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Unnai Pol Oruvan Promo Song

2009-09-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

Kamal-Venky's Eenadu releases on September 18!

2009-08-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:32:00.002-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

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”

2009-08-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

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 !

2009-08-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

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

kamal 50-vikatan

2009-08-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

அவதாரங்களுக்கு வயது 50. களத்தூர் கண்ணம்மாவில் கையெடுத்துக் கும்பிட்ட சிறுவனை இன்று இந்திய சினிமா வணங்குகிறது. தாகங்களின் தசாவதாரம். தலைமுறைகளை வென்ற தனி அவதாரம். கமலின் கலைக்கு இது விகடனின் பொன்விழா மரியாதை!

முதல் படத்திலேயே (களத்தூர் கண்ணம்மா) சிறந்த குழந்தை நட்சத்திரத்துக்கான தேசிய விருதைப் பெற்றவர் கமல்!

'களத்தூர் கண்ணம்மா', 'ஆனந்த ஜோதி', 'பார்த்தால் பசி தீரும்', 'பாதகாணிக்கை', 'வானம்பாடி' என 5 படங்களில் நடித்த பிறகு, அவ்வை டி.கே.சண்முகத்திடம் சேர்ந்தார் கமல். அவர் வேறு திசைக்குப் பயணப்பட்டது அதற்குப் பிறகுதான்!

களத்தூர் கண்ணம்மாவில் குழந்தை நட்சத்திரமாக அறிமுகமானாலும்கூட, தனது குழந்தைப் பருவத்து நடிப்பில், பெரிய நடிகர்கள் யாருக்கும் மாஸ்டர் கேரக்டரில் கமல் நடித்ததே இல்லை!

கமல் நடித்த படங்களைப் பாராட்டி பாலசந்தர் எழுதும்போது 'மை டியர் ராஸ்கல்' என்றுதான் அழைப்பார்!

கமலின் தந்தை உடல் தகனத்துக்காக மயானத்தில் வைக்கப்பட்டு இருந்தது. சாருஹாசன், சந்திரஹாசன், கமல் மூவரும் சிதையின் அருகில் நிற்க, திரும்பிப் பார்த்த கமல் 'அண்ணா, நீங்களும் வாங்க' என இருவரை அழைத்தார். அவர்கள் ஆர்.சி.சக்தி, ஸ்டன்ட் மாஸ்டர் கிருபா. கதறித் துடித்தபடி அவர்களும் கொள்ளிவைத்தனர்!

ஃபிலிம்ஃபேர் விருதை 18 முறைக்கு மேல் வாங்கிய ஒரே இந்திய நடிகர் கமல்தான்!

எண்பதுகளின் மத்தியில் 'மய்யம்' என்ற இலக்கியப் பத்திரிகையைக் கொஞ்ச காலம் நடத்தினார் கமல்!

எம்.ஜி.ஆருக்கு 'நான் ஏன் பிறந்தேன்', சிவாஜிக்கு 'சவாலே சமாளி', ஜெயலலிதாவுக்கு 'அன்புத்தங்கை' படங்களில் டான்ஸ் மாஸ்டராகப் பணியாற்றி இருக்கிறார் கமல்!

ஆரம்பத்தில் 'சிவாலயா' என்ற நடனக் குழுவை ஆரம்பித்து நடத்தினார் கமல். அதற்குப் பிறகுதான் நடன உதவியாளராக தங்கப்பனிடம் சேர்ந்தார்!

ஆர்.சி.சக்தியின் இயக்கத்தில் வந்த 'உணர்ச்சிகள்'தான் கமலைத் தனி கதாநாயகனாக ஆக்கியது. ஆனால், முந்திக்கொண்டு வெளிவந்த படம் 'பட்டாம்பூச்சி'!

'நினைத்தாலே இனிக்கும்' படம்தான் கமலும் ரஜினியும் சேர்ந்து நடித்த கடைசிப் படம்!

கமல் ரொம்பவும் ஆசைப்பட்டு, முற்றுப்பெறாத கனவுகளில் ஒன்று... 'மருதநாயகம்'!

கடவுள் மறுப்புக்கொள்கையைக் கொண்டவர் என்றாலும், ஆத்திகத்தை கமல் விமர்சனம் செய்வதில்லை!

தமிழ், மலையாளம், தெலுங்கு, கன்னடம், ஹிந்தி, பெங்காலி மொழிப் படங்களில் நடித்திருக்கிற ஒரே தமிழ் நடிகர் கமல்தான்!

தன் உடலைத் தானம் செய்திருக்கிறார் கமல். சினிமாவில் இத்தகைய முன் மாதிரி இவர்தான்!

கமலுடன் அதிக படங்களில் ஜோடியாக நடித்தவர்கள் இரண்டு பேர். ஸ்ரீதேவி, ஸ்ரீப்ரியா!

கமல், சாருஹாசன், சுஹாசினி என அவரது குடும்பத்தில் இருந்தே மூன்று பேர் தேசிய விருது பெற்றிருக்கிறார்கள்!

'ராஜபார்வை' முதல் தம்பியுடன் இருந்து அலுவலகத்தைக் கவனிக்கிறார் அண்ணன் சந்திரஹாசன். கல்லாப்பெட்டி அவரது கவனத்தில்தான் இருக்கிறது!

ஏதோ மன வருத்தம்... சாருஹாசனும் கமலும் இப்போதும் பேசிக்கொள்வது இல்லை!

பிரசாத் ஸ்டுடியோவில் அகேலா கிரேன் இறக்குமதி ஆகியிருந்தது. அதை இரவோடு இரவாகச் சென்று பார்த்த முதல் நபர் கமல். பிறகுதான் பி.சி.ஸ்ரீராம் போன்றவர்கள் வந்து பார்த்தார்கள். தொழில்நுட்பத்தின் மீதுகொண்ட தீராத ஆர்வம்தான் காரணம்!

வீட்டில் நிறைய நாய்களை வளர்க்கிறார். கொஞ்ச காலத்துக்கு முன்பு இறந்துபோன நாய்க்காகக் கண்ணீர்விட்ட தருணங்களும் உண்டு!

'ஹே ராம்' படம் முதல் டைரக்ஷனாக வெளிவந்தாலும், முன்னமே 'சங்கர்லால்' படத்தை, டி.என்.பாலு இறந்து போக, முக்கால்வாசிக்கு மேல் இயக்கியிருக்கிறார்!

கமல் மிகவும் ஆத்மார்த்தமாக நேசித்த மனிதர் மறைந்த அனந்து. தன்னை வேறு தளத்துக்கு அழைத்து வந்த நண்பர் என்ற அன்பு அவர் நெஞ்சு நிறைய உண்டு!

அதிஅற்புதமான உலக சினிமாக்களின் டி.வி.டி. அணிவகுப்பு கமலின் ஹோம் தியேட்டர் கலெக்ஷனில் இருக்கிறது!

பட்டு வேட்டி பிடிக்கும். தழையத் தழையக் கட்டிக்கொண்டு ஆபீஸ் வந்தால், அன்று முழுக்க உற்சாக மூடில் இருப்பார்!

தமிழ், ஆங்கிலம், தெலுங்கு, ஹிந்தி, மலையாளம், பெங்காலி, கன்னடம், பிரெஞ்சு என எட்டு மொழிகள் கைவந்த வித்தகர்!

ரஜினிக்குப் பிடித்த படமான 'முள்ளும் மலரும்' படம் வெளியாவதற்குக் காரணமாக இருந்தவரே கமல்தான்!

'உங்களது படங்களில் உங்களுக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்த படம் எது?' என்று கேட்டால், 'நான் நடிக்கப் போகும் எனது அடுத்த படம்' என்பார்.

கமல் மெட்ராஸ் பாஷை பேசிய 'சட்டம் என் கையில்', 'அபூர்வ சகோதரர்கள்' ஆகிய படங்கள் மெகா ஹிட். மெட்ராஸ் பாஷைக்கு கமலின் குரு லூஸ் மோகன்!

'சட்டம் என் கையில்' படம்தான் கமல் இரட்டை வேடங்களில் நடித்த முதல் படம் என்பது பலரும் சொல்லும் தகவல். ஆனால், அவர் 'பார்த்தால் பசி தீரும்' படத்திலேயே சின்ன வயதில் டபுள் ரோல் பண்ணியிருக்கிறார்!

ஊர்வன, பறப்பன, ஓடுவன என அனைத்தையும் சாப்பிடும் அசைவப் பிரியர் கமல். ஆக்டோபஸை எவ்வாறு பிடித்து, சமைத்துச் சாப்பிடுவது என்பதை நடித்தே காட்டுவாராம். அந்த நடிப்பிலேயே எதிரே உள்ளவர்கள் பசியாறி விடுவார்களாம்!

ஆஸ்கர் விருது பெற்ற 'டிராஃபிக்' படத்தை இயக்கிய ஹாலிவுட் இயக்குநர் ஸ்டீபன் சோடர்பெர்க்கைப் போன்று ஒரு ஸ்டெடிகேம் கேமராவை இடுப்பில் கட்டி, லென்ஸைத் தன்னை நோக்கித் திருப்பிக்கொண்டு 'சிங்கிள்மேன் யூனிட்'டாக ஒரு படத்தை இயக்கி நடிப்பது கமலின் நீண்ட நாள் ஆசை!

நடிகர் நாகேசுக்கும் கமலுக்குமான உறவு 'அப்பா-மகன்' உறவு போன்றது. தன்னை 'கமல்ஜி' என்று நாகேஷ் அழைக்கும்போது, 'எதுக்கு அந்த ஜி' என்ற கமலிடம், 'கமலுக்குள்ள ஒரு நாகேஷ் இருக்கலாம். ஆனால், நாகேசுக்குள்ள ஒரு கமல் இருக்க வாய்ப்பே இல்லை' என்பாராம் நாகேஷ்!

கமலுக்கு சினிமா சென்டிமென்ட்களில் துளியும் நம்பிக்கை கிடையாது. 'ஹே ராம்' படத்தின் முதல் வசனமே இப்படித்தான் இருக்கும்... 'சாகேத்ராம் திஸ் இஸ் பேக்-அப் டைம்'!

நல்ல மூடு இருந்தால், நண்பர்களிடம் தன் கவிதைகளை வாசித்துக் காட்டுவார். விரல் ஜாலங்களை, குரல் ஜாலங்களுடன் கேட்கக் கிடைத்தவர்கள் பாக்கியவான்கள். இருந்தும் ஏனோ, இன்னமும் தொகுப்புகளாக வெளியிடாமல் தாமதிக்கிறார் கமல்!

''சந்திக்கும் மனிதர்களின் பேச்சுக்களை, நடவடிக்கைகளை நகலெடுப்பது போல் கவனிக்கும் ஆற்றல் எனக்குத் தெரிந்து சிலருக்கே உண்டு. இந்த ஆற்றல் கைவரப்பெற்றவர்கள் வரிசையில் முக்கியமான இடம் கமலுக்கு உண்டு'' என்கிறார் யூகி சேது!

'மர்மயோகி'யில் கமல் ஒரு அகோரி கேரக்டர் செய்வதாக இருந்தார். கொஞ்ச காலத்துக்கு முன்பு நீண்ட தாடி வளர்த்தது அதற்காகத்தான். 'சாமா சானம்' என்று தொடங்கும் பாடல் ஒன்றைக்கூட இதற்காகத் தயார் செய்துவைத்திருந்தார். 'மர்மயோகி' டிராப் என்றவுடன் தாடியை எடுத்துவிட்டார்!

நன்றாகத் தமிழ் பேசும் ஹீரோயின்களை கமலுக்கு மிகப் பிடிக்கும். தமிழ்க் கதாநாயகிகள் அதிகம் வருவதில்லை என்ற வருத்தமும் அவருக்கு உண்டு. அதனால்தான் அபிராமியையும் சினேகாவையும் அழைத்துத் தன் படங்களில் வாய்ப்பு கொடுத்தார்!

'காலையில் எழுந்ததும் யார் முகத்தில் விழிக்க விருப்பம்?' என்று கமல் முன்பு நடத்திய 'மய்யம்' பத்திரிகையில் ஒரு கேள்வி கேட்கப்பட்டது. கமல் சொன்ன பதில், 'காட்டில் இருந்தால் நரி முகத்தில், கட்டிலில் இருந்தால் ஸ்த்ரீ முகத்தில்'!

பாபர் மசூதி இடிப்பின்போது யதேச்சையாக டெல்லியில் இருந்தார் கமல். விஷயம் கேள்விப்பட்டதும் உடனடியாக அப்போதைய பிரதமர் நரசிம்மராவைச் சந்தித்து, தமிழ் திரையுலகம் சார்பாக எதிர்ப்பைப் பதிவு செய்தார். பாபர் மசூதி இடிப்புக்கு எதிராக சினிமா உலகில் இருந்து முதன்முதலில் எழுந்த எதிர்க்குரல் கமலுடையது!

முட்டையின் மஞ்சள் கருவை நீக்கிவிட்டு வெள்ளைக்கருவில் மிளகுப்பொடி தூவிச் சாப்பிடுவது கமலுக்குப் பிடித்தமானது. கூடவே பிளாக் டீ!

இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு விஜய் டி.வி-யில் கமலின் பிறந்த நாளுக்காகப் புகழ்பெற்ற கவிஞர்களை அழைத்து ஒரு கவியரங்கம் நடத்தினார்கள். ஒரு நடிகரைப் பாட்டுடைத் தலைவனாக வைத்து நடத்தப்பட்ட முதல் கவியரங்கம் அதுதான்!

'ஆளவந்தான்' ரிலீஸின்போது, 'இனிமேல் 100 நாட்கள் எல்லாம் படம் ஓடாது. சினிமா பார்ப்பது வாழைப்பழம் சாப்பிடுவது மாதிரி. சாப்பிட வேண்டும் என்று ஆசைப்பட்டால் அருகில் உள்ள பெட்டிக் கடையில் வாழைப்பழம் கிடைக்க வேண்டும்' என்று சொல்லி, அதிக தியேட்டர்களில் ரிலீஸ் செய்யும் சிஸ்டத்தை அறிமுகப்படுத்தியவர் கமல்தான்!

'யாரையாவது டின்னருக்கு அழைக்க வேண்டும் என்றால் யாரை அழைப்பீர்கள்?' என்று ஒருமுறை கமலிடம் கேட்கப்பட்டபோது, 'காந்தியடிகளை டின்னருக்கு அழைத்து, ஆட்டுப் பாலும் நிலக்கடலையும் பரிமாற விருப்பம்' என்று பதில் சொன்னார்!

'நாகேஷ், தன்னுடைய திரையுலக காமெடி வாரிசை உருவாக்காமல் போய்விட்டார். அந்தத் தவறை நானும் செய்ய மாட்டேன்!' அண்மையில் திரைக்கதைப் பயிற்சிப் பட்டறை நடத்துவதற்கான காரணமாக நண்பர்களிடம் கமல் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டது இது!

சென்னை புறநகரில் ஒரு மல்டிப்ளெக்ஸ் கட்டுவதற்காக கமல் இடம் வாங்கிப்போட்டிருக்கிறார். அனைத்துவிதமான தொழில் நுட்பங்களுடன் கூடிய சினிமா தியேட்டர்களும், கேளிக்கை பூங்காக்களும், ரெஸ்டாரென்ட்டுகளும் அங்கு இருக்கும்!

தமிழ் சினிமாவை 'கோலிவுட்' என்று பலரும் சொன்னாலும் கமல் அந்த வார்த்தையை உச்சரிக்க மாட்டார். அப்படிச் சொல்ல வேண்டாம் என மேடைகளிலும் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார். தமிழ்த் திரையுலகம் என்று அழுத்தி உச்சரிப்பதே அவரது ஸ்டைல்!

வீட்டில் நான்கு கார்களை வைத்திருக்கும் கமல்ஹாசன் புதிதாக ஹம்மர் ஹெச்2 என்னும் காரை 1.8 கோடி ரூபாய் விலையில் வாங்கியிருக்கிறார். இது துணை முதல்வர் ஸ்டாலின் வைத்திருக்கும் ஹம்மர் ஹெச்3 காரைவிட காஸ்ட்லி!

'உனக்குள்ள நடமாடிக்கிட்டு இருக்குற மிருகம்தான் எனக்குள்ள தூங்கிக்கிட்டு இருக்கு', 'போங்கடா... போய் புள்ள குட்டிங்களைப் படிக்க வைங்கடா', 'வீரம்னா என்ன தெரியுமா..? பயம் இல்லாதது மாதிரி நடிக்கிறது', 'ஓநாயா இருந்து பார்த்தாதான் அதோட நியாயம் என்னான்னு தெரியும்', 'சந்தோஷம்னா என்னன்னு அதை அனுபவிக்கும்போது யாருக்கும் தெரியுறதில்லை', 'மன்னிக்கிறவன் மனுஷன், மன்னிப்புக் கேட்கிறவன் பெரிய மனுஷன்' - இவை எல்லாம் வசனகர்த்தா கமல் எழுதிய புகழ்பெற்ற வசனங்கள்!

Ritz Special Magazine About Aandavar Kamal

2009-08-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Next Film: Kamal Haasan As Gautama Budha

2009-08-20T05:31:00.000-07:00

In KAMALJI's Own Poduction, A HISTORICAL MOVIE - after death incidents of Budha is the story. The Director is Myshkin. Soon the announcement will come.

THALAIVAR'S Historical search & anguish continues....!

"" BUDHAM SARANAM KAMALJI !! ""

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விரைவில் அறிவிப்பு வரலாமாம். கமலே தயாரித்து நடிக்கவிருக்கும் படத்தை இயக்கவிருப்பது மிஷ்கின். புத்தரின் இறப்புக்குப் பின் நிகழும் சம்பவங்கள்தான் கதைக் களமாம். புத்தர் சம்பந்தமான புத்தகங்களை வேட்டையாடிக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறார் மிஷ்கின். (புத்தம் சரணம் கமல் சாமி !)

இன்பாக்ஸ், ஆனந்த விகடன், 26.08.2009

CM nods for Dr. Kamal Haasan Road

2009-08-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

As we all wished, this deserving proposal came out fruitful! Why not? He entertained us for 50 years and is still working hard to contribute more to Indian film industry. Few days back we remembered our Kalaignani Kamal Haasan’s golden jubilee in Indian cinema.

Recently the President of Nadigar Sangam Sarathkumar had made a request to Tamil Nadu CM Kalaignar Karunanidhi, to rename Eldams road as Dr. Kalaignani Kamal Haasan Road. Directors Murugadoss, Mysskin also addressed the press meet and insisted to rename Eldams Road, where Kamal's office is located.

Sources said that our CM has considered the same and will announce this news in a suitable occasion. In fact the film Industry and his fans are glad and proud about his achievement and are eagerly waiting to honour our Ulaganayagan.

Away from any doubts this is the right tribute for the eternally passionate actor!

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/49170.html

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Sarath wants Dr. Kamal Haasan Road in Chennai

August 17, 2009

The Nadigar Sangam President Sarath Kumar said that the film stars would initiate the move to rename the Eldams Road as Dr. Kamal Haasan Road. According to Sarath, renaming the road, in which the star has been living for years, is the apt way of felicitating him on his Golden Jubilee year in Kollywood.

Sarath Kumar added that the Nadigar Sangam will petition the state government and the Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi to do the needful.

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/aug-09-04/kamal-haasan-17-08-09.html

Kamal and Venky’s Eenadu releasing on 18th September

2009-08-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

The bilingual film‘Eenadu’ starring Kamal Haasan and Venkatesh is going to release on 18th September. The unit is busy with the post production works. The film is a remake of Bollywood hit film 'A Wednesday'. Kamal playing the role of Naseeruddin Shah , the role of Anupam Kher in the reprise will have Telugu star Venkatesh. Chakri Toleti is making his debut as a director with this flick. Kamal’s daughter Shruti Hassan scored the music for this movie. UTV Motion Pictures and Kamal’s Raj Kamal Movies have jointly produced the film. The film is titled ‘Unnai Pol Oruvan’ in Tamil. Amma Art Creations bagged the distribution rights of the ‘Eenadu’ in Telugu.

http://123telugu.com/mnews/Aug09/Kamal_Venky_Eenadu_releasing_18_September_19080904.html

ACTOR SURESH GOPI'S SOURCE OF INSPIRATION IS KAMAL

2009-08-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here in this interview malayalam actor suresh gopi says his source of inspiration to enter cinema is none other than our thalaivar ...although a child artist, gopi had no intention to join movies...but while doing his degree,it was thalaivars's performance and his movies that changed his view towards cinema.

Vijay TV celebrates Kamal’s 50 years

2009-08-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Vijay TV presents

Ulaganayagan Kamal Aimbathu

- Oru Thodarum Sarithiram

“Kamal Haasan” – the name personifies uniqueness, hard work, dedication and exceptional creativity. His journey in filmdom began with the film “Kalathur Kanamma” at the age of five; and now after 50 years; there is no stopping him. He has not only proved himself to be a versatile actor; the star has excelled in the many roles of film making such as script writer, director, producer, singer among others.

Vijay TV, the exclusive television channel nominated to celebrate the 50 years of Kamal Haasan in its own exclusive way is to launch a spate of events in the next 6 weeks. The celebrations titled “Rin Ulaganayagan Kamal Aimbathu – Oru Thodarum Sarithiram” will witness activities across the state. This exclusive event will be one of its kind ever attempted for any star and will be carried out in various phases.

PHASE 1:

To begin the proceedings, a customized “Kamal Bus” would traverse the state; attracting all his thousands of fans. This bus would visit the film trade centers and fan clubs in Tamilnadu and Bengaluru. An exclusive photo exhibition with rare and never seen before photographs from Kamal Haasan’s life will be on display on this bus. Apart from the photo exhibition, the fans, technicians and artists will sign the huge scroll that would be presented to the star. The bus leaves from Chennai and travels to Chengalpet, Pudhucheri, Villupuram, Perambalur, Tiruchi, Madurai, Paramakudi, Tuticorin, Thirunelvelli, Nagercoil, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Bengaluru, Thirupathur, Vellore and Kanchipuram over a period of 12 days.

PHASE 2 – Iyal Isai Nadaga Thiruvizha

This will be a festival that celebrates the three forms of Tamil language at three key locations in Tamilnadu i.e. Madurai, Coimbatore and Chennai.

Thamizhum Kamalum – Madurai

“Thamizhum Kamalum” event would be held at Madurai. This would be a literary discussion featuring eminent personalities from the field of Tamil literature. While the scholars speak on how the veteran actor has made use of literature in most of his films wisely; his fans group & the commoners would come up with their own interpretation of Kamal Haasan’s contribution to the language. Kamal Haasan’s perfection and attention to detail when it comes to using various Tamil dictions in his films would be highlighted. The use of Bharathiyaar poems in “Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu” to Abirami Andadadhi in “Guna” & from playing a Srilankan Tamil in “Thenali” to the American “Dasavatharam” Kamal Haasan has done it all. Watch out for this gripping discussion which is interspersed with interesting anecdotes.

Kamalum Kaadhalum – Coimbatore

Kovai would witness a grand musical nite “Kamalum Kaadahalum” which will feature some of most popular evergreen hits featuring Kamal Haasan. Many popular faces from the Tamil film & music industry would perform in front of a LIVE audience. The songs from most of Kamal Haasan’s movies have been chartbusters in every era. The theme of this event would be LOVE and songs depicting the various stages of love would be sung by legendary singers like S. P. Balasubramaniyam and Chitra. Also joining them would be popular playback singers Madhu Balakrishnan, Anuradha Sriram, S. P. Charan, Benny Dayal, Karthik, Vijay Yesudas, Suchithra, Madhumitha, Naveen, Haricharan, Ranjith, Rahul Nambiar and many others.

Kamal Haasan Film festival – Chennai

In Chennai, Vijay TV has planned to organize a Kamal Haasan film festival over 3 weeks in August-September in partnership with Sathyam Cinemas; showcasing some of his best movies ever.

Special On air episodes

Parallel to these on ground events at Coimbatore, Chennai and Madurai; the biography of Kamal Haasan will air on Vijay TV. This 16 episode series would talk about his childhood days as an actor, his first passion – the theatre and his life in cinema. With experiences narrated by his contemporaries and juniors of the past 50 years, the show will be an emotional & inspiring tale of Kamal Haasan – the phenomenon. Starts August 31, 2009; airing Monday – Thursday at 8pm.

PHASE 3 – the MEGA event at Chennai

This month long celebrations will culminate with a mega event in Chennai in the 2nd week of September. An evening to treasure, as the film stars of Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada film industry come together on one stage to salute the one & only Kamal Haasan. Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan himself will be present to witness the event and speak a few words to his ardent fans. Popular faces beginning from Big B and Super star Rajinikanth; other stars like Shahrukh Khan, Mamooty, Mohanlal, Sridevi, Chiranjeevi, Puneet Rajkumar, Jeyapradha, Hemamalini, Suryah, Ajith, Vijay., and many artists along with top notch technicians, would be a part of this grand event witnessed by a 7,000 strong audience. With performances by legends of the music industry and dance performances by leading actors from the Tamil industry, this would be a night to cherish. The event would be split into five parts, each representing a decade of Kamal Haasan’s films.

In consultation with the legend, a core team has been set up that will monitor the celebrations. The core team has legendary director K. Balachander, actor Sivakumar, actor / producer – Sarath Kumar, Member of Parliament Napolean, directors – A.R. Murugadoss and Myshkin, actors Kushboo and Jaimala, playback singer / producer – S.P. Charan, film critics Madan and Yugi Sethu.

The advertising fraternity has already expressed great interest in associating with these celebrations; many partners like logistics (KPN Travels), hospitality (The Accord Metropolitan) and multiplex (Sathyam Cinemas) have already been roped in. With huge promotional plans across various mediums; this would surely be an event to watch out for.!

Kamal Haasan speaks “these 50 years in cinema is not a single man’s achievement. There are many people in my life who have been an inspiration in making these 50 years happen; this is a team effort. I’m thankful to my producers who have believed in me and my work. I will always be grateful to AVM Chettiar, Shanmugam Annachi, Iyakunar Sigaram K.Balachander and many others who have always been my strength and watched out for me through these years. These 50 years would come in any person’s life; but it was Vijay TV that first presented this concept and was determined to celebrate this in a grand manner.“

He adds, “It gives me great honor that most of my friends from the industry are present here today to address the media. They are the people who always speak well of me even in my absence; and have been a source of support through my failures. Their willingness to be a part of this event gives me great pleasure. Only now, I would have to make myself worthy of all the nice things that they have said or would tell about me in this forum; and I will take this as my responsibility. This isn’t humility; but my true self.”

“My friends, directors, producers and fans who have attended the meet today have always been with me giving me strength, guiding and protecting me; and a major contribution of this comes from the media. Vijay TV has also been a part of my life, they have been good critics and I am indebted to all of you for this” he adds.

“This is not the zenith of my life, but it is an incident that has happened without my realizing it. Suddenly, when faced with the question on these 50 years; I am telling the truth when I say I search for an answer. There is a lot more for me to achieve and I will take this as morning alarm to shake me up and continue my work; I would not think of this as an evening… thank you” he concludes.

Taming the light

2009-08-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Seen the upside down Make Heads Turn Hi-style ads? Or the very hip looking Style One promos? Perhaps you gazed longingly at the latest Nalli Next posters. The person behind these photographs is S Muthukumar, who is currently clicking away stills for Unnaipol Oruvan, Kamal uch-anticipated remake of A Wednesday. Haasan's much-anticipated remake of A Wednesday.

Receiving me in his studio, Muthukumar starts off from the beginning of his photographic journey, "I did my BCom in Loyola College. After which I studied direction and scriptwriting at the Tamil Nadu Film and TV Institute, Taramani. Although I studied the basics of filmmaking, I did not make it my profession." A disappointment in college pushed the 36-year-old photographer away from the silver screen. "I did a feature documentary on homosexuality for my film direction course.

I discussed case studies, talked to psychiatrists and did a lot of research. It was a very simple video with no risque shots. But the board did not approve it, although they said they would pass it for the effort taken. Although it was just a college project, I did not feel too keen on pursuing directing after this," recalls Muthukumar.

His next response is surprising. "I learnt photography only from friends; I have no formal training. My friends and I used to get together to shoot portfolios of pals and that was how I learnt the nuances of photography ."

I wonder aloud if all this talent is due to his genes. The photographer has an impressive family background.

"My dad, known as DNS, had worked with Kamal Haasan, managing his production companies for 25 years. He worked with Modern Theatres production company for Shivaji's first film Parasakthi and till recently, has worked with several production companies throughout his career," he smiles. His brother Sathyamoorthy is a personnel manager with Big Films and AVM.

Muthukumar has done all kinds of photography, right from fashion and industries to CSR ads for IT firms and NGO promos. "In product photography, one has to give life to the product by using an interplay of light and angles. But in fashion photography, the pretty face and body form only half of the end product. It is up to the photographer to coax the right kind of emotions from the model," he explains.

Muthukumar stresses on the importance of choosing the right model. "Due to our conservative society, Indian models are not comfortable with wearing clothes that fit the image of international brands. But foreign models have been brought up to believe that dressing skimpily is both comfortable and necessary . If a model is not comfortable with the clothes she is wearing, no matter how confidently she tries to portray herself, the whole look just does not come out well. The photographer has to communicate with the model every second," he says.

"I spend a lot of time experimenting with photography and playing with kids," grins Muthukumar.

"Sometimes, I call my friends for experimental photo shoots. Time and money are not important because one has to keep trying out new things. Sometimes, my experimental shots turn out to be much better than my commercial ones."

As for kids, there is a surprising admission. "I love to play with kids. I can spend hours playing with them all sorts of outdoor games, like hide and seek. My wife also joins me, but the kids call her aunty, while they call me Muthu," laughs Muthukumar.

Talking about kids, when he was little, he was interested in athletics but since he has bad eyesight, he could never think of taking it up. But this myopia hasn't prevented Muthukumar from scaling the heights of photography.

"Probably my running around with kids keeps me limber for my shoots," he muses. What for, I ask. "I climb anything and everything, to get that perfect angle.

People call me crazy, but I will do anything to tame the light," he smiles. He says learning to tame the light is extremely important, especially during shoots on the beach, where there is only one source of light.

A regular for Nalli Silks for seven years now, he describes his experiences with the silk baron at length.

Shooting for Nalli has been an awesome experience. "The very first ad that I shot for them," he recollects, "was a disaster." The camera didn't work properly , the lighting didn't turn out well and the generator conked out. That advertisement turned out to be really bad. But the people were nice enough to understand that everything had gone wrong and they agreed to shoot again. He spent his own money and begged them to re-shoot, which turned out decently . The following years of working with Nalli has been "totally rocking". has been "totally rocking".

As he talks to me, he unconsciously reaches out to select a song on his computer. In answer to my enquiring gaze, he catches himself. "The studio is always filled with music and it helps to keep the mood of the crew people light.

Favourite songs are Unfaithful by Rihanna and the Titanic theme." Muthukumar never repeats a location for the same client. "I have shot in Bangkok and Malaysia, as they are ideal for shooting. While doing our film shooting, we often go for long drives, Malaysia, as they are ideal for shooting. While doing our film shooting, we often go for long drives, through villages, to scan the area and check the best scenes for the shoot. In this way I find great locales for my shoots. I want to explore south Tamil Nadu. I think it has great potential, instead of having to go abroad," he says.

How different is it to be working in movies? "The director briefs me and gives me just the outline. I insist on that, so that I am able to create a deliberate teaser picture for the public. There is a given budget and a given time and I have to work within those limits,"

signs off Muthukumar. Unnaipol Oruvan is slated for a late September release -- resh_al@hotmail.com

Working with dancer Sudharani: I have brought out a series of dance documentary DVDs featuring Sudharani Raghupathy. One such DVD on Sudharani Raghupathy is called Madura Margam on Thillanas sung by Sudha Raghunathan and performed by Sudharani's students.

Landmark film:

My first movie with Ulaga Nayagan was Chachi 420 and we were shooting in Mumbai with Shantanu Sheorey, who was the initial direc tor. The famous photographer Suresh Natarajan was also with us.Shantanu was not keen on having me on the sets, because he wanted to work with Suresh Natarajan. We shot for two days without any inci dent and on the third day, I took nine rolls that I had shot, and showed them to Shantanu and his only response was, "I love your work!" Muthukumar has worked in Marudhanayagam, Mumbai Express, Dasavatharam and Peraanmai.

On the actors:

I was introduced to Bharat Shah by Rani Mukherjee during the making of Hey! Ram. I didn't like Rani when we first met, but when she emerged with her makeup, I was awestruck. And Shah Rukh Khan is amazing, with the amount of energy he exudes. But I was surprised to see him on Pepsi and cigarettes all the time.

Kamal Haasan:

Kamal Haasan is a great person to work with. He ensures that everyone eats at the same time and the same food is served to all. Every moment spent with Kamal Haasan's crew is a learning experience.You can pick up so much by just being around them.

Gearing up:

I approach every product with a fresh mind. I don't do any homework but improvise as the shoot goes on. However, the groundwork is very important. I don't consciously look for inspiration like watch a movie for ideas. The creative bursts are already registered in the subconscious.

Funny moment:

Once, I attended a Christian wedding and was snapping away as usual. I clicked photos of the bride and groom exchanging rings underneath the table when no one was looking.

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அறிவிப்பாளர் ஜனா கமலுக்கு எழுதிய கடிதமும் கமலின் பதிலும்

2008-09-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

'லண்டன் தமிழ் வானொலி' மற்றும் 'இலங்கை வானொலி' புகழ் ஒலிபரப்பாளர் ஜனா... 31 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு கமலுக்கு எழுதிய கடிதம். யாழ்ப்பாணம் கஸ்தூரியார் வீதியிலிருந்து எழுதிய கடிதம்.1977 'பொம்மை' சஞ்சிகையில் பிரசுரமானது.நடு நிலையான ஜனாவின் விமர்சனக் கடிதத்திற்கு கமல் எழுதிய மனம் திறந்த பதிலையும் படிக்கலாம்.

'நடிகர் திலகத்தின் வாரிசாக கமல் வர வேண்டும்... உயர வேண்டும்...' என்று 31 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே சொன்ன 'ஜனாவின் தீர்க்க தரிசனம்' சிலிர்க்க வைக்கிறது.

கடிதத்தை தெளிவாகப் படிக்க...ஒவ்வொரு கடிதத்தின் மீதும் மவுசினால் ஒரு முறை அழுத்துங்கள்.

Info Courtesy: http://olivaanki.blogspot.com/2008/09/blog-post.html

Andavar @ Sibi's Wedding Reception!

2008-09-16T11:08:00.001-07:00

"Ivarukku eppavume ithe velaiya pochu.....

Marriage function-ku poga vendiyathu....

Maappilaiya vida Youth-ah nikka vendiyathu....

Ponnoda friends-lam ivara sight adikka vendiyathu..."

-"a polambal from paathikkapatta maapillai friends"

Info Courtesy: ASHOK

Andavar @ Sibi's Wedding Reception!

2008-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00