Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 10, 2018)

What can you say about Kamal Haasan which hasn’t been said, heard or read about before? The South supremo turned 64 on November 7 and I turned to Rahul Bose to introduce me to the actor-filmmaker he met as the antagonist of Vishwaroopam, the 2013 spy thriller. Rahul admitted that he was aware of the long shadow Kamal cast over the industry and consequently his interactions with the legend and the director was tempered with a degree of respect and awe. “But the minute we stepped in front of the camera as actors, he treated me like an equal. We were like two contemporaries working towards making a scene, but as soon as ‘Cut’ was called, I was immediately aware of who he is,” he admits.

Rahul who represented India internationally in rugby for 25 years and continues to enjoy the sport, quickly discovered that the game that had earned him several scars down the years which he has flaunted like his trophies, made for an interesting topic of conversation. “We were like two veteran soldiers exchanging war stories and laughing over our wounds,” he chuckles, surprising me with the revelation that Kamal Haasan is an accomplished horse-rider with his own horses and stud farm. “He would talk about the various injuries he had sustained while doing stunts for films. Mr Haasan is such a perfectionist that as part of his prep, he learnt everything from riding to knife throwing. Vishwaroopam had a lot of wire work, action sequences which required him to leap on and jump off cars, and he was as agile as an 18-year-old,” he marvels.

His character in the film, Omar Qureshi, an Afghani jihadi who heads a terror outfit, is a man dying from radioactive cancer in the second half. With his body burning from inside, Omar underwent a lot of physical changes in the second half, including a voice transformation. “Usually we speak as we exhale, I spoke while I inhale, following the cues Mr Haasan was giving me. It was a freaky thing to do but fortunately he is open to ideas while knowing exactly what he wants and if you go off course, he will politely put you right,” informs Rahul, recalling how when he was dubbing for the film, his fellow actor, director, writer, producer was seated right beside, in the dubbing theatre for six days, going over every line with him.

However, once the shooting wrapped up, the two went their separate ways, not even connecting over the many pre-release controversies triggered off, bans and no shows in several states and even foreign markets. “I lost complete touch with him and his crew once the job was done. We reunited briefly for some patchwork shoot on the sequel around three years ago. I will always remember him as a supremely talented artiste, an intelligent, widely read man who is constantly curious with a need to learn and a huge interest in the technical aspect of filmmaking. For me, he was a great workshop.”

Meena Iyer (DNA; July 23, 2018)

Tamil cinema icon and Padma Bhushan recipient Kamal Haasan, who has been making headlines since February when he launched his party (Makkal Needhi Maiam), confesses that his political sojourn is chicken soup for his soul. But the actor, who holds a record 17 Filmfare Awards and three National Awards, also knows that cinema will always remain his first claim to fame. He admits that while he will devote more time to politics from now on, he will come back with a new film each year.

On his recent trip to Mumbai to promote his next action-drama Vishwaroopam 2, After Hrs caught up with the icon, the politician and the parent. Excerpts:

Is Vishwaroopam 2 a sequel to your 2013 mystery, crime-thriller titled Vishwaroopam?
This one is a sequel and a prequel, both. It goes back and forth and to the very beginning of my character, Wisam Ahmad Kashmiri, how and why he was recruited.

You don’t believe in resting on past laurels, right?
I always work on keeping up with the latest. My previous film is my past, my next is my future. I have to move forward and not rest on my past laurels. They’re not even laurels, but only ground covered.

You’re being modest...
That’s only the miles you cross. Miles are miles, footage is footage, nothing more than that. You have to improvise on it, otherwise someone else will.

Is there a foreign crew involved in Vishwaroopam 2 as well?
Yes, lots of them. I’ve been working with them for various departments. There are two cinematographers and the sound designer Kunal Rajan is from Los Angeles. The stunts have been supervised and choreographed by Stefan Richter from Germany and Parvez and Feroze, who are from here. Besides, a variety of stuntmen were required for the film.

With your foray into politics, will cinema lose a good actor, an icon?
Even before I made a move into politics, I had already started taking up fewer movies.

Why is that?
I like to work only on films where I think I can give it all. I do only one film in a year, sometimes one in two years. This time, there has been a long gap because of politics.

Don’t you think your habit to call a spade a spade will land you in trouble?
But is politics about calling a hammer a spade? I’m a fan of Mahatma Gandhi ji, K Kamaraj ji, C Rajagopalachari ji, and above all, EV Ramasamy Periyar and B R Ambedkar. It looks like I’m picking from across the spectrum. But why not? That is a vantage position that I’m in and being a man of today, it gives me a better angle of our ancestors, to choose politics and not take sides. Shooting straight is something we learnt from Gandhiji and Periyar, both opposite ends of the spectrum. They started together, but ended up on either side.

Your fans are excited to see you enter politics...
What can be more touching for me? Fans are a small cluster of people who have a penchant for that kind of work. What I’m receiving after my foray into politics is a traction that is unprecedented in my memory. It’s frightening and encouraging at the same time.

Is this happening because of the cinema you have been associated with?
This has nothing to do with cinema. What I’m talking about is something that runs parallel. Many people, who are associated with me, my social work and who are a part of my political journey, haven’t seen my films, some say they don’t like my movies but are with me on this cause. Some of them have seen very few films and say they’re not impressed with them, but they are with me for what I stand for now. Few others say they are fans of another actor, but in this, they are with me. That’s very heartening. I’ve been travelling extensively, three-four days a month to about 20 towns every day, from early morning till late into the night. During the course of my travels, I meet countless people. It is a unique experience. It has nothing to do with the characters that I have played on screen! They don’t call me Venu Nayakan, for example. They connect with me purely for what I am.

I’m also doing reality television entertainment. I’m using it as a platform for talking to people. The reason I’ve taken up this show (Bigg Boss in Tamil) is to communicate with people. The TVP rating of 12.8 is unprecedented and also an encouraging sign. Whether they agree with me or not, they are coming back every Saturday to listen to me talk, not merely about the show, but life, politics and everything that is there. For me, every Saturday is equal to addressing 50-60 public meetings because the reach of the reality show that I am doing is so wide. I’m reaching about 3.7 crore people each weekend. That’s an unheard number even for me.

Will your next film be a sequel to Shankar’s Indian?
Yes, Shankar and I are working on it. I don’t know where it will take me, but it seems to be in the correct direction. It looks like it’s going to be my next movie.

How are you able to divide your time between your show, film and politics?
The show is only once a week, so that’s four days a month. The rest is all for politics.

And films? No time for cinema?
As I said, I have reduced my film workload. I am also not taking up direction. It’s a full-time responsibility, like this one (Vishwaroopam 2). I’ve to be there for the mixing and background, etc. Fortunately, I’ve done it all much before I started my party.

Rajinikanth is re-entering politics. And you are making your debut almost simultaneously. However, your political ideologies seem to differ, right?
It’s not the same from what I hear. Both are on the opposite ends of the spectrum.

The earlier generation has seen the two of you on screen. Gen-Now is curious to see Rajini and you together...
I don’t think it will happen now. As it is, both of us are doing few films. Once we’re in politics full-time, it will be even fewer. I don’t think we will do a film together.

An actor, a politician and also a parent. Are you able to juggle it all?
My daughters (Shruti and Akshara) are happy. There is no end to my parental duty, it is a lifelong commitment which I have made to my children. However, I am enjoying this new role; not because of the veneration it gets, but because of the satisfaction it gives. I sincerely hope I can give people what they expect from a leader. I will work towards it, I also hope I can get the results they want.

You seem to be in a happier place now.
I am. I understand tears, laughter and agony, too. My empathy towards people has increased. Now, there is no cynicism.

Is there a departure from the earlier Kamal Haasan?
Yes, it’s happening. People call it their ‘calling’. I’ve been thinking about it for over 15 years. After the success of a film, I have often said, ‘This is not what I’m meant to do’ and my friends have asked me, what is the meaning of ‘meant to do’? They thought I needed therapy because I was complaining after success. Now I understand what was troubling me. People probably become lawyers, scientists, nuns and evangelists because that is their true calling. My true calling is politics.

Does it have to do anything with the fact that you have turned older now (63)?
But there is no connection with that. A change has been happening within me for some time.

People who have known you for 30-odd years see a change in you. Do you sense any difference?
I am the same person. I have the same anger and remorse. But there is also an acceptance of everything around me.

There are also those who are suspicious of your foray into politics. Can you comment on this?
The worst people can say about me is that he’s arrogant and seeking power. That would be the worst insult. But one dare not raise a finger at me because of corruption. No one thinks that I will take away people’s money. They know that I am honest and I have to live by that. I was never avaricious. It was never there in my movies. It was my legitimate money. I could have made a little more or got away with less work, but I’ve never cheated. I’ve broken my back to deliver what I had to.

Are your daughters happy with your decision to enter politics?
They were not in the beginning. They asked what happens to the artiste we pride on. We pride on not only knowing the artiste, but having the same DNA. I said nothing happens to the DNA, you carry it on, whether you get into politics, die, change the profession or fail... One can be in the same profession and be obliterated by time. The DNA is still there. I have always wanted to be like people who have waved and walked away from everything in their prime. I’ve spoken to my friends. Many people brag and say that the day they know they are stretching it, they will throw in the towel and walk away. But they don’t do that. They are still hanging on. That is why I have admired someone like Sunil Gavaskar, who quit when he was still at the top of his game.

Do you see this new journey as an extension of yourself?
This is not an alternate at all. This is my dimensional growth. I’m proud of it. And I’m also ashamed that I wasted at least a couple of decades, making this call.

Is politics your true calling?
Absolutely, that’s why I keep telling people; for all that life offered me, I gave back very little. I intend to correct that.

Gladwin Emmanuel (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 7, 2018)

While Rajinikanth fans await his next film, Kaala, which hits screens today, the film’s release in Karnataka is in a limbo. Enraged at the 67-year-old actor’s comment supporting the cause of Tamil Nadu farmers in the Cauvery water release issue, fringe groups in Karnataka have called for a state-wide ban on the film.

Meanwhile, after the Karnataka High Court directed the state government to provide security for the ‘peaceful release’ of the film, Rajinikanth has made another appeal to Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has reportedly backed deferring release of the film “in this environment”, to ensure a smooth release.

The actor-turned-politician had previously explained that with the now controversial statement, he was only asking for the implementation of the Supreme Court order on the Cauvery water issue. “What is wrong in that?” he asked. In an appeal in Kannada, he asked Kumaraswamy to ensure protection to cinema halls showing his film.

Stating that he is aware of the political dilemma that Kumaraswamy is in, Rajinikanth also argued that the ban in Karnataka would only damage the state’s image.

Meanwhile, Kamal Haasan was quoted as saying, “Vishwaroopam was also banned in Karnataka, the film chambers in respective states had to sort it out. There are many fans eagerly waiting for Rajini’s film to be released there. Just like the farmers issues need a conversation, so do films.”

Rajini and Haasan, the biggest stars of Tamil films, have always been a target for fringe groups in the state and around but their recent forays into politics seem to have aggravated the situation. After the backlash against Rajini, Haasan has come under fire for holding a meeting with Kumaraswamy to discuss the Cauvery issue.

Kamal Haasan, the first Tamil star to enter politics in the post Jayalalithaa era, is staking his political future on new—and post-cinematic—media forms. But will that translate into electoral success?
S V Srinivas (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 24, 2017)

Kamal Haasan, who has met with several political leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, recently, is an unlikely entrant into politics. Unless we subscribe to one or another conspiracy theory, his immanent crossover into public life does not make much sense. For over twenty years, it was Rajinikanth who fueled speculations of a crossover into public life with statements and silences alike.

At this point of time, it is not clear if Haasan will form his own party, or join an existing one, contest an election, or stop at campaigning for/against an existing coalition. The only thing that one can be reasonably sure of is that he will not support the AIADMK, which is likely to align with BJP. It is more productive to turn our attention to where he is coming from and what sets him apart from others who were on the political platform before him. Parallels are, and will be drawn, with other stars who entered the political arena before him. After all, the Indian film industry is far more important for electoral mobilisation today than it was in the days of M G Ramachandran (MGR) and NT Rama Rao (NTR).

Haasan was the less popular of the Rajini-Kamal duo. Almost throughout his long film career, he made a conscious effort to project himself as a star who appealed to more refined audiences. Film commentators noted the similarities between Haasan and Sivaji Ganesan in Tamil and also Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Telugu. These stars were known for their actoral abilities rather than mass appeal. For his part, Haasan ensured that he was never typecast. He sought out projects that experimented with form and genre, or introduced technological innovations to Indian cinema. Arguably, he assembled the model of stardom that Aamir Khan later adopted.

Haasan has, no doubt, acted in a few films which can be considered ‘political’. The 1996 hit Tamil film Indian, released as Bharateeyudu in Telugu and Hindustani in Hindi, featured him in the role of a former Commander of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army who hunts down corrupt government officials. The climax has the hero killing his own son (also played by Haasan). More recently, he played a scientist who prevents the theft of a deadly virus that can wipe out the human race (Dasavathaaram, 2008, released in 2009 as Dashavtar in Hindi) and patriotic Muslim RAW agent (Vishwaroopam, 2013). However, Haasan’s films did not always cast the star in the role as a saviour. On the contrary, he acted as the village idiot and the psychopath, appeared in drag, playing female characters and even played the former US President, George W. Bush.

The differences between Haasan and other star-politicians are too striking to miss. MGR consistently played Robin Hood on screen and projected a similar image off screen, too. NTR was at the peak of his film career when he formed the Telugu Desam Party in 1982.

Haasan’s career, on the other hand, is floundering. Apart from a cameo appearance, he hasn’t featured in a single film since 2015. There are rumours of financial troubles holding up his home productions. Whereas Telugu stars Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan can be seen as representing numerically large caste groups, Haasan has little hope of cashing in on a ‘demographic dividend’. He is a Brahmin in a state where the caste is influential, but too small in size to determine the result of an election.

The importance of being Kamal Haasan does not lie in the actor’s similarity with star-politicians who came before him. While these are still early days, there is some evidence to suggest that the path he has taken signals an important shift in trajectory of south Indian star politicians. Haasan, unlike his immediate predecessors (Vijaykanth, Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan) who were more or less limited to the cinema, is staking his political future on new— and post-cinematic—media forms. His biggest success in the past few years is his role as the anchor of the Tamil version of a popular reality show. The show’s popularity is said to have raised the fortunes of the channel, which airs the programme. Some commentators also note that Haasan has been using the television show to make political statements. But to quote him out of context, he had “already arrived in politics” even before his association with the reality show . He did so via Twitter.

Kamal Haasan took to Twitter rather late (in 2015) and has relatively few followers (2.24 million as against Rajini’s 4.19 million). After the death of Jayalalithaa, he made up for lost time, and a modest following on the platform, by consistently using Twitter to make daring political statements. By doing so he stood out from other stars who may have nurtured political ambitions but preferred to remain safe. His tweets have circulated well beyond his followers on Twitter, thanks to other internet platforms as well as television and print.

So, here is a film star who is offering himself as a representative of the masses because he can speak up for us, not because he played the hero of the masses to perfection in the past. In a way, this fuss is about his stardom on the big screen. At the same time, it is not just about the big screen. Can the publicity his stardom affords him be translated into electoral support? Will he, like Chiranjeevi in 2009, spoil the opposition’s chances of dislodging the ruling party? We can only wait and watch because political astrology is not yet an exact science.

S V Srinivas is a professor at the School of Liberal Studies, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. He is the author of Megastar, and Politics as Performance

Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 19, 2017)

Bigg Boss seems to be spelling big trouble in Kamal Haasan’s career. A fringe Hindu group has been attacking him for being “anti-Hindu”.

However, the star is enjoying himself too much to feel Bigg Boss is not his cup of (unfiltered) coffee? “Not at all! I am very happy to be hosting Bigg Boss. It is one of my biggest successes in recent times. And no, the protests have not taken away from the excitement of it at all.”

The channel Vijay TV’s TRPs have risen from 5.2 to 7.1. Chuckles Kamal, “All these numbers are music to my ears, especially since there is a constant attempt to pull the rug from under my feet ever since I started hosting the show.”

He adds, “I enjoy talking to the contestants. The people targeting me would find any reason to target me. In the past, it was my films Hey Ram and Vishwaroopam. Today, it is Bigg Boss. Tomorrow it will be something else. Bring it on.”

Shubha Shetty Saha (MID-DAY; March 26, 2015)

In an interesting development at the FICCI Frames 2015 at a Powai fivestar, Aamir Khan apologised to veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who was seated in the front row, for not supporting him during the ban on his 2013 film, Vishwaroopam.

Speaking at the interactive session post the inauguration at the Renaissance Hotel, Aamir said, “I take this opportunity to apologise to you, Mr Kamal Haasan, for not standing by you when your film was banned in 2013. I was so lost in work and I didn’t realise it at that time. But I think we all filmmakers should stand by each other in such cases and I should have supported you during those trying times.” Haasan smiled and acknowledged the apology.

Vishwaroopam was mired in controversy for its portrayal of Muslims and the worst blow came when certain Islamic groups in Tamil Nadu asked for a ban on the film, even though it had been cleared by the Censor Board. The then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa had supported the ban and consequently, the film could not be screened in that state as well as in certain other regions and a few foreign markets. This was said to have caused huge losses to him.

In view of the drastic changes in the Censor Board, Abhishek Sharma, the director of comedy films like Tere Bin Laden and The Shaukeens writes an open letter to the Board, tongue-firmly-in-cheek... 
Abhishek Sharma (DNA; February 16, 2015)


How are you doing? I hope you are recovering well from the sudden internal revamp that was caused by the identity crisis faced by some previous members of yours. I don’t blame them for feeling sidelined as these days a lot of unofficial organisations are doing your job. We have political and religious groups banning films free of cost. We as filmmakers don’t have to pay any processing fees to them, nor do we have to wait in the long queues in order to get moral lessons from these esteemed people. What more, we don’t even have to show them our films. They have a great censory perception (pun intended) as they can decide if a film is bad or dangerous for a society without even viewing it!

They are definitely doing a far better and efficient job of protecting our society from crazy artistes than you ever did. From raising objections over factual errors in fictional novels to roasting comedians who dare to roast other comedians, these self-appointed contractors of morality cover the entire spectrum of art and culture. Nowadays, even National Governments like that of North Korea and terrorist organisations like Al-Qaeda are contributing magnificently to the cause of firing artists. Well, literally in the case of Al-Qaeda.
In these times your existence has surely become redundant. You clear a film, yet it gets banned (Vishwaroopam). You ban a film, yet it gets released (Messenger Of God). What’s the point if no one respects your judgement? This calls for serious action. You should stand up for your exclusive right to defend the immature audience of this country. I suggest you start with banning the act of banning by unauthorised groups or individuals. We as filmmakers prostrate before you to become the sole antagonist in our lives as we dare to exercise our freedom of expression. It will be lot easier to deal with one entity rather than a countless guardians of culture and morality.

However if you can not achieve such an exclusive status, please stop living a pretentious life. You have no reason to exist on tax payer’s money if you can’t be the final authority on what’s good for him and what’s not. In such a scenario you can still survive by being an advisor, a guide. You can just rate films without censoring them and let the people decide if they want to watch them. Don’t worry about us, the filmmakers, as we will still have the political parties, religious heads, rogue governments and trigger happy terrorists to deal with!
Wish you a speedy recovery and intense introspection!

Yours Sincerely,
Abhishek Sharma
(Censor Survivor)

Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; May 6, 2014)

Producer-director Ashuu Trikha’s upcoming film, Koyelaanchal, that stars Suniel Shetty and Vinod Khanna, has been facing troubles. Trikha had to get the film’s posters and publicity material re-done as the Association of Motion Pictures and Television Programme Producers (AMPTPP) objected to a line in the posters. It seems that AMPTPP didn’t want the line ‘Sabse bada mafia Bharat sarkaar hai’ to be included in the film’s posters.

Asshu Trikha says, “If AMPTPP does not approve of the publicity material, then the producer can’t apply for a censor certificate. AMPTPP told me that I either remove the line or give it in writing that if someone raises an objection or creates legal trouble, I shall be solely responsible. I had no choice but to make the changes.”

Actor Suniel Shetty, who plays a district collector in the film, says, “It is very sad that objections are being raised even though people haven’t watched the film. Nobody stands up for us and these associations continue to raise objections.” hitlist looks at other films that faced similar issues due to the opposition of organisations other than the censor board.

Title tussles
Phantom, that stars Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, is supposed to be a cross-country film with the plot spanning India, Lebanon, USA and UK. In the film, Saif plays a character that goes by the name Daniyal Khan and this was also the film’s working title. The makers were apparently told by some religious organisations that the film’s name was insensitive to the minority community. As a result, it was changed to Phantom.

Similarly, Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMMPA) raised objections to Mritunjay Devvrat’s film, The Bastard Child. The director then had to change it to Children of War. “No scene had to be cut, but I had to change the name. I went by their decision, as I wish to complete all formalities and release the film as soon as possible. In India and Bangladesh, it will release as Children of War. The original title will stay the same abroad,” Mritunjay recently said in an interview.

In September 2013, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, objected to a film titled Singh Sahib the Great. The organisation pointed out that using the words ‘ Singh Sahib’ in a film’s film was disrespectful. In the end, makers released the film as Singh Saab the Great.

Another instance is when salon and beauty parlour associations were up in arms against Shah Rukh’s production, then titled Billu Barber. With the association raising objections to the use of the word ‘barber’, SRK’s production house then decided to drop the word ‘ barber’ from the title in its pre- release promotional campaigns.

Scenes under attack
The Tamil Nadu government banned Kamal Haasan’s film, Vishwaroopam, as it feared law and order problems in the light of opposition by a few Muslim groups. Muslim groups said that the film portrayed Muslims as terrorists. Kamal Hassan finally had to delete seven scenes from his film and some scenes were also muted.

In a similar fashion, Ajay Devgn had to remove some scenes from Son of Sardaar as they were deemed offensive by Sikh community leaders. He even screened the film for community leaders from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in Amritsar after objections were raised regarding controversial dialogue and imagery in the film’s trailer.

In 2009, Kaminey’s makers faced troubles when Jagannath Sena Sangathan filed an FIR (First Information Report) against them at a police station in Puri. The organisation was upset about the line ‘ Apna Haath Jagannath’ being written on a poster showing a scantily clad woman on the wall of a public toilet. The objectionable portion of the scene was then removed from the prints that were released in Orissa.

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan says that after a tough year, the Padma Bhushan award has provided him with fresh inspiration and he is looking forward to his next release
Gladwin Emmanuel (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 30, 2014)