Kamal Hasan (born 7 November 1954), also spelled as Kamal
Hassan, is an Indian film actor, screenwriter, director,
producer, playback singer, choreographer, lyricist, philanthropist
and dancer. His birth name is Parthasarathy. Kamal Hasan has won
several Indian film awards including four National Film Awards and 19
Filmfare Awards. With seven submissions, Kamal Hasan has starred in
the highest number of films submitted by India for the Academy Award
Best Foreign Language Film. Kamal Hasan's Production Company - Rajkamal
International has produced several of his films.
Kamal Hasan was titled Kalaimamani in 1979, the Padma Shri in 1990,
the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the prestigious French honour Chevalier
of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2016.
After several projects as a child, Kamal Hasan's breakthrough as a lead
actor came in the 1975 drama Apoorva Raagangal, in which he played a
rebellious youth in love with an older woman. He won his first
National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless schoolteacher
who cares for a childlike amnesiac in Moondram Pirai (1983). Kamal Hasan
was noted for his performances in Mani Ratnam's crime film Nayagan
(1987), rated by Time as one of the best films in cinema history as
well as Shankar's vigilante film Indian (1996) which saw him playing
dual roles of a father and a son. Since then he has appeared in a
number of films including Hey Ram (2000), Virumaandi (2004),
Vishwaroopam (2013) which were his own productions and Dasavathaaram
(2008) in which he played ten different roles.
Kamal Hasan was born in a Tamil Family. Kamal Hasan's father's name is D.
Srinivasan who was a lawyer and mother Rajalakshmi was a housewife
. Kamal is the youngest child in his family; his brothers
Charuhasan (born 1930) and Chandrahasan (born 1936) are also lawyers,
and Charuhasan became an actor during the 1980s. Kamal Hasan's sister, Nalini (born 1946), is a classical dancer. He received his primary education in Paramakudi,
Ramanathapuram District, and then moving to Madras (now Chennai) as
his brothers pursued their higher education. Kamal Hasan continued his
education in Santhome, Madras; attracted by film and the fine
arts, he was encouraged by his father. When a physician friend of
Kamal Hasan's mother visited Avichi Meiyappa Chettiar (AVM) to treat his
wife, she brought Kamal Hasan with her. Apparently impressed by
Kamal Hasan's demeanor Suresh Madhavan, M. Saravanan (AVM's son)
recommended him for their upcoming production Kalathur Kannamma.
Kamal Hasan won best actor the President's Gold Medal – Rashtrapathi
Award for his performance in Kalathur Kannamma at age four, and
starred in five more films as a child. He debuted in the Malayalam
film industry in Kannum Karalum (1962). With his father's
encouragement Haasan joined a repertory company (T. K. S. Nataka
Sabha) headed by T. K. Shanmugam, continuing his education at the
Hindu Higher Secondary School in Triplicane. His time with the
theatre company shaped Kamal Hasan's craft, and kindled his interest in
makeup.
After a seven-year hiatus from films Kamal Hasan returned to the industry
as a crew member, playing a few supporting roles. His role as an
adult was in the 1970 film Maanavan, where he appeared in a dance
sequence. Haasan also had a supporting role in Annai Velankani (where
he was assistant director), and appeared in K. Balachander's 1973
film Arangetram. He played the antagonist in Sollathaan Ninaikkiren
and Gumasthavin Magal. Haasan's first serious role was in K.
Balachander's Aval Oru Thodar Kathai (1974). His last supporting role
was in Pattikkaattu Raja, in 1975.
Haasan's second Malayalam film was 1975's Kanyakumari, for which he
won his first regional Filmfare Award. Other Malayalam films were
Kanyakumari and Raasaleela. He played the lead in the Tamil film
Apoorva Raagangal, directed by K. Balachander (for which he won his
first Filmfare Award in Tamil). Its plot involved a young man in
love with an older woman, and the film won the National Film
Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Haasan learned to play the
mridangam for his role.
In 1976, Balachander cast Haasan as a womaniser in Manmadha Leelai;
this was followed by Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu (directed by
S.P. Muthuraman), which won him his second consecutive Regional
Filmfare (Tamil) Best Actor Award. Haasan later appeared in the
Balachander drama Moondru Mudichu. Avargal (1977) concerned the
women's movement; for this role, he learned ventriloquism. The
film was remade in Telugu as Idi Katha Kaadu (1979), with Kamal Hasan
reprising his role. 16 Vayathinile, in which he played a village
bumpkin, won him a third consecutive Best Actor award. In 1977 Haasan
starred in his first Kannada film, Kokila, the directorial debut of
friend and mentor Balu Mahendra. That year he also appeared in a
Bengali film, Kabita, a remake of the Tamil film Aval Oru Thodar
Kathai. In 1978 Kamal Hasan made his Telugu film debut with a lead role in
the cross-cultural romantic film, Maro Charithra, directed by
Balachander. His fourth consecutive Filmfare Award resulted from
Sigappu Rojakkal, a thriller in which he played a psychopathic sexual
killer.
In the 1978 Telugu film Sommokadidhi Sokkadidhi, Kamal Hasan played two
parts. This was also his first collaboration with director Suresh
Madhavan. He also appeared in the musical Ninaithale Inikkum, a
snake-horror film (Neeya) and Kalyanaraman. At the end of the 1970s
he had a total of six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including
four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards.
Haasan's films during the 1980s included 1980's Tamil-language
Varumayin Niram Sivappu, in which he played an unemployed youth; he
also made a cameo appearance in Rajinikanth's 1981 Thillu Mullu.
Kamal Hasan made his Bollywood debut in Ek Duuje Ke Liye, the remake of
his own acted Telugu-language film Maro Charithra directed by K.
Balachander (which earned him his first Filmfare Hindi-language
nomination). He made his 100th film appearance in 1981 in Raja
Paarvai, debuting as a producer. Despite the film's relatively poor
box-office performance, his portrayal of a blind session violinist
earned him a Filmfare Award. After a year of starring in
commercial films, Haasan won the first of three National Awards for
Best Actor for his portrayal of a schoolteacher caring for an amnesia
patient in Balu Mahendra's Moondram Pirai, later reprising his role
in the Hindi version, Sadma. During this period he focused on
Bollywood remakes of his Tamil films, including Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya
and Zara Si Zindagi. In 1983 he appeared in Sagara Sangamam, directed
by K. Vishwanath. His portrayal of an alcoholic classical dancer won
him his first Nandi Award for Best Actor and his second Filmfare Best
Telugu Actor Award.
After 1984's multistarrer Raaj Tilak, Kamal Hasan appeared in Saagar
(released 1985), winning the Filmfare Best Actor Award and nominated
for the Best Supporting Actor award. The film was India's
representative for the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 1985. He
left Bollywood temporarily after Geraftaar and Dekha Pyar
Tumhara to feature in Japanil Kalyanaraman (a sequel to his 1979
Kalyanaraman).
In 1986, Kamal Hasan produced the technically brilliant Vikram and
collabarated with Kodandarami Reddy for Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnulu
and then K. Vishwanath in Swathi Muthyam, playing an autistic person
who tries to change society; it was India's entry for Best Foreign
Language Film at the Academy Awards in 1986. These Tollywood
films found him a large audience in Andhra Pradesh, and many of his
later Tamil films were dubbed into Telugu.
Following Punnagai Mannan (in which he played two roles, including a
satire of Charlie Chaplin as Chaplin Chellappa) and Kadhal Parisu,
Haasan appeared in Mani Ratnam's 1987 film Nayakan. He received his
second Indian National Award for his performance; Nayakan (inspired
from Hollywood movie The Godfather was submitted by India as
its entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1987 Academy Awards,
and is on the Time's All-Time 100 Movies list. In 1988 Haasan
appeared in his only silent film to date: Pushpak, a black
comedy, Unnal Mudiyum Thambi (a remake of the Telugu film
Rudraveena) and Sathya (remake of Hindi film Arjun) in 1988. Haasan's
all four films of 1989 were major success, Apoorva Sagodharargal,
where he played a dwarf, then Chanakyan, an original Malayalam
film, later the blockbuster Vetri Vizha (where he played an amnesiac)
and finally Haasan played two parts in Indrudu Chandrudu, winning the
Filmfare Best Actor and Nandi Awards for his performance. By the end
of the 1980s Haasan was successful in the Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu
and Hindi film industries, with Filmfare Awards in each industry and
two national awards.
In 1990, Michael Madhana Kamarajan saw Haasan build on Apoorva
Sagodharargal by playing quadruplets. It began as a collaboration
with writer Crazy Mohan for future comedy films. Kamal Hasan won
successive Best Actor awards for his portrayal of deranged, obsessive
protagonists in Gunaa and Thevar Magan (which was remade in Hindi as
1997's Virasat). He was credited with the story for the latter, and
won his third National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil as a
producer. The film was India's submission for the Academy Awards that
year. A series of films followed: Singaravelan, Maharasan, Kalaignan,
Mahanadi, Nammavar, and Sathi Leelavathi (based on the British film
She-Devil). The film (produced by Haasan) featured Kamal Hasan, Kannada
actor Ramesh Arvind and comedian Kovai Sarala. He resumed his
collaboration with Kasinadhuni Viswanath in the Telugu film, Subha
Sankalpam, and starred in the police story Kuruthipunal (remake of
govind nihlani's movie Drohkaal) with Arjun Sarja. Kamal Hasan's
success in the latter was followed by his third National Film Award
for Best Actor for Indian.
After Indian Kamal Hasan played a woman in the comedy Avvai Shanmughi
(inspired by Mrs. Doubtfire), which was a box-office success. He
chose Shantanu Sheorey to direct the Hindi remake of Avvai Shanmughi,
Chachi 420, but after dissatisfaction with five days of shooting
Haasan took over as director. In 1997 Kamal Hasan began directing
an unfinished biopic of Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Marudhanayagam; a forty
five minutes of film and a trailer was shot. Marudhanayagam was
expected to be the biggest, most expensive film in Indian cinematic
history and his magnum opus; a number of well-known actors and
technicians had been signed, and it was launched at a public ceremony
by Queen Elizabeth during her 1997 visit to India. Although the
film failed to materialise due to budget constraints, Kamal Hasan
expressed an interest in reviving the project. In 1998, he
appeared in Singeetham Srinivasa Rao's romantic comedy, Kaathala
Kaathala opposite Prabhu Deva. The film was a commercial success and
was also dubbed in Hindi as Mirch Masala, which was never
released.
After a two-year hiatus from Indian cinema, Kamal Hasan decided against
reviving Marudhanayagam. He directed his second film, Hey Ram, a
period drama, told in flashback, with a fact-based plot centering on
the partition of India and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Kamal Hasan produced and choreographed the film, writing its screenplay
and lyrics; it was India's submission for the Academy Awards that
year. Hey Ram was a box-office failure in India but was
successful worldwide. Also in 2000, Haasan appeared in the comedy
Thenali (inspired from Hollywood movie What About Bob?) as a Sri
Lankan Tamilian with PTSD who is under a psychiatrist's care.
Thenali, starring Malayalam actor Jayaram, was a box-office success.
Haasan's next film was 2001's Aalavandhan, in which he played two
roles: For one he had his head shaved and gained ten kilograms. To
play the other Army major in Aalavandhan, he went to the NDA for a
crash course. The Hindi version was distributed by Shringar
Films. Despite pre-release publicity, the film was a
commercial failure.
After a number of successful comedies (including Pammal K.
Sambandam and Panchathantiram (inspired from the Hollywood movie Very
Bad Things) and guest appearances, Kamal Hasan directed Virumaandi, a
film about capital punishment which won the Best Asian Film Award at
the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. He also
appeared in Anbe Sivam with Madhavan. Priyadarshan, its original
director, left and Sundar C. completed the film. Anbe Sivam tells the
story of Nallasivam, portrayed by Haasan as a communist. His
performance was praised by critics, with The Hindu saying that he
"has once again done Tamil cinema proud".
In 2004 Kamal Hasan appeared in Vasool Raja MBBS, a remake of Bollywood's
Munnabhai MBBS, with Sneha which was a box-office success. The
following year, he wrote and starred in the comedy Mumbai Express.
Released during Tamil New Year with Rajinikanth's Chandramukhi and
Vijay's romantic comedy Sachien, it was a disappointment at the box
office despite positive reviews. In 2006 Kamal Hasan's long-delayed
project, the stylish police story Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, was a
success. Directed by Gautham Menon, the film is about a police
officer sent to the US to investigate a series of medical murders. In
2008's Dasavathaaram, he played ten roles; the film was released in a
number of languages (including Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) throughout
India and overseas. Dasavathaaram, written by Kamal Hasan and director K.
S. Ravikumar, is one of the first modern science-fiction films made
in India. Starring Kamal Hasan and Asin Thottumkal, it was the
highest-grossing Tamil film (as of 2008) and his performance was
critically praised. In Canada, Dasavathaaram was the first Tamil
film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.
After Dasavathaaram Kamal Hasan directed a film tentatively titled
Marmayogi, which stalled after a year of pre-production. He then
produced and starred in Unnaipol Oruvan, a remake of the Bollywood
film A Wednesday, where he reprised the role originally played by
Naseeruddin Shah with Malayalam actor Mohanlal playing Anupam Kher's
role. It was released in Telugu as Eeenadu, with Venkatesh
reprising the role played by Anupam Kher. Both versions were critically
acclaimed and commercially successful.
Kamal Haasan's next film after Manmadhan Ambu was 2013's Vishwaroopam,
released in Hindi as Vishwaroop. It won two National Film Awards
(Best Production Design and Best Choreography) at the 60th National
Film Awards. In May 2014, he was appointed as the official Indian
delegate to the 67th Cannes Film Festival. As of July 2014, he
was working on three films: Uthama Villain, Vishwaroopam II, the
sequel of Vishwaroopam and Papanasam. After 2 years of
Vishwaroopam' s release, Uttama Villain was released on 2 May 2015
with exceptional critical reviews and on 3 July 2015, Papanasam a
Tamil remake of Malayalam film Drishyam was released with
positive reviews and became a huge success followed by the
bi-lingual Thoongaa Vanam and Cheekati Rajyam, both doing
moderate business.
In addition to acting, Kamal Hasan is noted for his involvement in other
aspects of filmmaking. He has written many of his films,
including Raja Paarvai, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Michael Madhana
Kamarajan, Thevar Magan, Mahanadhi, Hey Ram, Aalavandhan, Anbe Sivam,
Nala Damayanthi, Virumaandi, Dasavathaaram, Manmadhan Ambu and
Vishwaroopam. Haasan's production company (Rajkamal International)
has produced several of his films, and he directed Chachi 420, Hey
Ram, Virumaandi and Vishwaroopam. He considered directing full-time
if Hey Ram was successful, but changed his mind when the film failed
at the box office. In his earlier career, he has also
choreographed for MGR in Naan Yen Pirandhen, Sivaji Ganesan in
Savaale Samaali and Jayalalithaa in Anbu Thangai In 2010 Kamal Hasan
said he wanted to do more directing, since young actors wished to
work for him. When he played supporting roles early in his career he
wanted to become a technician, and joked: "Film makers like K.
Balachander told me that I won't be able make much money by being a
technician. So the end result is that the star Kamal Hasan funds the
technician Kamal Hasan in pursuing his dreams". Kamal Hasan attended
workshops for makeup technicians in the US for several years, and
trained as a makeup artist under Michael Westmore.
Kamal Haasan has also written songs for his films. He wrote the lyrics for
a single in Hey Ram, songs in Virumaandi and Unnaipol Oruvan and the
album for Manmadhan Ambu. Kamal Hasan's musical work has been well
received by his peers in Tamil film. He is also a playback
singer,singing in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and
English. Currently Kamal Hasan is part of the Mission "Clean
India" set by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi nominated 9
important VIPs to spread it to people via media or by their own
example and one in nine people is Kamal Hasan who is chosen for his
sincere work towards social welfare moves.
Kamal Hasan was born into a Tamil family in the town of
Paramakudi, in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, to criminal
lawyer D. Srinivasan and Rajalakshmi a housewife. During a 2013
appearance on an episode of Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, he stated
that his parents originally named him Parthasarathy and his mother
always used to call him by that name. In an interview with Karan
Thapar, Kamal Hasan said his father was literate in Sanskrit. Kamal Hasan was
the youngest of four children; his siblings are Charuhasan,
Chandrahasan and Nalini (Raghu). His two older brothers followed
their father's example and studied law.
Kamal Haasan has alluded to his parents in some of his works, notably
Unnaipol Oruvan and in the song "Kallai Mattum" in
Dasavathaaram. His oldest brother Charuhasan, like Kamal Hasan, is a
National Film Award-winning actor who appeared in the Kannada film
Tabarana Kathe. Charuhasan's daughter Suhasini is also a National
Film Award winner married to director (and fellow award-winner) Mani
Ratnam, who collaborated with Haasan on 1987's Nayakan.
Chandrahasan has produced several of Haasan's films and is an
executive with Rajkamal International. Chandrahasan's daughter Anu
Hasan has had supporting roles in several films, including Suhasini's
Indira. Kamal Hasan's sister, Nalini Raghu, is a dance teacher for whom he
named an auditorium (Nalini Mahal). Her son, Gautham, played
Haasan's grandson in Hey Ram.
Early in his career, he co-starred in several films with Srividya.
They were reported to have had an affair during the 1970s, and their
relationship was explored in the 2008 Malayalam film Thirakkatha by
Renjith (with Anoop Menon as Haasan and Priyamani as Srividya).
Haasan visited Srividya when she was on her deathbed in 2006.
In 1978, at age 24, Kamal Hasan married dancer Vani Ganapathy. They
divorced ten years later.
Kamal Hasan and the actress Sarika began living together in 1988, marrying
after the birth of their first child, Shruti Hasan (born 1986).
Shruti Hasan is a singer and a Tollywood-Kollywood actress. Their
younger daughter, Akshara (born 1991), was assistant director for
2013's Vishwaroopam. Sarika stopped acting soon after their marriage,
replacing Vani Ganapathy as Kamal Hasan's costume designer for Hey Ram. In
2002, the couple filed for divorce, which became final in 2004.
Kamal Hasan's affair with co-star Simran Bagga (22 years younger than him)
triggered the breakup. His relationship with Simran (who appeared
in Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchathantiram) was brief, since Simran
married her childhood friend in late 2003. Kamal Hasan has been living
with former actress Gouthami Tadimalla (who starred with him in
several films during the late 1980s and early 1990s) since 2005.
Shruti, Akshara and Gouthami's daughter Subbalakshmi (from an
annulled marriage) live with them.
Kamal Hasan is a self-proclaimed atheist. Kamal Hasan has often
questioned the existence of God and has highlighted the theme in his
films like Anbe Sivam and Dasavathaaram. He has been thought to
be Muslim because of his Arabic-sounding name, most notably when he
was denied preclearance by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
authorities at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2002. In
Sanskrit Kamal means "lotus", but it was rumoured that his
name originated with a friend of his father (Yaakob Hassan, a Muslim
freedom fighter who was imprisoned along with Kamal's father by the
British). In a BBC interview with Karan Thapar Haasan said that his
last name derives from the Sanskrit word hasya, and although the
Yaakob Hassan connection was publicised by the media it was only "a
story". Although he has abstained from politics, Haasan is
considered left-leaning or independent and has said that his politics
would result in his death within a year.
Kamal Hasan is the first Tamil actor to convert his fan clubs into welfare
organisations and is involved in social-service activities
through the clubs under the name Kamal Narpani Iyakkam (Kamal Welfare
Association). His fan clubs help organise blood- and eye-donation
drives, and donate educational materials to students.
Kamal Hasan received the first Abraham Kovoor National Award for his
humanist activities and secular life in 2004. He was project
ambassador for Hridayaragam 2010, which raised funds for an orphanage
for HIV/AIDS-affected children. In September 2010 Haasan launched a
children's cancer relief fund and gave roses to children with cancer
at Sri Ramachandra University in Porur, Chennai. He has pledged his
product-endorsement income to social causes. Kamal Hasan won ₹ 5 million
on Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi in March 2013 and promised that his
prize money would be used for Petral Thaan Pillaya, supporting
children with HIV.
Kamal Hasan was nominated by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
for the Swachh Bharat Campaign. He chose to clean the Madambakkam
lake in Chennai with the Environmentalist Foundation of India's Arun
Krishnamurthy on 7 November 2014.
Known for refusing any kind of brand endorsement, Kamal Hasan endorsed
Pothys for the first time in 2015. His daughter, Shruti Haasan
has previously endorsed Pothys. In the past, Haasan has stated that
should he ever act in commercials, the revenue earned from them would
be donated to HIV affected children.
Kamal Hasan publishes the magazine Mayyam, by the Kamal Hasan Welfare
Association (Narpani Iyakkam). His views on cinema, child and drug
abuse, and the Kashmir conflict have been published as Thedi Theerpom
Va (Come, Let's Find and Solve) by his fan club.Haasan is also
interested in Tamil literature.
Kamal Hasan received in 1990 the Padma Shri and in 2014 the Padma Bhushan
for his contributions to Indian cinema. At age six he won the
President's Gold Medal for Best Child Actor for his debut film,
Kalathur Kannamma. Kamal Hasan is tied with Mammootty for the second most
Best Actor National Film Awards with three. He won a National Film
Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for producing the 1992 Tamil
film, Thevar Magan. Kamal Hasan has a record 19 Filmfare Awards in five
languages; after his last award, in 2000, he wrote to the
organisation requesting no further awards. In 2003, his films Hey
Ram, Pushpak, Nayakan and Kuruthipunal were showcased in the
"Director in Focus" category at the Rotterdam Film
Festival. In 2004, Virumaandi won the inaugural Best Asian film award
at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan).
In 2005, Sathyabama Deemed University awarded Kamal Hasan an honorary
doctorate. He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for
Excellence in Indian Cinema at the inaugural Vijay Awards in 2006.
Haasan received the Living Legend Award in 2007 from FICCI. In 2010,
the United Progressive Alliance government organised a retrospective
of his films. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni
said the actor was unique, since his films broke regional and
language barriers. That year, the government of Kerala honoured him
for 50 years in Indian cinema during statewide Onam celebrations in
Thiruvananthapuram.
Kamal Hasan received the Kalaimamani Award from the government of Tamil
Nadu in 1979. Other honours include Tamil Nadu State Film Awards,
Nandi, Screen and Vijay Awards, including four awards for his
performance in Dasavathaaram. In 2009 Haasan was appointed chairman
of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Media and Entertainment Business Conclave, organised by FICCI's
entertainment division. He is on the academic advisory council
for ISFM (International school of Film+Media), and was the first
Indian actor invited aboard an American ship as a special friend of
the US. In April 2013 Kamal Hasan received an award on behalf of Indian
cinema from Chris Brown, executive vice-president for conventions and
business operations of the National Association of Broadcasters, as
part of the New York Festivals International Film & TV Awards. He
is one of 20 film celebrities recognised by Coca-Cola India with the
launch of the 24th edition of the Limca Book of Records in 2013.
Mani Ratnam, who directed Kamal Hasan in Nayakan, has said that there are
many things he can do that no other actor can. Veteran Tamil actor
Nagesh called Haasan the best actor he had ever seen. Kamal Hasan's
contributions to film have been praised by his peers in the Indian
film industry, including Sridevi, Meena, Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal,
Venkatesh, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.Younger actors (Suriya and
Madhavan) and filmmakers (Bala, Ameer and Gautham Menon) have been
inspired by him.
The animated action sequence in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill
Bill, was inspired by 2D animated sequences in an Indian film
believed to be Aalavandhan. Hollywood filmmaker Barrie M. Osburne
called Kamal Hasan's knowledge of literature, history and films
"encyclopedic", and Ang Lee said he was stunned by his
brilliance and knowledge of films.
Kamal Hasan has been alleged of plagiarism and inspiration from
Hollywood films. He was criticised by the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister
O. Panneerselvam; the latter stated that Kamal Hasan was "confused’
and had "blabbered" unaware of the ground reality for his
statement on the government's response to rain relief efforts. Kamal Hasan
was also criticised by Nayakan's producer Muktha Srinivasan for his
article in The Hindu taking unnecessary credit for that film. He was
condemned by the BJP Politician H Raja for his statements on god
believers.
Kamal Hasan has been accused of self-indulgence and criticised for
sexually explicit scenes and themes, offensive religious sentiments
and superficiality about the social issues depicted in his films.
There have also been complaints about his obsession with perfection,
which may have caused some of his films to run over budget.
KAMAL HASAN'S FILMOGRAPHY WITH SUPER STAR RAJESH KHANNA :
Aaina - 1977 (Hindi) : as Prem Kapoor Directed by K. Balachander
First Hindi film (uncredited role).
Untold Stories: Kamal Haasan Shared A Deep Bond With Rajesh Khanna
Subhash K. Jha
September 8, 2016, 2:59 pm
No one knew Rajesh Khanna well enough to be called a close
friend. The first superstar of Indian cinema had no friends, only
cronies, yes-men and sidekicks, with whom he drank the night away.
However Mr Khanna did form an incredibly strong bond with the doyen of
Tamil cinema Kamal Haasan.
They spent many hours together ruminating on life and success.
I refused to call him ‘Kaka’ like everyone did. I was willing to call him Bade Bhaiyya
or Mr Khanna. But not ‘Kaka’. That infuriated him. We spent many many
hours together. I was this ‘upcoming actor from the South’—that’s how he
introduced me in Mumbai. He was the undisputed king of Hindi cinema.
Kamal Haasan, Actor
Kamal Haasan and Rajesh Khanna with director P Bharati Raja at the mahurat of Red Rose. (Photo courtesy: www.apnironaq.com)
Since Rajesh Khanna did a lot of South Indian remakes, he was often in Chennai. That’s how the friendship started.
We spent a lot of time discussing cinema and
life. He would sometimes get philosophical about the inconsequentiality
of life. Once we went to a movie together. It was a mediocre American
film called The Swarm, and I decided to take him to a theatre in
the heart of the city. He didn’t know we were going to a public
screening. He probably hadn’t been to a public theatre since he became a
star. When we reached things were okay. He enjoyed the mediocre film
thoroughly and refused to leave until the end titles. That’s when I
panicked. This was Rajesh Khanna, THE star of the millennium. If
audiences got to know he was present there would be a stampede and blood
on my hands. But Mr Khanna refused to listen. He stayed on till the
end. The inevitable happened after the show. All hell broke loose as
audiences realised he was there. I became THE Rajesh Khanna’s bodyguard
and security officer as I took him through the crowd. His shirt was
torn. But he was enjoying himself thoroughly. He giggled and chuckled
like a child.
Kamal Haasan
Rajesh Khanna’s better-half Dimple Kapadia gave her friend
Kamal Haasan (the two were pals ever since they co-starred in Ramesh
Sippy’s Sagar) a piece of her mind.
She (Dimple Kapadia) wanted to know what was I thinking when I took him to a public screening. Anything could have happened.
Rajesh Khanna watched a lot of Kamal Haasan’s films for remake rights. One of his celebrated films Sigappu Rojjakal was remade as Red Rose. One fine day the phone rang in his office.
This was the era of the landline phones. My
personal assistant, a big Rajesh Khanna fan, was over the moon as god
himself asked him about his wellbeing. Mr Khanna announced he was doing a
remake of my film Sigappu Rojjakal, and that the mahurat
was the very next day, and would I please send him the cap that I wore
for my character, since he wanted to wear it at the event and in the
film. I agreed. Who says no to Rajesh Khanna?! He also commanded me to
be present at the mahurat in Mumbai the next day. I
protested saying that I wasn’t needed. He insisted. He wanted to
introduce me as the upcoming star from the south. Anyway the cap was
sent from Chennai to Mumbai by hand delivery (there was no courier those
days) by a man who unfortunately turned out to be a fan of both Rajesh
Khanna and Kamal Haasan.
Kamal Haasan
The fan decided he didn’t want to part with the precious cap.
Laughs Kamal, “Mr Khanna was livid. ‘Since you were coming why couldn’t
you just bring it with you?’ Many other caps were brought forth. But he
wanted only that one cap.” Kamal was fascinated by Rajesh Khanna’s aura.
Kamal Haasan and Rajesh Khanna at the All India Film Federation Employees Conference. (Photo courtesy: www.behindwoods.com)
I never wanted to be a star. I observed him. Our
friendship came to a sorry ending at a party in his house where he was
less than polite. But my friendship with Dimple is forever. It’s like
the lines from the immortal Geeta Dutt song Beqaraar dil iss tarah miley, jiss tarah kabhi, hum judaa na thhey. Whenever
we meet, no matter how long is the gap, it’s like we had never stopped
meeting. I know we’ll remain friends for as long as we’re alive. My
daughter Shruti will make sure of that. She’s even fonder of Dimple than
I am.
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