Millions of us have fallen in love with This Is Going to Hurt character Shruti since the series began – but is she real?
Viewers know that the black comedy drama is based on the bestselling diaries of former doctor Adam Kay.
Much of what happens on screen is based on real life events.
Ben Whishaw portrays the real life Adam Kay, and viewers have been wondering if Shruti is also based on a real person.
So is This Is Going to Hurt character Shruti real? Here’s everything you need to know.
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This Is Going to Hurt – who is Shruti?
This Is Going to Hurt introduced viewers to the character of young trainee Shruti Acharya.
She’s a struggling junior just starting in obstetrics and gynaecology, and placed under the tutelage of Adam.
Naturally bright, diligent and caring, she has everything it takes to be a great doctor…
Shruti begins as an eager and hopeful newcomer, dreaming of doing good in the world.
But the stress of the job, and lack of support soon take their toll – and it’s heartbreaking to see.
In episode three, Shruti became suspicious of a patient’s partner, and suspected she was in an abusive relationship.
Other doctors, including Adam (played by Ben Whishaw), had been too busy to spot it.
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This Is Going to Hurt – is Shruti real?
Although This Is Going to Hurt is a dramatisation of real events, the character of Shruti is NOT real.
Shruti Acharya does not feature in Adam Kay’s book on which the series is based.
She is not modelled on a real person.
Adam’s colleague Shruti was a character especially created for the TV adaptation to hammer home the pressures put on junior doctors and how it can impact their mental health.
They are often under-supported, underpaid, and overwhelmed.
Actress Ambika Mod, who plays Shruti in the cast of This Is Going to Hurt, said she tried to make the character as “authentic and real” as possible.
She said: “She’s so complex. She’s so well written. She exists in and of her own right and she has an amazing arc.
“You just don’t get young south Asian women written like that.
“When you’re auditioning, you see a lot of the same tropes again and again, so not only was Shruti as a character really refreshing to play but I also think she’s important.
“It’s who she represents in terms of her job, her age group, her ethnic minority, her class – she’s a working-class character.
“But, at the same time, she is just one person. She can’t possibly represent every person who comes under those umbrellas.
“I just tried to make her experience as authentic and real as possible.”
Who plays Shruti in This Is Going to Hurt?
Actress and comedian Ambika Mod, 27, portrays Shruti in This Is Going to Hurt.
She’s a relative newcomer to TV, and made her first appearance in the 2018 short film Fair Bnb.
Ambika went on to appear in The Mash Report, Granddaughter, The B@it, and Trying.
Most recently, Ambika played Samah in the BBC Two sitcom Martin Fishback.
Her groundbreaking role in This Is Going to Hurt is Ambika Mod’s first serious acting role.
Until the character of Shruti came along, Ambika was a comedian.
She told The Guardian: “I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was a kid, but I found comedy and it swept me away.
“There’s no better feeling than standing on stage and making people laugh.”
After university, Ambika juggled a paying day job with standup and improvisation at night.
After filming This Is Going to Hurt, Ambika returned to standup, where she does “self-deprecating” material.
One day she hopes to have her own successful TV show.
This Is Going to Hurt continues on Mondays at 9pm on BBC One, and in BBC iPlayer.
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