He's the man we've equally regarded and reviled for being incomprehensibly ahead of his times, and Kamal Haasan, ironically, calls his newest initiative, a workshop for screenwriters, and an effort that is 20-years late.
The actor's Raajkamal Films International, in association with IIT-Madras, is conducting a 10-day workshop on screenwriting, with lectures by the biggest names in the filmmaking industry participating in it, including the artiste himself. Jean Claude Carriere, whose relationship with Kamal Haasan dates to the time when he assisted the actor in the screenplay for the French version of Marudhanayakam, will participate by a video conference.
Ask Kamal Haasan why the plan to do this came about now, especially when he is busy with a working on a bilingual, and he says ''The plan to do this has been there for long and I have discussed this with many people. I had even thought of starting this in Kerala earlier because of their literacy rate. And when Arjun Rajabali and I spoke at the Film and TV Institute, Pune, about how film institutes are neglecting the writing aspect in cinema, I was given an opportunity to chair a department on it. I declined the offer. I am interested in learning, not teaching,'' says the actor, even calling this a selfish endeavour, an effort to please his 'tribal attitude' of learning things. ''I will be part of the workshop completely, more as a student, asking questions. I'm definitely going to share experiences and discuss different aspects of the course but I'm not doing the teaching part. I'm not with a scholarly bent of mind, and even if I wanted to, I can't go beyond the 11th standard,'' he says, calling these words as those born out of honesty, not humility alone.
Reiterating that 'the word' is still the foremost aspect when it comes to making a film, he says he would now like people of his film community to get what he didn't have. ''What I have learnt in 30 years with experience, is what takes five to six years to learn when formally taught. I am committed to learning always,'' says the actor, who dedicates this initiative to writer Ananthu.
The next venture
The actor is currently working on Unnaipol Oruvan for which 15 days of shoot has been completed already. ''There's not a lot I can disclose about the film, but we have finished 15 days, and I will proceed for our next schedule soon,'' he says. Shooting for the film is scheduled to end in a quick two months.
Speaking about his daughter Shruti Haasan's involvement in the project, he says the film will not feature music in its usual way. ''The film has songs but it's not as if people are singing it in the film,'' he says, emphasizing on the need for an exclusive market for music. Music and cinema are a burden on each other and ought to be treated individually, he adds.
sharadha@epmltd.com