Kamal Haasan Speaks
Kamal Haasan is getting back to direction five long years after he wielded the megaphone for Virumandi. It will be a film with Tamil and Hindi versions, with a “national cast” that the actor-director-producer currently is scouting for. And the film will be “quasi-political”. The star-actor talks about quite a few things his mind is investing on right now, including politics and his dream venture Marudhanayagam, in this interview in which he opens up slowly to the questions:
What has been holding up Marudhanayagam?
We will be doing it. Things are changing, but I think it will take some more time. Right now we are planning another film in Tamil and Hindi for Rajkamal Films. It will have a national cast. It will be quasi-political but not icon bashing.
Is Marudhanayagam being delayed because of the huge canvas?
Yes, it will be in Tamil, French and English.
You have said it’s your life’s biggest project
Ya.
When can we expect to see it launched?
I don’t know… when we find the money. It’s quasi-ready, and the French writer Jean Claude Carriere has worked on it. It’s got everything going for it.
Are you looking for co-production avenues?
Yes, but it is not only about money. We will have to have people who can take it to the right kind of platform. See, even Slumdog Millionaire would have been dropped as a video film – it was almost – till it found the right promoters. So it needs the right people who believe in it to take it all the way.
If you do that film now, what kind of budget will it require, because things have changed drastically since you had first announced it?
Oh yes, because from the time I did the budget has become four times. With our economizing, the kind we do in Chennai, it will be at least three times, so it will have to be Rs 120 crore.
This new film you are talking about, the quasi-political theme – what do you mean by this term?
It’s the truth. It’s not party-oriented but it is generally talking about the state of affairs. And its not about politics – it’s about everything, as Dashavatharam is about everything. We have just completed the script, and it is quite exciting.
So, you yourself will be directing it?
Yes, and I will be acting also.
What kind of cast you are looking for?
I am looking for a national cast.. Mumbai, Chennai, Bengal…we are looking at good actors from all over, it will be a multi star cast film.
It’s the season of elections. Lot of your contemporaries have got involved in politics actively or indirectly, but you have never done that. Do you ever intend to do that?
No, I am not interested in politics. It’s not necessary to be involved in this kind of politics to run the country. I think we will have to vote this kind of politics out of the country. How do you do it is the question – it’s no use shouting at the politicians.
But don’t you think good people like you should get into politics?
Ya, but then what? You don’t have to go to the chor bazaar and shout chor chor (thief, thief)..nobody would listen to you if you do that in a chor bazaar. So then, don’t do it, keep away from there. The best thing is don’t buy from that bazaar, don’t subsidise it through your purchase. I am that old fashioned fool who pays his taxes proudly. That gives me the right to ask why my road is not right. First let me start it from my side…because honesty may not be the best policy but it’s a great luxury. Not all can afford it, I can.
What do you have to say about other actors who get into politics and then cannot perform because of their professional commitments, because they are in two boats?
Let’s not talk about those, let’s talk about those on one boat. They cannot come on time for a film, and they are supposedly committed to this, they call it their profession. How do you expect them to go into one more profession which is supposed to be a service, not a profession, but it has become that.
So, basically who are in a particular profession should first show due diligence to that….
..any profession…Gandhiji was ambidextrous, he could write with both his hands, but not all can do it. So, if you are capable, go ahead and do it.
The films you have directed, have a strong social message. As an actor and director, how important do you think cinema is a tool for social messaging?
I used to be a person who said artistes need not be concerned about what is happening, should not get involved in politics, it’s a separate world, but now I don’ think so. You cannot keep away from it. When people say why are you not involved, I say my films are my politics. I am making my statements through my films. I have very strong statements to make. I may not change votes, but hopefully I can change minds through my films, which will translate to something later. I am political in that sense. Like in any medium, if you keep saying the right thing, what you say will be believed. The same thing applies to the filmmaker also. But he has to be honest enough to accept what he is doing.
When did you realize that artistes cannot remain apolitical?
Around the 1990s. Till then I said that’s not my business, that’s for politicians. Everybody has their way of saying, some people make blatant propaganda films. I use my art to say what I believe in, the world as I see it. It may not be the perfect world, but nothing is perfect. We strive for excellence, and we pursue excellence. That way I try to bring in through my films what I believe will be an excellent world.
You have reduced your acting assignments very much…
Because my writing and directing takes away much of my time.
What do you say about the state of affair of small cinemas of India, films like Subramaniapuram? How much has the coming up of multiplexes helped such films?
Subramaniapuram has nothing to do with multiplexes. It happened on its own. The filmmakers are friends and fans of mine. I think the life of maverick, small filmmaker is never going to change, whatever multiplex comes in, because the same businessman sits there. But a new niche has been created, and a communication between the audience and filmmaker has developed. Now that chain cannot be broken, even by interested middleman, and that’s a good thing to happen.
So, are you also trying to make some small films?
As a matter of fact, I am trying to propagate the idea of short films for people, to make it populist. People should get interested in shorts and documentaries. It will be good for cinema itself. There are many films made in the West, which people go and watch like regular feature films, and it’s a dramatization of what you see on news. Some fantastic revelations and whistleblowing have happened. I want to get involved as a filmmaker, as a producer whatever, though I cannot do certain things because of my status as a known film personality. But somebody else can do it. If you ask me, what they did with Tehelka, could be a good material for such films. Just because it happened on television, does not mean that we should disregard the other platform. Other platforms should also speak.
Coming to your worn work, now that you have so many years of performance behind you. Now when you are offered a film by somebody else, what you look for?
The script, and then who the filmmaker is, whether he or she would be able to realize it. Many great ideas have gone down because of poor making, I don’t know how many I ruined in the beginning of my career, but that’s very important. It’s important that I don’t repeat my mistakes.
What if the person is a first-time filmmaker?
It does not matter. As a matter of fact, the gentleman making my next film is also a first time filmmaker Mohanlal and I are acting in it. It’s by a US-trained filmmaker who has also been an actor, a child actor, Chakravarthy, who we know as Chakri. He was there in Sagara Sangamam – the little boy with a camera. He is there in Dashavatharam also. It’s being produced by my company. It’s in Tamil and Telugu, and is the remake of A Wednesday. I will be playing the Naseer (Naseerudding Shah) saab’s role. Mohanlal and Venkatesh will be playing the commissioner’s role (played by Anupam Kher in Hindi) in Tamil and Telugu versions . I am the common factor, because I have the audience support in both languages. I bought the rights from UTV.
You had bought the rights of Drohkaal too, to remake it as Kurudhipunaal. Is it necessary to remake a film in another language?
Sometimes yes. It first has to appeal to me and has to have something to say. When you are running short of time, and you have a great idea, why reinvent the wheel, why have the ego of reinventing the wheel. One part of the country has not seen the original film, take it to them, a good idea should be taken. Drohkaal was a film I was involved even while he (Govind Nihalani) was writing. I could not be a part of it, so I bought the rights.
Any other films that you want to remake?
There is one in English, which I want to bring to the Tamil people.
Which one is that?
No, I cannot say it now. Then there is a Spanish film whose title would translate into ‘Fugitives of Time’ or ‘Time Fugitive’. The English is an independent film. I want such exchange of ideas, it gives you a lot of prefabricated homework, but by taking the rights, not by plagiarizing, or getting ‘inspired by’. And yes, I want to make Sagara Sangamam in Hindi.
Beyond that?
I am having a screenplay writing workshop in Chennai. It will be by invitation. We need to develop good screenplay writers. It is one department we are lagging in very much. That’s why I want to hold the screenplay workshop. Let’s see how it goes.
Tags: A Wednesday, kamal haasan, Marudhanayagam
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Great read!!!
Good points on politics and films and their relation.
I am a bit sad that he precludes himself from small films owing to his ‘following’..
I have given up on Kamal. Once, he was my favourite actor. I would lap up even his silly films such as Yeh Toh Kamaal Ho Gaya & Giraftaar and a whole bunch of tamil films.
Then, he got obsessed with ‘get-ups’. Somehow, his ‘Indian’ became a hit and he started believeing that acting means make-up and prosthetic masks. He has been doing that ever since. Dashavatharam is where he crossed all limits.
No matter what role he does now, he’s not being natural. He’s being Kamal, the Great. Complete with all mannerisms and what not. Being consumed by one’s own image, now that’s bad for an actor.
So he’s doing Naseer’s role in the tamil remake of A Wednesday. Rest assured he won’t be able to hold a candle to Naseer’s effortless performance.
Naseeruddin Shah. Now there’s an actor who has really understood what acting is all about. That it’s to forget you are you and instead be the character you’re enacting.
Sadly, most of our superstars are just being themselves. SRK (except for his restrained performance in Chak De and Swadesh). Mohanlal (except for some ‘gine-chune’ roles such as the one in Thanmatra). And what about Salman Khan? He’s the pits. The man had potential, but look how he ‘acts’ nowadays! In every movie, he seems to be making fun of the very enterprise he’s part of, showing scant respect for the filmmaker.he seems to be saying, “I’m Salman and I’ll do as I please, Script and direction jaaye bhad mein.”
Well, Kamal may not be behaving irresponsibly like Salman, but he needs to stop taking himself and his ‘image’ too seriously. There’s something called humility and it has only done well for great actors like Naseer.
The day Kamal learns to be humble, he will do well as an actor, because, he is definitely a good actor. All he has to do is get back on the track that he started from.
Utpal- nice interview.But how did you get to interview him, asking the same out of curiosity.
Mohanlal- After Indian’s success he did comedy movies like Thenali,Pammal K.Sambandham Panchatantiram & Rama Shama Bhama.He also did movies like Hey Ram,Anbe Sivam & Dasavatharam where he tried to experiment & probably even went overboard as you say.And he also did a mass movie like Vettaiyadu Vilayadu.And he made a bold directorial venture- Virumandi.And there was Mumbai Express- which was neither here nor there.So has he tried to hide behind make-up & masks in all these movies- maybe a couple of them, not more than that.
Yes even I have a lot of expectations from him & would want better things from him.Dont compare Kamal with Nasser saab.Naseer saab has always been an actor & he has not had to taste stardom.If Naseer saab was in Kamal’s shoes then it would be interesting to see what he would have done by now.Kamal is one of the few artistes who try to balance stardom with acting- so lets hope to see better things from him.
Any idea of the spanish movie he is talking about ??
thanks a bunch!
Sethumadhavan: I interviewed him when he was in Delhi to promote Dashavthar, the Hindi version of Dashavatharam.
@ KPV Balaji i think its ‘Los cronocrímenes’…http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669/…
@ Utpal- oh! yes while I’ve been associating you with the film fests & socities I just forgot that you are a journalist.Anyways I repeat that this is a good interview & I wish I could have been there myself
Thanks Utpal…its too good…great questions and equally good answers…I liked the way he defended remakes…He is good at such things…
If you remember the recent interview with Anne M Vetticad recently in Headlines Today…He bowled her over with the ‘aging gracefully’ comment…
I donot agree with him on remakes though…he had his share of inspirations and plagiarism…in ‘Avvai Shanmugi’, ‘Thenali’, and many more…so now he cant play good guy..
@To your credit Utpal..this interview has more content than the Vetticad one..good going..This deserves a PFC exclusive…
Utpal- I second Ram here, this needs to be a PFC exclusive thing !!!
@ram v
the spanish movie remake has been in the news for many years..so i am not sure if it will be a 2007 film… and you are right about the remake stuff..as much being a kamal fanatic i do have to accept that there have been many inspiration for his movies..probably he has realised it is always better to get the rights and go straight.. Still the adaptation of the scripts that he does thru these inspirations is nothin short of brilliance IMO
@KPV Balaji…ok..yes nowadays the public is more aware and each scene will be compared against some or the other movie…so he is being cautious..Yeah some have been really good…and some even better than the original ..like Avvai Shanmugi..but that does not justify plagiarism a single bit…copied is copied…period.
At least, he should not make a comment as if he was a puritan… “I want such exchange of ideas, it gives you a lot of prefabricated homework, but by taking the rights, not by plagiarizing, or getting ‘inspired by’”…This statement was needless…
Cary grant was indeed approached for roman holiday. You can see the director and even gregory peck mentioning it in the special edition dvd
oops wrong post in the wrong section
Self Indulgent Genius he is!
@ram : I think he says he wants to do remakes by getting proper rights and not want to be accused of plagiarism and getting inspired of. guess he is aware of people accusing him for plagiarism.
@Balaji..I read it again..yes..agreed..your interpretation is also possible :-)
Thanks Utpal for Kamal’s interview.
nice interview man…i am also a grt fan of kamal sir and nowdays i feel that is he is trying to make things/movies too grand / superstar content. But i am sure he will come back with a bang !!!
Awesome interview (answers and questions. both)! am a superfan of his… Dint really get the context in which the Gandhiji example was brought up… hmmmmm
after seeing DASHAVATARN…..i can say one thing…genious pagal hota hain….suna hain….but pagalpan aise nehi hona chahiye ki actual pagal bhi usse gali dene lage.;-)
expecting some really good films from him.
Dear kamal sir, Thank you so much for enlightening ppl on politics n the responsibility that every Indian has regarding to bring about the change in the city rather than cribbing about the politicians..
Great to learn that u r holding a screenplay writing workshop in Chennai.. Dear Sir.. I work as an Assistant Director in Feature Films and I would be very keen to attend your screenplay workshop… plz reply as to when r u starting with the workshop… regards…