Kamal Hassan and Venkatesh are pairing up for the first time for Eenadu, which is the remake of a successful Bollywood film A Wednesday. Final touches are being made for the movie, which is being produced simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu languages and it is slated for release on September 18. In the Tamil version, Mohanlal is replacing Venkatesh and it is being released uder the title Unnaipol Oruvan. Amma Art Creations led by G Kumarbabu bagged the distribution rights for the Telugu version.

Giving details, Kumarbabu said, “Though there is a tough competition for the Telugu version distribution, we are fortunate enough for bagging the opportunity. We have offered a fancy rate for the release rights in Telugu. We thank Kamal Hassan and Chandra Hassan for their co-operation in this regard. We are planning to launch the audio during this month and release the film on September 18.”

UTV and Raj Kamal Films International are jointly producing the film while Chakri Tholeti has wielded the megaphone.
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Source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/telugu/top-stories/2009/eenadu-film-release-200809.html

THE QUINTESSENTIAL COP

Back here, in Tamil cinema, films where prominent actors play the cop role are looked at as an 'occasion'. - A celebration of sorts. These are also used as a benchmark to judge performances and for many actors, cop movies have gone on to become memorable check points in their career. Kamal has done a fair share of police based cinema and has come up triumphs more often than not. In this article we zoom in on a couple of his very special portrayals and run through the rest of his "police career"

Adhi narayanan is a class act. Kamal's body language throughout the film adapts itself to the changing character sketch. The strict and confident police officer who later finds himself in a desperate losing situation couldn't have found a better face on silver screen. Kamal's uses subdued facial expressions to great effect in the interrogative scenes. The tension builds up because the audience is not sure of what the calm interrogating officer may do the next moment. The effect would have flown off had Kamal been just another cop shouting like a mad man at Nasser. Kamal's unique coarse voice is a huge plus too. Some of the most unforgettable moments from the film include the scene where Kamal utters the famous "Everyone has a breaking Point" line dialogue ;

The scene where Kamal tells his son that he was only kissing his mother ( If this is not natural acting, then what is?) ; The sequence where Kamal declares to Gauthami that he is losing the war and of course the extremely goose bumpy climax sequence. The climax in particular deserves one separate article on it. This is what I had written about that scene in one of my past write ups :- " that coarse yet high pitched voice, that blood painted face, that broken tooth, those eyes and he goes SHOOT ME MY MAN, SHOOT ME, MY MAN - MY BOY , SHOOT ME - AND THATS A BLOODY ORDER - as a viewer u feel, yes, this is the ultimatum, any actor can't thrill u more than this, and u surrender completely to adinarayanan,."

(As told by the director) Though the movie was actually starts from the finger hanging scene, the initial karka karka song and the intro-scenes are tribute to kamalhaasan from one of his big fan – the director of the movie, Gautham himself.

When I first met Raghavan, He came across as a poor shadow of Adi Narayanan. I wasn't satisfied with what saw till his wife got kidnapped. Then the real scenes of the movie started to flow and there he was, Playing his age, Body language intact, Expressions in place. Raghavan had arrived. The one-hand push up cum tape recorder scene is probably as authentic as it can get. The fact that a cop speaks more with the body and less with the mouth is re established with Kamal's portrayal in this pic. Looking at him perform is such a relief when compared to other policemen - heroes of Tamil Cinema who dance, crack jokes and deliver punch dialogues at the drop of an eyelid. It takes the consistency out of the character and that is something Kamal has tried his best to maintain in the film even though the screenplay subjects Raghavan to an unnecessary duet in the middle of the second half.

Adi and Raghavan made a major mark, but each took at least two and half hours to do it. One police officer required only ten minutes. In those ten minutes, he played the feared cop and the lovable husband and came up with a gamut of brilliant expressions when being killed. His name is Sethupathy - The father of a couple of 'aboorva sahodrargal'. This stunning cop-cameo apart, Kamal perfectly cast himself as Indian James Bond in Vikram,. He also played the best looking cop in the history of Tamil Cinema in Soora Samharam and looked equally great in Oru Kaidhiyin Dairy. Balram Naidu is also from RAW but his role was more humour and less police. So we will talk about that portrayal some other time.

In Dasavatharam's Audio Launch, Hero Vijay made a note of the saying that 'Even real life cops look at kamal'spolice films to see what kind of body language is to be used' . Though this line was meant more as a symbolic reference, I sometimes think there is nothing wrong if such a situation were to crop up. The law will find itself in safer hands. Because in Kamal, Tamil Cinema finds its quintessential cop. The one whose very posture is symbolic with strength, intelligence, chivalry and passion.

SOURCE: kamalhaasanvideoblog

KAMAL HAASAN AND THE HERO-ACTOR CRISIS

Rajinikanth, Vijay, Stallone, Schwarzeneggar, and as the long list would go on , are 'heroes'. They repeatedly play characters that have super powers to bash up all the bad men on the earth. These are stars whom the kids and the masses love. No one looks at the actor or even the person in these stars. They only see the 'hero' in them. Watching these superstars perform is like looking at a your favourite WWE wrestler pin down his opponents. Their performances either have too many expressions or there is a complete lack of them. One can't really call it even acting per se. Mindless, but fun - guaranteed.

Sivaji Ganesan, Nasseruddin Shah, Nagesh, Nana Patekar, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman , Tom hanks and as the not so big list would go on, are 'actors'. They don't have a following among the kids, masses and the front benches. They are purely a connoisseur's delight. They are performers and every film critique would love to write a tribute to their works These are people who literally live the character that they play and bring out a huge variety of emotions on screen. Watching them perform is like watching an artist paint a beautiful portrait of a character that is in his mind.

Where would you place Kamal Haasan in this classification? Is he a hero who also acts or is he an actor who is also a brand/franchise? The issue is slightly complex and has been primarily responsible for an audience that is often confused with its opinion on Kamal Haasan. Even among his die hard fans there is a confusion. While one set would prefer Mahanadi to Avvai shanmukhi any day, the other would want to see more Dasavatharams and less of Gunas. The reason for all this is that Kamal has done it all. Been everywhere, seen everything.

In fact in1981-82, he acted in a film that fetched him the national award for that year (moondram pirai) and also in another movie which was the biggest commercial blockbuster of that year (sagalakalavallavan). Just that in 1996, the wiser kamal haasan combined both these tasks in one single film. (Indian)

So here is a look at kamal the hero - who has given the masses unlimited entertainment, and kamal the actor who has given my pen a thousand words to write . And also, a fascinating combination of both.

1) KAMAL THE HERO - If you go to a village or a small town and ask people why they love 'kamala' haasan (Many women still refer to him like that), they would tell u stories of his sagalakalavallavan where he looked awesome, danced like a dream , sang, jumped, waved, made fun and finally tricked the wrong man into the climax trap. They will talk to you about guru, simla special, oru kaidhiyin diary, vetrivizha, sathya,vikram, soora samharam and the likes - movies where the hero kamal has done everything that is expected of any other on screen super hero.

2) KAMAL THE ACTOR - This one, as I said, is for the puritans. It is not simply that they call kamal the finest actor in India. They have gems like moondram pirai, saagara sangamam,saagar, nayagan, pushpak, michael madana kamarajan, guna, devar magan, mahanadi, kurudhipunal, heyram, anbesivam, virumandi and many more to support their arguments. In these movies kamal has been thoroughly brilliant with his unmatchable display of a gamut of emotions. Rarely can u see both brilliance and versatility and brilliant versatility in one single actor's performances. Kamal is that rare impersonator, who flawlessly imitates every character that is written for him in the script.

3) KAMAL THE ACTOR, WHILE BEING KAMAL THE HERO - "Commercial classic". Ever heard of this phrase? It is a form of cinema that kamal has continuously indulged in throughout his career. These films have everything that a tamil producer wants (read, comedy,action, sentiment, all in one) and along with these, they have a sensational performance from the male lead. Aboorva sahodrargal, Indian, Chachi 420, Dasavatharam - All fall into this very special category - Some thing no other Actor has really managed to achieve.

SOURCE: kamalhaasanvideoblog

THE SUPREME PEN WHICH HAD INK OF EVERY OTHER COLOUR

This is the story of a pen that was born in 1981. It was a Dustin Hoffman fan back then. So it included a sweet little tribute to "graduate" in its adaptation of 'Butterflies Are Free'. As expected, the pen - which was also a highly rated actor by then had casted itself in the lead in this , which was then a small budget experimental cinema but is now considered path breaking. The subtle romance of Raajaparvai was just the perfect way for Kamal Haasan to launch his career in screenwriting. A career that 28 years later stands tall as one of the country's best.

A few malayalam scripts and some unofficial screenplays later, Kamal collaborated with Sujatha to come up with the proper Indian combination of Indiana Jones and James Bond - From Credits to BGM to Action sequences and the plot as a whole, Vikram arrived on the Indian Screens, technically awesome but with too many loose ends. A work which any screenwriter of Kamal's standard can not be proud of. However, as we later realised, Kamal was only preparing for something much much bigger.

Another collaboration with a person known to have written 'only' hit movies. It was a perfect match. While Panchu Arunachalam took care of the 'mass - pulse', Kamal brought in sequences which were a complete treat to any lover of great cinema. Aboorva Sahodrargal was a money making masterpiece / A commercial Classic / The pinnacle of mass+class/ The ultimate movie making output. And with this movie started the trend. A series of screenplays which take their sweet time to first get into the feel and later race off at an exhilarating pace, often ending with a complex chase in areas with heavy traffic. It had become the Kamal Stamp. Driving the car with the screenplay in the back seat and accelerating the vehicle into a bridge only to break off and free fall into the sea. But Aboorva Sahodrargal was very special. A comic take on the investigating policeman cliche and a sad tale of love failure injected into what was primarily a story of full blooded revenge.

Commerce Done. It was time now for Self Indulgence. Four Years. Four Films. Such amazing displays of mastery over the way the pen is to be handled. Stunning Variety too. What colours ! There is comedy supreme, psychedelia delusional, drama burning hot and tragedy unbearable. Micheal Madana Kamarajan, Guna, Devar Magan and Mahanadi are screenplays whose quality,tautness,variety and supremacy can simply not be matched. At least not in Indian Cinema yet. Michael Madana Kamarajan may look simple on screen. But the flow from one character to the other and the final connectors are not easy to represent. It is done in such a subtle manner that one is made to believe that is the only way the story can move. There is class written all over this super efficient screenplay. Then there is Guna - A peek into the delusional world. A simple story laced with ironies galore and some very tough to write sequences. Guna still stands tall as one of Tamil Cinema's very unique and special films. Devar Magan is in a different league altogether. Definitely One of the very few adaptations of Godfather that Puzo and Coppola would actually be proud of. A high voltage Drama that has clinical intensity "written" all over it. Voted once among the most Important Tamil Films of all time, Devar Magan owes its everything to the tight narrative. Then of course we have the true masterpiece. The gut wrencher. The soul stirrer. The movie through which Kamal splashes all the ink from his pen on the audience. Till they have no option but to cry. Mahanadi is just as great as any story can get. Even on book, Even without kamal's histrionics on screen, Mahanadi will make you cry. Such is the agony in the tale. He had reached unimaginable screenwriting heights by this time.

Post Mahanadi and Pre Hey Ram ( can be ranked number one and two among his works) , came magalir mattum (why kamal, why? ( chal its okay. it was at least well indianized) , Nammavar(WOW) and Kadala Kadala ( You are getting to form Boss) from Kamal's pen. Among these, Nammavar is a very very special film. A very well knit plot which impressed me particularly with its minor but very necessary references to the student life of the protagonist assistant professor.

Then Brilliant ink started to flow again. It was now getting very complicated - dishing out masterpiece after masterpiece. Each one jam packed with multi layered themes, hard hitting ironies, convoluted themes, intelligent sub-plots and endless wit. Hey Ram, Aalavandaan,Virumandi and Anbe Sivam were such stunning products. Leaving out Aalavandaan( the screenplay which kamal thinks is warped, was written by him way back in the eighties during his mumbai days), the other three plots must have taken months of staggering research and hardwork to have materialized. Hey Ram which hits you on your face with almost every element of its story is among the most thought provoking films I have ever seen. Writing Virumaandi and making it visibly different from Roshomon should be included as the final question in an examination for picking the best screenwriter of the world. Anbe Sivam with its themes are no less either. So many issues, both burning and old, beamed onto big screen through a very simple story of two different men travelling together. Masterful is THE word.

Mumbai Express was unique and Dasavatharam was the most toughest of the lot. The latter had a flourish of just unimaginable witty dialogues. An separate article on his dialogue writing is a must. And one on Dasavatharam Dialogues alone is confirmed for sure. But I must confess, It gave me great joy and goosebumps rewinding through the career of one of the country's best screenwriters EVER. And if you still do not agree. The challenege is always open. Show me the Intensity, Show me the Variety and Show me the supremacy. I doubt if you can.

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SOURCE: kamalhaasanvideoblog

ANTITHESIS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER

Anyone who thinks of including the Kamal Nasser antipathy in the list of standard Cat and mouse tales and 'Hero gets the better of Villain all the time' stories, (like MGR – Nambiyar kinds) must be completely out of his mind. Till date, I have not witnessed a single saga of on screen animosity which is as explosive, as intense and as intelligently and diligently plotted out as that of Shakti and Maayan, Adi and Badri, Nalla Sivam and Kandasamy Padayachi. Were these plots planned with Kamal and Nasser in mind, or was it the very presence of Kamal and Nasser that made these plots what they are now ? (Legendary). We do not know. But what we do know is that every time they have been protagonist and antagonist, they have ended up stunning us with breath taking presentations of roles, characters and lives, becoming the most recognisable faces from dramatic tales of bitter enmity and grudge.

Kamal and Nasser has done lot of films together right from Nayakan to Virumaandi. But, this article is a look back at the 3 blockbuster performances that this great duo has given us. Through this article, we also look at how each of them has approached the particular roles along with discussions on the nuances.

Maayan is complicated. The quintessential representation of the anti Christ on earth. A cerebral genius who has a permanently corrupt soul. He is dark, handsome and very powerful. The constantly scheming mind is low on dialogues, but when he has to make a point, he comes out like a burst of poisonous air. To pull of something as heavy as that on screen needs more than just possessing a twisted nose which Nasser is 'blessed' with. The man who finds himself standing against the brutal force of Maayan is Shakti. Forced into a bloodbath before even knowing how things work - which essentially is re-represented by the climax sequence, Shakti needs to be silent, strong and most importantly, good. Adding gravity to the battle is the fact that pride is the only issue being fought for. Not women. Not money. Pride - that drives mankind to madness. Except for the climax and a couple of other sequences, Kamal's acting is mostly spontaneous and he works through the eyes. Expressions of great desperation, regret, anger and the such. Nasser, on the other hand can be seen working hard on maintaining that constant look of treachery and working more with the body. The very famous "Aiyya,Aiyyow, Yow" scene is trademark Nasser coming out all guns blazing all of a sudden with an insulting smile on his face.

Every dialogue of theirs including the talk in the hotel room where each vows to keep the name of their land builds up perfectly to the grand one on one climax fight. Maayan, driven out of base is mad and wants only blood. Shakti is fighting for peace. The rivalry ends, with one man dead and the other in tears of madness. It can't get better than this.

Or so we thought. Three years later came a tale that stunned Tamil Cinema. The police captures the driver of a car belonging to a highly dreaded terrorist organisation. The cop behind the operations (kamal) later realises that the person he has caught is actually the TOP GUY of the terrorist group (Nasser). The war begins. First played in the mind, then in the family and finally with the lives. Every move has a counter and a harsh one at that. Ultimately the terrorist proves he is mentally stronger, mainly because there is no family that depends on him. The cop makes one final successful dash to save the operation but only at the cost of his life. Again Kamal and Nasser bring with them great essence and unputdownable chemistry. In presence of each other, u can feel the animosity growing. Even though the tone of the dialogues is deliberately on the cooler side, the characters borrow from the situation to make things very intense. Unmatchable portrayals, these. Truly rivers of blood. The dialogues are far matured and realistic throughout the movie, especially the ones during the interrogation scene. The way Nasser character dominates during the second half with his attitude and corners aadhi clearly depicts how powerful the character really is.

And to round things off, is one last war of a very different kind. This is the fight of the socialist worker against the capitalist boss. The fight for justice against hypocrisy of the first order. In Anbe sivam, Kamal and Nasser take things to a higher level and their rivalry this time deals with much more important issues than just pride or defence. And they stun again. Kamal is great, both as the high voltage activist and the matured, enlightened,angel who knows how to get the work done. Nasser is perfect as the miser who wont give anything more than nine hundred and ten rupees to his workers. Their final interaction minutes before the marriage scene speak volumes of how these master performers have matured with the years and have ultimately hit the peak of conveying issues with subtlety and skill. Their war has moved from panache to purity and will forever remain unmoved in the minds of the audience.

This is a tale of great on screen rivalry, which with just a handful of films to boast off, has overtaken most other rivalries repeated in more than two dozen movies.

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SOURCE: kamalhaasanvideoblog

Back Home Its Called “Kamal's Instinct”

In 1978, his tamil movie “Sivappu Rojakal” got released. He played the role of a Psychopath killer (femicide).
One year later, a guy called Psycho Raman was caught for brutally murdering people especially women.

In 1988, kamal played the role of a unemployed youth in the movie “Sathya”.
In 89-90’s our country faced lot of problems due to unemployment.

In 1992, his blockbuster movie “Devar Magan” got released. Its a village based subject.. There will be some scenes portraying communal clashes.
Exactly a year later in 1993, there were many communal clashes in southern districts.

We all know in 1996 many people in our country was cheated by finance companies.
Our Kamal Hasan has clearly depicted this in his movie “mahanadhi” which got released in 1994 itself.

In “heyram”(2000), there are some scenes relating to Hindu Muslim clashes .
We all know 2 years later, godhra(Gujarat riots) incident happened.

He used a word called ‘tsunami’ in his movie “Anbesivam”(2003).The word ‘tsunami’ was not known to many people before.
In 2004, ‘tsunami’ stuck the east coast of our country and many people lost their lives.

In”Vettaiyadu Vilayadu ”(2006) there are two characters called ila&amudhan who played the roles of psychopath killers.
After 3 months of release of the movie, the noida serial killing came to light (moninder/sathish)

And now don’t start linking Dasavatharam’s VIAL with SWINE FLU

InfoCourtesy: Karthikeyan

T H E S U P E R K I D

Kamal Hassan was born into an Iyengar family on the 7th November 1954 in Paramakudi in Tamil Nadu. His father Srinivasan practiced law and his mother is Rajalakshmi. His brothers Charu and Chandra also carry the surname Hassan owing to their father’s friendship with a man named Hassan.

THIS was just a sign of things to come. At the tender age of 6 , in 1960, lord kamal haasan renders a flawless and ultra cute performance as a child artist in 'gemini' ganesan starrer "kalathoor kannamma". It was only fitting that this movie fetched him the first of his 4 national awards.

He made around 5 tamil movies during is childhood days. Kalathoor kannama, Paarthal pasi theerum, Paadha kaanikkai, Vaanampaadi, Aanandha jodhi, which had lead roles done by the Superstars of that period – MGR, Sivaji, GeminiGanesan and Nagesh.

Then his father decided to place his career in cinema and joined him in TKS Drama company during his school days. And he made him learn dance and singing too.

Info Courtesy : Karthikeyan

WHEN THE DUMBFOUNDED LEFT YOU DUMBFOUNDED !

1987-88 was a watershed year in Kamal Haasan's acting career. After stunning the world with the hugely acclaimed role of Velu Nayakar, Kamal ventured into a very unique project. Pushpaka Vimanam - The silent film. Any discussion about this film can not do without at least a five hundred words about the genius of Singeetham Srinivaasa Rao - the writer director of this, probably India's shrewdest movie ever. Every single minute of the two hour long master piece is filled with deep allegories that make you think. The social satire just hits you on your face. In this film, even minute sounds have a meaning. To watch the film is an unforgettable experience. It forces you to wear your thinking caps and you return from a film, a learned man. To convey some of the most complicated social theories in a story as simple as this requires very effective narrating skill and Singeetham seems to have loads of it. I promise to come up with a scene-by scene analysis of this silent piece of mind blowing poetry. Lets get back to the point.

Pushpak would not have been Pushpak had the unnamed protagonist not been played by Kamal. In the initial scenes at the shawl, Kamal is expected to show only the very basic human emotions of disgust, jealousy, hunger and irritation. The ball starts rolling when Kamal is amazed by the carelessness of the drunk resident of Pushpak - the hotel for the rich.

The way his body reacts to the surroundings in the scene when he drags the rich man to his room to tie him up is probably the most natural set of human reactions I have seen on silver screen. Kamal reacts to every single sound and every single motion, afraid that some one might find out. And there is no over action, though the scene provides ample scope for it.

As if this was not natural enough, Kamal comes up with yet another gem when inside the room 3039 of Pushpak, when he looks at a mirror as big as him. Shocked, thinking that he has actually seen some other person, Kamal gets his eyebrows sky high and falls off on the bed. A beautiful combination of the face and body - Like how a brilliant painter would use the variety of his colours and the speed of his brush.

Since there are no dialogues and there is no one's voice over to remind us of the fact that Kamal is actually staying in a place that is not his own, everything is left to his expressions alone. When Amala slaps him during the dinner scene, Kamal gives an expression of grief combined with shock and a sudden sense of realisation. Clearly differentiating between how it would have been had it been just grief and shock and no realisation. The reaction is a thing to remember. In a similar such sequence, Kamal is inside Amala 's room as a waiter , hiding under a bench and Farida Jalaal slaps him. There is double irony for the viewer here because firstly Kamal can't shout a word as the film doesn't have dialogues. But secondly Kamal actually can't shout a word because otherwise Farida Jalaal, who should not see him, will hear it. Again, Kamal differentiates and gives the expression that perfectly fits the latter situation.

Next comes the crucial scene in the film where Kamal realises the fact that some is out to kill the man whose room he is occupying. When returning to the city after knowing the truth, he looks at the beggars death and at the completely inhumane act of the corporation boys who drop the dead body in the middle of the road and run behind the money from the beggar's bag. Kamal's eyes tell us that he is currently equating himself with those corporation boys and is terribly ashamed of what he has done in the last few days. No one else is explaining all this. Only Kamal and his eyes.

Through out his stay in Pushpak hotel, Kamal buys and wears very costly dresses which do fit his body. But in order to send the message across to the viewer that the protagonist is actually new to all this richness, Kamal deliberately looks very uncomfortable in everything he wears. A stunning piece of homework. The difference is even more striking when you see the same kamal look very comfortable in similar dresses he wears in other films.

The best scene among all is definitely the one where among loud fun fare and magic, Kamal is to explain to Amala, through sign language, that he does not own the room and that all he has done is wrong and that he is leaving it now. He writes the letter but they don't show the text. Its all through his hands that point away from the hotel, his tears that mock at his own ironic situation and his eyes that feel sad for leaving amala mid way through a very heart warming love story. Kamal is like an expression - machine. You name it and he has it. From the basic to the most complex. Every thing is in that brilliant face.

As an actor in such a silent film, one is both literally and figuratively dumbfounded. But to come up with a performance that subtly conveys to the audience more than what words could have said or frenzied action could have done, requires tons of expressive talent. ‘I have an endless collection’ - Declares Kamal Haasan.

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When No One got more moolah in!

It was a long time with you

It was a long time with me

It would be a long time for anyone

But looks like its meant to be

I can imagine Kamal singing these lines of permanent goodbye to his majestic fan base of the eighties after scripting Guna in 1990 and making mahanadi in the mind. The decision he took was probably the most crucial turn Tamil Cinema was treated to, because entwined with his later career is the story of the greatest tamil films ever made. How much guts, how much passion, and how much of a heart would it have taken for the reigning king of box office to just leave the commerce behind and go mad behind art. Breath taking art. This article, however is nothing about the art. It is about the crisp sound of paper and how much of it kamal generated at a time when there was no one better at it. It is about the golden days when the golden man danced his way to the riches of the world.

Its about a movie called sakala-kala-vallavan and many other money spinners.

There were both major minor hits from 1975 to the early eighties. But what literally placed the man on throne was a self descriptive title - the movie that is sagalakalavallavan - a typical Indian masala fare depicting high energy levels of the male lead. The kind of impact this film had is not very putdownable in words. The biggest production house in tamilnadu , avm, found in sagalakalavallavan, the greatest hit of its film journey. Now that is not as simple as it looks. The movie made more money than any avm film had ever made. And by the time the film got done with its platinum celebrations, Haasan was a complete rage. A name fixed permanently in the hearts of every Tamilian, urban and rural.

Not that this was the first big bang. Ek Duje Ke Liye torched the screens. 16 vayadhinile and sivappu rojakkal made the ticket counters race to eternity. Guru ran to a 100 packed houses. Even the art house attempt at Rajapaarvai went on to touch the hundred day mark.But SKV was gigantic. All encompassing. It just rained gold. From then onwards every kamal movie was recieved with warmth from the distributors. Be it the trashy Savaal and arbit Tick Tick Tick or the brilliant salangai oli. The USP those times was that the energy in performance. It later transformed to the the 'difference' that one now regularly associates with all Kamal movies.

After other similar hits of varying qualities viz. Kakki Sattai, Nayagan, Sathya etc. came the second BIG BANG. It was a story of a different set of twins. A tale of revenge pulped up with complete wizardry from the actor. They called it aboorva sahodrargal. One of the biggest ever hits in Kamal Haasan's acting career ( keeping inflation in mind), Aboorva Sahodrargal propelled the star into permanent super stardom. So much so that even after years of self indulgent un saleable products, the actor's new films still command a Strong market price.

With this Aboorva Sahodrargal flow came and went Vetri Vizha, Indran Chandran, MMKR raking in healthy money. And ever since then, kamal has had a single point strategy to control his ever evading commerce market. The concept is to make as much self indulgent cinema as possible separated by 100% laugh riots that come with a minimum hit guarantee . For who will not wanna laugh to three hours of complete fun?.That is the story of singaravelan, Kadala Kadala, PKS, panchathantiram and vasool raja mbbs.

There was one particular period of two years when he had the chance in his hands to grab the total market and eliminate all possible rivalries. It was 1998. Indian had been the hit of the decade and Avvai Shanmukhi was still running to packed houses, a year after release.. when Marudanayagam happened. Did not happen, rather. Had the film been made and released, what would have ensued is probably the complete change in the way people at tamilnadu made movies a hit. But alas Pokhran had other ideas.

Nevertheless its been a very interesting ride. Much more interesting than just hits and nothing else. There is creativity, creative success, creative monetary success and a bunch of failures. As one of his songs say 'vazhvinil nooru thadai irundhaal dhaan vaazhkai rusi aaghum, Medugal irukkum nadigalil dhaane minsaram undaaghum ' Among these ultra creative attempts, some click big, some get the investment back and some sink. Devar Magan did the audience proud. Proof that they had the brains to make the choice. Virumaandi broke even and assured people that better times will come. But Anbe Sivam, Hey Ram and such attempts were victims of multiple intended and unintended conspiracies. The legacy however stayed on and the MAN is truly back in form rattling off blockbuster after blockbuster with Vettaiadu Vilayadu and Dasavatharam.

Info courtesy: Karthikeyan

KAMAL’S FAVOURITES IN THE FILM INDUSTRY

This is actually from an old article. But still worth looking again J (His comments are enclosed within brackets and are in BOLD)

FAVOURITES FROM HIS FILMS

16 Vayathinile

Avargal

Sagar Sangamam

Nayagan

Mahanadhi

Thevar Magan

HIS FAVOURITE FOREIGN FILMS

Seven Samurai

Spartacus

Vertigo

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Singing in the rain

Limelight

Macbeth by Roman Polanski

The Wall

Schindler List

The Seventh House

Forrest Gump (It almost seemed like a remake of Swathi Muthyam)

The Virgin Spring

The seventh seal

Manhattan, Sleeper, Annie Hall,... (Many Woody Allen films)

HIS FAVOURITE INDIAN FILMS

Mugal-e-Azam

Pather Panchali

Kaagaz Ke Phool

Padosan

Ankur and Bhumika

Achanak

Mera Gaon Mera Desh

Sholay

Andha Naal

Rangoon Radha

Sudigundaru

Chandralekha

(In addition to the above, atleast 20-30 Sivaji films)

HIS FAVOURITE BEST INDIAN ACTORS

Sivaji Ganesan

Motilal

Dilip Kumar

Ashok Kumar

OmPuri

Rishi Kapoor

Pankaj Kapoor

Naseeruddin Shah (If I didnt mention him it

wd be out of sheer jealousy)

K.Balachandar(He has never acted I have been trying to get him to act but he has always refused saying that

it wd be better if his talent remained a secret. Believe me he is one of the best actors)

HIS FAVOURITE BEST INDIAN ACTRESSS

(I am not too good at gauging actresses...may be because one gets too carried away by the oppoiste gender...but let me try)

Savithri

Laxmi

Vaanishree

MeenaKumari

Urvasi

Sridevi

Madhuri Dixit

FAVOURITE BEST FOREIGN ACTRESS

Vanessa Redgrave

Giulietta Mansina

Ingrid Thulin

Liza Minnelli

Sandra Bullock

FAVOURITE BEST FOREIGN ACTORS

Marlon Brando (An absolute favourite)

Paul Muni

Anthony Hopkins

Rod Steiger

Marcello Mastroianni

Zbigniew Cybulski

Volker Spengler

Willam Hurt

Robert de Niro

Mickey Rourke

Source: FilmFare July 1996.

Info courtesy: Karthikeyan