Campus Beats finally found their Netra and she was thrilled. She wasn’t calculating audience reception, she was simply thrilled to be doing the two things she loves most, acting and dancing, in a single role. The character didn’t come easily. Netra emerged through workshops with creator Palki Malhotra and director Aniruddha Rajderkar, and over three years of playing her, Sinha admits the influence has run in both directions.

“Campus Beats becoming the only Indian OTT show to reach six seasons makes me incredibly proud. It’s a huge milestone, and in many ways, we’ve created history. I think it’s a testament to the love the audience has given the show and to the hard work every single person on the team has put in from the cast to the crew. Everyone has poured their heart into it.” she states.

Netra fights for what’s right and that’s what Sinha learnt to do. Somewhere through the journey, she and Netra became one.

A decade in, with Campus Beats now etched into Indian OTT history, Sinha’s advice to the girl who arrived in Mumbai with nothing but dreams is disarmingly simple: “I’m proud you never stopped believing. Standing here, she says, is proof it was worth it.”