It’s time to rename No:172 Eldams Road as Chevalier Dr Kamal Haasan Salai! (The French government had given this honour earlier to Sivaji Ganesan and that changed South Boag Road’s name) The Tamil film industry organised a huge event at Chepauk stadium then to celebrate that milestone, but this time the euphoria online and offline will reach France! There is no other actor in the history of world cinema to have begun acting as a child and who still rules the roost as the leading man, at 62!
There is no other actor in the world to have saddled as many languages as he has, winning awards for those films and seen box office success in all those states of India; who speaks in the language he acts in and who has traversed almost all departments of filmmaking himself (choreographer, stuntman, singer, lyricist, writer, makeup man) before donning the director’s hat.
Anyone who has worked with Kamal Haasan will know that there is no timetable drawn where he claps his hands and says “C’mon let’s do a movie!” He is, as he says, on a holiday 365 days in a year because he is always making movies! Every waking moment has him honing his talents, of which he has many.
Kamal Haasan’s acting repertoire is so varied and Maniratnam’s Nayakan is rightly one National Award winning pinnacle of that awe-inspiring talent (he won two more for Moondraam Pirai and Indian).
As a producer, his Raajkamal Films International takes on bold themes (Raajapaarvai is considered a new-age film even now, Kadamai Ganniyam Kattupaadu with Sathyaraj did not have songs, Apoorva Sagodarargal saw Kamal Haasan as a dwarf, Magalir Mattum was an all-women film) and pushes frontiers to bring in new technology (Kurudhi Punal was the first film to use Dolby Sound). As a writer Kamal Haasan came to the fore with Devar Magan that also saw him tip his acting-hat to Sivaji Ganesan. As a director, Kamal Haasan’s Hey Raam & Virumaandi are now considered timeless classics.
Kamal Haasan’s exemplary roles (200+ and still counting!) are a lesson for any aspiring actor. In the beginning of his career he took on any role, irrespective of importance, and made it his own. His self-taught talent bulldozed its way from among the many faces that K Balachander cast in his films. He was just one of the many siblings introduced by KB in Arangetram but by the time the writer-director made Ek Duje Ke Liye, Kamal was cast as the hero in a Hindi film, for a role written just for him. Kamal wrote his first film when he was 19 (Unarchigal), but wisely pursued acting as his core talent.
Even when he was not the ‘hero’, Kamal always brought in that extra something to his role (e.g.: Avargal, Sathi Leelavathi). Box office success made him the Ulaganayagan as he effortlessly romances and fights villains and adds comedy in good measure (Sakalakalavallavan, Michealmadana Kamarajanto name a few).
The French have a word mis-en-scene that literally means ‘putting on stage’. Any Kamal film improves in standard because of that putting together, which he does so meticulously. This Chevalier for our brightest star and actor-unparalleled is also for those films that our National Awards missed honouring him for, namely, Salangai Oli, Mahanadhi, 16 Vayathinale and Anbe Sivam.
The writer is a former journalist who has worked in the film industry for several years and is passionate about movies, music and everything related to entertainment