On Kamal Haasan's birthday, here are some of Ulaganayagan's films that ran into controversies

On Kamal Haasan's birthday, here are some of Ulaganayagan's films that ran into controversies.

Hey Ram: This movie was written, directed and produced by Kamal. The movie starred Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as well and won 3 National Awards. The film dwells on the Partition and Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, and it was heavily critizised by  

Marudhanayagam: This is a historical drama that Kamal began shooting for in August 1997, but the movie was never completed. The movie completion and release remains a mystery, with rumours popping up once in a while about the release date. The movie shooting was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II, but a British company which was funding the film later backed out. (Photo | Twitter)

Thevar Magan: This movie focused on rivalry within Thevar communities in Tamil Nadu. It generated controversy for 'glorifying violence'. (Photo | IMDB)

Uttama Villain: It was speculated that the first look of the film resembled a picture by French photographer Eric Lafforgue, but Kamal denied it saying that 'Theyyam' (the Tamil art form depicted in the film) was 1000-years-old. Apart from that, the Vishva Hindu Parishad's Tamil Nadu wing called for its ban, as they alleged that the lyrics of a song in the film had belittled a conversation between Prahalada and Hiranyakashipu. (Photo | Youtube)

Vishwaroopam: This is one of Kamal's recent films which went through many issues before its release. While the Hindu Makkal Katchi demanded the title of the movie to be changed, Muslim organisations said that the film hurt Muslim sentiments. Kamal also attempted a Direct-To-Home premiere of the film, but theatre owners made him roll back the idea. The movie released after many Islamic verses were censored. (Photo | Youtube)

Nayakan: 25 years after the movie was released, Kamal Haasan wrote a long piece in The Hindu in October 2012. He had written that the producer 'should have been more cooperative'. Obviously the Producer Mukta V Srinivasan didn't take it very well, and he wrote a response titled 'Living in past glory', saying that Kamal 'undermined the contributions made by everyone.' (Photo | IMDB)