Actress Shruti Haasan has spoken about a strange experience at her Mumbai home, where a mannequin she kept started changing positions on its own. The actor said the incident frightened her, and she eventually decided to get rid of it.

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Shruti recently spoke about the incident on Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi's chat show, Double Date. Recalling how things took an uncomfortable turn, she said she eventually dismantled the mannequin, performed spiritual rituals and sealed off her house. According to her, the home has been quiet since.

Shruti said she has occasionally sensed unusual energy in certain places. While she finds her Chennai home peaceful, she felt something was not quite right at her Mumbai residence. The trouble, she recalled, began with a life-sized mannequin she had named Fiona. She had an extra dress that would not fit in her cupboard, so she put it on the mannequin. It soon became a familiar sight for visitors, with some of her friends even greeting it when they entered the house.

However, Shruti claimed that Fiona eventually began appearing in different positions, although nobody had moved it.

The experience reminded her of the mannequins in the 2007 film ‘I Am Legend’, which appear to change positions mysteriously. She said the sight left her shocked and uncomfortable.

"I got rid of her. I dismantled her," Shruti recalled, describing her reaction to the mannequin's movements. She also remembered asking herself, "Who moved you?"

She said she turned to spiritual practices to put an end to the unsettling experience. Shruti played the Hanuman Chalisa and held salt while dismantling the mannequin. She also said she carried out rituals to cleanse the house and sealed it off. The actor added that the atmosphere at home has been peaceful since then.

Shruti also spoke about her personal beliefs and how they differ from the environment in which she grew up. Being spiritual was not something she grew up practising. Her parents, actor Kamal Haasan and actor Sarika, raised her in a largely atheist household, where religious rituals and restrictions were not part of everyday life.

Speaking about her childhood, she said her family did not follow conventional religious practices. She recalled that even the idea of God was unfamiliar to her growing up.

"We grew up in an atheist, secular home. My dad doesn't like it when I say this, but there was no God in our house. There were no restrictions such as not eating non-vegetarian food on Tuesdays. The whole concept of religion and God was very foreign to me. Somewhere, in my childhood, I knew that art was God," she said.

Her outlook, however, changed as she grew older. 

In an earlier conversation on Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast, she explained that her interest in these belief systems was closely linked to the women in her family and the history of female ancestors.

"It was because of the women who came before me that I became interested in the history of Wicca and Paganism. There is a beautiful saying: 'We are the granddaughters of the witches you couldn't burn.' I love that because I feel the bloodline of my female ancestors in me. I feel those lessons," she said.

Wicca is a modern Pagan religion that draws on nature-based spirituality and ritual practices. Shruti has spoken about finding a personal connection with these traditions, even though they were not part of her upbringing.

Her father, meanwhile, has remained openly rationalist about matters of faith. Shruti has previously joked that he is not particularly fond of her discussions about astrology and religion. However, she has also spoken about having the freedom to explore her own beliefs while growing up.

On the professional front, Shruti was seen in a special appearance in the song 'Hellallallo' from Ram Charan's Telugu film ‘Peddi’, which was released in June 2026. She is also associated with upcoming projects, including ‘Aakasamlo Oka Tara’ and ‘Train’.