{"id":85024,"date":"2024-11-10T03:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T07:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=85024"},"modified":"2024-11-10T16:37:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T20:37:38","slug":"85024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=85024","title":{"rendered":"Multi-faceted Tamil Actor Kamal Haasan is a Great Intellectual Among Indian Film Stars."},"content":{"rendered":"

.
\n
\nBy<\/p>\n

D.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Article Denoting Kamal Haasan\u2019s 70th Birth Anniversary on 7 November 2024)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Srinivasan Kamal Haasan known popularly as Kamal Haasan and\/or Kamal is arguably the finest actor in Tamil cinema today. He is also acknowledged as being one of India\u2019s foremost thespians.The multi-faceted artiste is a film director, producer, screenwriter, film lyricist, poet, dancer, choreographer and playback singer. <\/p>\n

The 70 year old actor, whose screen debut was in 1960 as a child artiste, has acted in 233 films and won many awards and laurels. His adulatory fans hail their idol as \u201cUlaga Naayagan\u201d or global hero.<\/p>\n

Kamal Haasan has often been compared to Hollywood\u2019s Tom Cruise as an action hero though the former\u2019s acting skills are far above those of the latter. <\/p>\n

Child Artiste 1960<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamal was born in Paramakkudi in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, India, on 7 November, 1954. He was the youngest of four children. His father Srinivasan was a lawyer and mother Rajalakshmi a housewife. Kamal acted first as a six-year-old in the film \u201cKalaathoor Kannammaa\u201d in 1960.He won the Indian President\u2019s gold medal for a child artiste then. After a few more films as a child actor- during which time he acted along with the top Tamil trio – MGR, Sivaji and Gemini- Kamal went off-screen for some years. <\/p>\n

Kamal was educated at Hindu Higher Secondary School in Thiruvallikerny (Triplicame) in Chenni. He dropped out of school early before completing his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) studies. His enlightened parents allowed him to pursue a career in the arts instead of forcing him to follow conventional courses of study. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kamal was involved in theatre and also learnt dancing. He joined the drama troupe T.K. S. Nataka Sabha run by the legendry TK Shanmugam as an understudy. Kamal also apprenticed under dance choreographer Thangappan.<\/p>\n

Re-entry as Actor 1970<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamal re-entered cinema as an actor at the age of 16 in 1970. He danced in a song sequence (Visiladichaan Kunjugalaa) along with another former child star \u201cKuttii\u201d Padminini in the film \u201cMaanavan\u201d. Kamal also became a jack of all trades in the film sphere , trying his hand at different things by assisting directors, script writers, cinematographers and choreographers.<\/p>\n

Though Kamal initially wanted to be a film director he was discouraged by his mentor K. Balachander. The famous film director encouraged Kamal to be an actor.<\/p>\n

Kamal began acting in smaller roles in films like Kurathi Magan and Arangetram. He even acted as the villain in films like Sollathaan Ninaikkirean and Vellikkizhamai Viratham. He got his first break as lead actor in 1975 in the film Pattaampoochi followed by Cinema Paithiyam.<\/p>\n

These were followed by three superb roles in films by maestro K. Balachander. They were Abhoorva Raagangal, Manmatha Leelai and Moodru Mudichchu. Then came another great director, Bharathirajah, who cast Kamal Haasan in path-breaking films like Pathinaaru Vayathiniley and Sigappu Rojakkal.<\/p>\n

While the above mentioned films helped Kamal establish himself as a great actor, he also acted in roles which helped him click at the box office. Films like Sahala Kalaa Vallavan, Guru, Kalyana Raman, Thoongathe Thambi Thoongathe and Vaalvae Maayam were all commercial successes. <\/p>\n

Films with a Difference<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having made a reputation as an artistic and commercial actor, Kamal Haasan started making and\/or acting in films with a difference; ranging from rib-tickling comedies like Thenali and Panchathanthirm to suspenseful thrillers like \u201cVettaai Aadu Vilaiyaadu and Vishwaroopam. There were also movies par excellence like Devar Magan and Nayakan. The latter was included in the list of 100 best films by \u201cTime\u201d. Magazine.<\/p>\n

He also experimented at times by playing a woman in one film (Avvai Shanmugi) and making a silent movie without dialogue (Paesum Padam). In films like \u2018Gunaa\u2019 and \u2018Aalavnthaan\u2019 Kamal played the role of mentally challenged persons. Kamal played a dual role as twins – one a dwarf- in the film \u201cAboorva Sagotharargal\u201d and received much kudos. Kamal\u2019s magnum opus was arguably \u201cThasaavthaaram\u201d in which he enacted ten roles surpassing Sivaji Ganesan\u2019s nine in \u201cNavarathri\u201d.<\/p>\n

Some of his movies performed well at the box office while others did not. But Kamal Haasan was acknowledged as one of the finest and most popular actors in India.<\/p>\n

He did not act in Tamil films alone, but also in films made in other languages like Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Bengali and Kannada. But it was as a Tamil film hero that he made his mark. While some prominent playback singers lip synched for him in many films, Kamal Haasan also sang in his own voice in several films. He also choreographed many of his dances in addition to trying his hand at directing, producing, screenwriting, composing film songs, etc. Kamal Haasan has been associated with nearly 300 films in various capacities such as actor, director, producer, script writer, singer and choreographer.<\/p>\n

Awards and Laurels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamal , in a career spanning more than six decades, has won many awards and laurels. Chief among them are the Indian National Award for best actor in three films, namely Moondraam Pirai directed by Balu Mahendra, Naayagan directed by Maniratnam and Indian directed by Shankar. He is the only Tamil actor to have won the Indian National Award for best actor thrice. <\/p>\n

Among his numerous awards are those bestowed by the prestigious cinema journal Filmfare. Kamal Haasan has won 19 Filmfare awards and has been nominated for 12 more. There may have been more but for the fact that Kamal Haasan wrote to Filmfare requesting the magazine not to nominate him for any more awards.<\/p>\n

Six of Kamal\u2019s films were nominated as India\u2019s official entries to the annual Oscar awards competition conducted by the US academy of motion picture arts and sciences (AMPAS). He is the Indian actor with the highest number of Oscar- nominated films though none won any laurel. <\/p>\n

Kamal has also been given the Kalaimaamani Award by the Tamil Nadu State Government and received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards from the Government of India. The French Government honoured him with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) award. <\/p>\n

Personal Relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamal Haasan first married actress-dancer Vaani Ganapathy in 1978. They divorced in 1982. Thereafter, he had a live-in relationship with actress Sarika for some years during which his elder daughter Shruti was born in 1986. He formally married Sarika in 1990. Their second daughter Akshara was born in 1991. Both Shruti and Akshara are actresses now. <\/p>\n

Kamal split with Sarika in 2002 and divorced in 2004. Later in 2005, he entered another live-in relationship, this time with actress Gautami who had a daughter from an annulled marriage. Kamal and Gautami broke up iin 2016. Currently \u201cfilm world gossip\u201d links him with two actresses, but there is no concrete evidence of the liaisons.<\/p>\n

Kamal\u2019s elder brothers Charuhasan and Chandrahasan, who is no more, also acted in films though they were lawyers by profession. Their daughters Suhasini and Anu (Anuradha) were also actresses. Charuhasan and Suhasini have also won national awards for acting. Incidentally, Suhasini is married to the acclaimed film director G. Maniratnam.<\/p>\n

Dabbling in Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though Kamal Haasan has had very little formal schooling, he is very intelligent, well-read and knowledgeable. He has an avid interest in many matters and is a seeker of greater enlightenment. Kamal is arguably a great intellectual among film artistes. He has also maintained a keen interest in politics and the welfare of Tamil Nadu. <\/p>\n

However he was not interested in becoming a member of a political party or engaging in politics for a very long time . It was only after he had passed the age of sixty in 2017 that Kamal began entertaining notions of dabbling in politics. <\/p>\n

Having accumulated fame, wealth, the affection of fans and heaps of laurels as an actor, the man hailed as Ulaga Naayagan (global hero) by his adulatory fans became enamoured of active politics. It is a well-established fact that the political environment of Tamil Nadu state has in the past been conducive for film stars to do well as political leaders. <\/p>\n

Makkal Needhi Maiam<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamal inaugurated his party officially in 2018 at the Tamukkam (Ottakkattai) grounds in Madurai, in the presence of a huge, wildly cheering crowd. The name of the actor turned politician\u2019s political party was Makkal Needhi Maiam a rough translation of which would mean in English \u2018Centre for People\u2019s Justice\u2019. <\/p>\n

The new party contested the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections in 2021 It fared miserably and dented the larger than life image of Kamal Haasan. The \u201cMakkal Needhi Maiam\u201d(MNM) together with a few smaller parties contested all 234 seats in the Legislature at the 2021 polls in Tamil Nadu. The Kamal Haasan led alliance failed to win a single seat. The party leader Kamal lost by a narrow margin in the Coimbatore South constituency. <\/p>\n

Kamal\u2019s flagship the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) was expected to poll around 10% of the total vote and become the \u201cthird force\u201d in the state next to the two Dravidian parties the DMK (Dravidian Munnetra Kazhagam) and AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).<\/p>\n

However even that \u201chonour\u201d went to the \u201cNaam Thamizhar Katchi\u201d(We Tamils Party) led by film director – actor Seeman. While Kamal\u2019s MNM got only 10,58,084 (2.45%)votes , Seeman\u2019s NTK gained 30,67,458 (6.89%) votes. <\/p>\n

Inner -Party Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Furthermore the MTM party which hogged much of the media spotlight during the election campaign due to the cinematic charisma of Kamal Haasan faced an inner-party crisis in the aftermath of the poll. Heated discussions took place when key party officials met to analyse the electoral debacle. <\/p>\n

Much of the blame was aimed at Kamal himself. Several accusations were levelled against him. These included lack of transparency and accountability in financial transactions. The disproportionate influence wielded in intra-party matters by a cabal favoured by Kamal and the party leader devoting much of his time and energy to his own electoral propaganda and neglecting the needs of other party candidates. <\/p>\n

Leading party officials -many of them respected personalities in their own right- began submitting dated resignation letters quitting not only their positions in the MNM, but also their basic membership in the party. Kamal Haasan the Global Hero was being turned into a political zero in his own, native Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n

Given the humiliating defeat suffered by the MNM in the polls and the cavalcade of resignations by prominent party officials, it was apparent that the fledgling party was undergoing a crisis of disintergration. The only way to counter this process of depletion, decline and decay would have been for party leader Kamal Haasan to immerse himself fully in MNM party matters. <\/p>\n

With the upper crust of the MNM deserting him, Kamal needed to consolidate himself with the rank and file by reaching out and appealing to them. He had to tour the state and inter-act with party branches. <\/p>\n

Vikram\u2019s Success<\/strong><\/p>\n

However the actor – politico did not seem to be thinking on those lines. Instead he chose to return to the film world by reviving the stalled shooting of his movie \u201cVikram\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Tamil action thriller \u201cVikram\u201d along with its dubbed versions in Hindi,Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada was released worldwide in over 5000 Screens on June 3rd 2022. Vikram became Kamal\u2019s biggest box office blockbuster.. Apart from its commercial success, Vikram has also earned much critical acclaim. More importantly Vikram demonstrated that Kamal is not yet a spent force. He may amount to a zero in politics but in cinema he is still a hero.<\/p>\n

The success of Vikram marked the return of Kamal to the big screen in a big way and his re-entry into cinema from politics. The shift to politics from cinema took Kamal away from movie acting as politicking took up much of his time. His last two films were \u201cVishwaroopam -2 \u201d in 2018 and \u201cKadaaram Kondaan\u201d in 2019.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cBig Boss\u201d TV<\/strong><\/p>\n

However Kamal Haasan did move to the small screen. In 2017 he became the host of the Tamil version of \u201cBig Boss\u201d on TV. He has been playing the titular character Big Boss in the highly successful reality show for several years.<\/p>\n

The entry into the hurly-burly world of politics as well as the shift to the TV small screen made many of Kamal\u2019s rasikas feel that their idol had bade adieu to the big screen. They were happy therefore when Kamal announced a return by way of Vikram.<\/p>\n

Return to Cinema<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vikram\u2019s success led to a resumption of shooting for -Indian -2. The film, directed by Shankar, had been put on hold since Feb 2020. The film was released in July this year. Kamal has also teamed up with Director Maniratnam after many decades for the film \u201cThug Life\u201d due for release in February 2025. Also Kamal produced \u201cAmaran\u201d starring Siva Karthikeyan and Sai Pallavi under his Rajkamal fims banner.It was released in October.<\/p>\n

It appears that Kamal Haasan – much to the delight of his numerous fans – has opted to pursue attainable goals in cinema rather than hanker after desirable targets in politics. <\/p>\n

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/em><\/p>\n

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. By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Article Denoting Kamal Haasan\u2019s 70th Birth Anniversary on 7 November 2024) Srinivasan Kamal Haasan known popularly as Kamal Haasan and\/or Kamal is arguably the finest actor in Tamil cinema today. He is also acknowledged as being one of India\u2019s foremost thespians.The multi-faceted artiste is a film director, producer, screenwriter, film lyricist, poet, …<\/p>\n

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