THE MULTI-TALENTED AND MULTI-FACETED

Fifty years ago a six -year old boy walked up the dais of the Vigyan Bhavan at Rashtrapati Bhavan . He was receiving his first National Award for his performance as a child artist in a Tamil film called Kallathur Kannamma. It was the first sign of what that boy called Kamal Haasan was to do in the future. The child artist continued to win the hearts of the audience in two more films before he took a break, but not for long because he spent all his growing up days getting himself trained in all forms of dances, specially Indian classical dances. He was so good as a dancer that he was taken on as an assistant by some of the leading dance directors of the time. It was while he was training other stars to dance that the clever Kamal learned all the basics of filmmaking. He got interested in acting and got his first break as an actor in a Tamil Film. And what started with that first film was to be one of the most illustrious chapters in Indian cinema , a chapter which reached its fiftieth year which was celebrated like any grand festival in Chennai , the city always in a state of celebration unless there is some political upheaval created by the politicians of Tamil Nadu .

The celebration to mark Kamal Haasan s rare feat began three months before it could actually start when a private bus was turned into a mobile museum which was decorated with photographs , stills from his films and all kinds of memorabilia which brought alive the work done by Kamal Haasan during the last fifty years . It carried memorabilia associated with his career from the time he was a child artist to the time when he is considered a legend by every great actor and others who have seen him growing , people like Sivaji Ganesan , Gemini Ganesan and Rajnikant from Tamil films , Prem Nazir , Mammootty and Mohan Lal from Malayalam film , Dr. Raj Kumar from Kannada films and Dr. N.T. Rama Rao and Dr. A.Nageswara Rao from Telugu films and Amitabh Bachchan , Sanjeev Kumar and Rishi Kapoor and even the legend among all legends in Indian cinema , Dilip Kumar .

To encapsulate the extraordinary man who has some of the most outstanding achievements to his name has made it difficult for the best historians of cinema. That is why no one has tried to write his biography and those who have tried have given up in frustration because the man only keeps experimenting , keeps changing and keeps adding to his list of achievements-and only keeps growing .

The mobile museum went around every town, district and village and wherever it stopped there were stories about people coming with offerings and even lying prostrate before the bus. In one case there was a fan who wanted to be run over by the bus to show his love for Kamal.

The actual celebration held in the heart of Chennai had all the stars, old and new and from all over the south, all the leading film makers and a mammoth crowd which came from almost every corner of the south. Surprisingly, there was no one from Mumbai. The coming together of Kamal and Rajnikant on the same stage was the major highlight. For years there have been stories about the rivalry between these two giants of Tamil cinema. They were seated together and talked like friends who sent their fans into frenzy. Rajnikant in his speech said he never considered Kamal as a rival or a competitor. He always considered him as a “Guru” and a great actor and a legend who was one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema or any where in the world. I am just another lucky actor and have managed to survive because of God and the love of the people. Kamal gave me a very valuable piece of advice when I started. He asked me to create my own style of acting and not to try and be like him because there could be only one of them and the two couldnt succeed if they tried acting in the same way. He also asked me not to work with him in a film because it would affect both of them. I have followed his advice very seriously and that is why I think I am here today. Who am I to think or even dream of being an actor like Kamal sir? I am nothing , please dont compare me with a giant , I am nobody before his talent and I respect his talent , Rajni said and there was a thunderous applause and people in the crowd openly cried and screamed because according to many they couldnt believe what was happening . The veteran filmmaker S. Raamnathan who has worked with both Kamal and Rajni and with every big star and was an assistant to the leading director A Bheem Singh who was the most respected and highest paid director in the sixties and seventies said , I have seen many functions and celebrations during my sixty years as a filmmaker . I have been a witness to the rise of some of the greatest legends from Sivaji Ganesan to Amitabh Bachchan, but I have never seen a function like this. It was an evening which no one who was there and no one who watched the entire function live on Vijaya TV twice will ever forget. This function will certainly go down in history. There were many others who echoed the same feelings .

Kamal Haasan has acted in two hundred and sixteen films to date which includes films made in Tamil (his mother tongue), Malayalam, Kanada, Telugu and Hindi. The variety of roles he has played in all these years can only the compared to Sivaji Ganasen and Dr. Raj Kumar, and no one, no actor anywhere in the world can do what he has done. Kamal has done almost every kind of role and has not just played the romantic role but had also excelled as a villain, a ruffian, a dacoit or a saint, a jobless youth to a tycoon to the ten different characters he played in Dasavatharanam. That is the range of his performances and some of the best critics have tried their best to brand him as an actor, but he has never given them an opportunity because of his constant urge to keep changing and breaking his own image. His last release was one of his most ambitious films, Vishwaroopam.

It was the veteran director K. Balchander who gave both Kamal and Rajnikant their first breaks as actors who lured Kamal to do Hindi films. His first Hindi film, Ek Dooje Ke Liye with Rati Agnihotri as his leading lady was a major success. He then went on to do a number of Hindi films , which included films like Sanam Teri Kasam, Karishma, Zara Si Zindagi, Ek Nai Paheli, Geraftaar (the only film which had Kamal and Rajnikant together for the first and last time with Amitabh Bachchan heading the cast, all thanks to director S. Raamanathan), and Raj Tilak among many others but he excelled in Saagar directed by Ramesh (Sholay) Sippy which marked the come back of Dimple Kapadia after she separated from her superstar husband , Rajesh Khanna. The film also had Rishi Kapoor, Dimples hero in Raj Kapoors ‘Bobby. Kamal out shone both his co-stars and even won some of the major Awards. The other Hindi films which gave him the opportunity to prove how good and unmatchable he was were films like Sadma , Appu Raja, Hindustani, Hey Ram, Abhay, Major Sahab and Chachi 420. He did a number of Hindi films just for the money he needed to make his own films in Tamil made under his own banner “Raam Raj Kala Mandir, a company floated by him with the sole intention of making experiments within the realms of entertainment”.

There is one Hindi film which has still to be completed, a film called Khabardaar but according to all those associated with it, and chances of it being released now are almost zero. It was unfortunate because it had Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal together with Sridevi and Jayaprada. The film based on the subject of euthanasia (mercy killing) was sixteen reels ready when the makers realized there was another film being made on the same subject. After a great deal of serious discussions the entire unit came to the conclusion that the film was better called off.

Amitabh and Kamal have a very strange mutual admiration society. Kamal considers Amitabh as the greatest legend of modern day cinema and Amitabh has gone on record several times to say that there has never been a more versatile actor than Kamal. I have still to achieve even half of what Kamal has achieved and I dont think I ever will. I shudder to think of the experiments and risks he has taken and continues to do. Can you imagine me playing some of the roles he has played, like in “Mayor Sahab, “Appu Raja, “Sadma” and some of his Tamil films I have seen which have left me feeling like a new comer when compared to him”.

There was a stage when some producers and stars and even distributors of Hindi films ganged up against him and tried their best to see that his films were not released in the Hindi belt because they saw a threat in him, but used his not knowing the Hindi language very well as an excuse. Kamal decided to fight that by mastering the Hindi language and coming back with double the inspiration to prove all his critics wrong.

Kamal is a major producer of Tamil films but has also produced some memorable films in Hindi like Hey Ram, Abhay, Bombay Express and Chachi 420. He is one producer who has spent all his money to make the kind of films he wants to make.

He has also taken to direct his own films and has been very successful with the films that he has also produced. I would never like any of my producers losing money because of my crazy ideas, thats why I direct my own films and by the grace of God , I have managed to direct films successfully and what is most important for me is the freedom to make my own films my own way”, he says

Of late, he has been taking interest in every department of film making. He is an actor, a producer, a director, a writer, a dance director and only recently he has even taken to singing his own songs and even singing for others.

At sixty -nine Kamal feels he has still a long way to go and promises not to rest till he has fulfilled all his ambitions and dreams. But as the late director S. Raamnathan asked, How can a man who is never satisfied with his achievements and whose goals and dreams keep on growing with every step ever stop? I dont see him stopping but only growing better and bigger with the passing of time.

More on Kamal Hasaan

There has always been some confusion about his religion .Many believe he is a Muslim because there are several Muslims who have the same name and one of the most popular Urdu poets is called Hassan Kamal. He was once detained at one of the Airports in America because of his name. The fact however is that he is a Hindu Brahmin who practices Hinduism and is from an Iyengar family.

Kamal has been a dancer since the age of five and still keeps practicing to keep in touch with the latest trends in dancing.

He is very conscious about keeping fit, has his yoga sessions regularly and is also a regular at his own gym built in his bungalow.

He has always been a great fan of Jackie Chaan, the action hero from Hollywood .He was thrilled when Chaan accepted his invitation to be the chief guest at the release of the music of Dashavtaranan.

In Abhay he did all the daring action scenes without a double and fractured thirty- four bones in his body , but did not stop shooting.

He has never learned acting and says all his learning comes from watching his seniors like Sivaji Ganasen, Dr. Raj Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan.

Next to acting and dancing Kamal is seriously interested in magic. He sometimes says he would have been a magician if he was not an actor and a filmmaker. He made best use of his skills as a magician in the Hindi film, “Yeh Toh Kamaal Ho Gaya.

Kamal admires Rajnikant because of his popularity and often says he is a no body when it comes to having the kind of dedicated fans Rajnikant has.

He has been a great fan of the musical genius, Illayaraja who has scored the music for almost all his films.

He has had three women in his life. He officially married Vani Ganpathy, a dancer and an actress .Their marriage ended in a divorce. He met the actress Sarika when she was going through a rough patch in her life and living the life of a gypsy. He gave her stability and had two daughters from her, Shruti and Akshara and married her according to Hindu rites when their daughters had grown up. Sarika was Sarika Amma to all his fans who believed that whatever Kamal did was right. Sarika worked as the official costume designer of all of Kamals films. Then all of a sudden Sarika was out of his life and he now has a new live in woman in his one- time heroine, Gautami.

His elder daughter Shruti made her debut as an actress and has scored the music for the Tamil version of “A Wednesday". Akshara who looks so much like her mother Sarika made her Hindi debut in Shamitabh"with Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush, the star of Tamil films who was also the producer of the film. Great things were expected of Akshara but those great things have still not happened in her career and her state reminds me of how great things were expected of Modi and his achche din still not coming.

Kamal has been the man behind various causes and has been helping people in the industry without anyone knowing much about his charitable deeds.

Kamal has been keeping out of politics for a number of years even though there were many opportunities and temptations. But, he has finally taken the plunge and formed his own party and will be on test in the coming elections to the Lok Sabha. His friend and rival in films and politics, Rajnikanth was supposed to contest the elections but has not shown any signs of contesting in spite of all the noise he and his devoted followers made before the release of two of his films, “Kaala",“2.0"and people in Chennai say that Rajnikanth is going through a phase of insecurity. Like one of his fans asks“why did Thalaiva need the support of Hindi stars like Nana Patekar in“Kaala"and Akshay Kumar in“2.0". He has never done this before. Is he showing signs of growing old and insecure"?

When asked if he would like to do anything more in life, he instantly comes up with only one answer - “I want to be a better actor than I am. That one sentence speaks volumes for the man who has changed the face of cinema in India".