Akshara Hassan begins media interviews for Shamitabh, with a disclaimer: 'My Hindi is not the best." Her eyes widen in panic as questions are thrown at her in rapid succession in Hindi. She struggles with the appropriate usage of verbs and gender. The relief is visible when the interviewer directs a question at co-star Dhanush. When he turns to her for help, she cracks up. "I can't believe I'm translating Hindi questions for someone else. I am the last person to do that," she laughs.

Later, while sipping coffee in her room, she appears at ease. "It's a little daunting but I'm getting better," Hassan says. Though never far from the world of films, born to stars Sarika and Kamal Hassan, Shamitabh came to her when she least expected it. "While working as an assistant director to Rahul Dholakia nearly a year ago, I was trying to hail a rickshaw to get home after a particularly long edit session. That's when R Balki spotted me and called me for an audition soon after," says the 23-year-old, who has assisted Dholakia on his feature film, Society, starring her mother Sarika.

It wasn't her first film offer. Hassan was to make her debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Kadal but turned it down. "I simply wasn't ready to be an actor then. I wanted to travel and experiment with different art forms," she says. Trained in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, salsa and hip-hop, Hassan says it was dance that led her in the right direction. "I was working on a dance theatre adaptation of Devdutt Pattanaik's story The Pregnant King. While rehearsing for it, I discovered that I loved acting as much as dancing," she says. Soon after, she was offered Shamitabh.

Hassan, whose elder sister Shruti has lent her voice for a song in the film, says their parents never hand-held either of them through their careers. "They told us: 'If you want to make a mark, do it yourself'." In the movie, Hassan plays the role of an assistant director who tackles the egos of two difficult actors. Though the movie has opened to mixed reviews, she has been complimented for delivering a sincere performance. "After Shamitabh, I am aware of my strengths and limitations as an actor."

An avid movie buff, she's currently binging on German, Korean and Turkish cinema, apart from catching up on the Oscar contenders for this year. "I want to expose myself to different streams arts - music, cinema and dance - and allow myself to grow."