Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan today said it would not be possible for him to produce a movie like "Hey Ram" at present as the whole nation, according to him, was becoming intolerant.
The grand launch of Kamal Haasan's Vishwaroopam 2 was held in Kochi and gracing the occasion were the 'Ulaganayagan' himself along with actor Pooja Kumar, who is playing one of the female leads.
The film, which is a sequel to 2013's Vishwaroopam, will be hitting theatres on August 10. Speaking at the event, Kamal stressed the importance of standing against the rising intolerance in the country. When asked if Vishwaroopam 2 reflects his political stand, Kamal says, "No. My politics is reflected to a small extent in all my films but I thought it reflected more strongly in Hey Ram. I don't think a film like that can be made today. The same goes for M T Vasudevan Nair's Nirmalyam."
'Nirmalyam', which had won the national award for the best film in 1973, focused on the neglect of temples in the villages of Kerala and the difficulties faced by families dependent on the places of worship.
Asked if it was time to unite against all 'intolerant voices' in the country, he said, "It is. The whole nation is becoming intolerant." Hassan, who was here to promote 'Vishwaroopam 2', said he was shocked that a state like Kerala was also toeing the line of the politics of intolerance.
He said his party would go in the direction of whatever would be good for Tamil Nadu.
"I am looking at achieving that goal. We are not opportunists," the MNM leader said in response to a query if he would join a broad platform of secular parties now evolving at the national-level.
He said his focus was on politics in Tamil Nadu.
Kamal applauded the efforts of Malayalam filmmakers. "20-25 years ago, I said that I was angry at the kind of films that were being made here. But I'm glad to see that this comment was taken in a positive light and now I brag about Malayalam cinema to others. The whole country is now watching your work.
On the five-year delay between Vishwaroopam and Part 2, Kamal says, "98 per cent of the film was completed almost four years back. All this delay happened on account of some political reasons. I'm very confident about the film and I'm sure you guys will like it. I've made the film I want to see as a film buff."
Kamal lauded the technical crew of the film, especially editor Mahesh Narayanan, who recently made his directorial debut with Take Off starring Parvathy.
Apart from Kamal and Pooja, Vishwaroopam 2 also sees Andrea Jeremiah, Shekhar Kapur and Rahul Bose returning. Vishwaroopam 2 is produced jointly by Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films and Aascar Films. Eram Group is releasing the film in Kerala.
(with PTI inputs)
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