10:54 PM
Wikipedia
Kamal Haasan (Tamil: கமல் ஹாசன்; born 7 November 1954) is an Indian film actor,screenwriter, and filmmaker, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema.[1][2] He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting.[3][4][5] Kamal Haasan has won several Indian film awards, including four National Film Awards and numerous Southern Filmfare Awards, and he is known for having starred in the most number of films submitted by India in contest for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[6] In addition to acting and directing, he has also featured in films as a screenwriter,songwriter, playback singer, choreographer and lyricist.[7] His film production company,Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films. In 2009, he became one of very few actors to have completed 50 years in Indian cinema.[8]
After several projects as a child artist, Kamal Haasan's breakthrough into lead acting came with his role in the 1975 drama Apoorva Raagangal, in which he played a rebellious youth in love with an older woman. He secured his second Indian National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless school teacher who tends a child-like amnesiac in 1982's Moondram Pirai. He was particularly noted for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Godfatheresque Tamil film Nayagan(1987), which was ranked by Time magazine as one of the best films of all time.[9] Since then he has gone on to appear in other notable films such as his own productions, Hey Ram andVirumaandi, as well as the Dasavathaaram, in which he appeared in ten distinct roles.
Career
[edit]Early career: The 1960s
After shifting from Paramakudi with his family for his mother's medical treatment, Kamal was enrolled at Holy Angels' Convent in T. Nagar in 1959. As a child, he became interested in dance.[10]
There are two versions regarding his first entry into films. As a little boy he accompanied a doctor to treat a woman who was ill at the home of movie mogul A V Meyyappa Chettiar (father of AVM Saravanan) of the AVM Studios. On hearing a sudden panic shout into a phone by a first floor tenant of the bungalow, the doctor gets discomfited, but young Kamal Haasan strided up the stairway to ask the astonished noisemaker not to shout over the phone as someone was ill.[11]The other version is that "While accompanying an uncle to a shooting location, producer AVM Saravanan invited him appear in a project, to which his parents consented.[12] Kamal Haasan made his film debut as a four-year-old child artist in Kalathur Kannamma, which was directed byA. Bhimsingh and released on 12 August 1959. He was cast along with the veteran Tamil actorGemini Ganesan, winning the National Film Award for Best Child Artist.[13] He acted as a child actor in five other Tamil films in the subsequent few years co-starring with Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran. On insisting his interest to pursue art, his father tried to convince initially then just him let go. After suggesting Kamal to join the TKS Nataka Sabha, an old-style theatre, he was promised by guru, (T.K.) Shanmugam that his son’s education would not be ruined. Realizing the presence of lawyers, barristers and educated people in family, but no artiste, he acceded to the idea and instantly made Kamal touch Guru's (T.K.S) feet. During this period, he continued with his education while being a prominent part of the theatre troupe. Thus he joined the well-known drama troupe and learned acting by watching Shanmugam perform on stage. He also got his interest in make-up from Shanmugam.[10][14]
[edit]1970 - 1975: The Rising actor
Following a nine-year hiatus from films, Kamal Haasan returned to the industry with the hope of joining the technical crew in films but was selected to appear in supporting roles in several films. He re-entered the film industry playing his first adult role in Maanavan, appearing only for a dance sequence. It was followed by supporting roles in films such as, Annai Velankani for which he was an assistant director, Arangetram and Sollathaan Ninaikkiren, both co-starring Sivakumar. He played villain in the film Sollathaan Ninaikkiren and his first charecter role was in Aval Oru Thodar Kathai, another female centric film of K. Balachander.
He won his first regional Filmfare Award for his role in his Malayalam debut film Kanyakumari(1974).[15] After a few more films in Tamil and Malayalam, He did Naan Avanillai which was his final supporting role before establishing himself as a lead actor.[16] In 1975, he won his first Filmfare award in Tamil for Apoorva Raagangal,[17] an exploration of age-gap relationships. For his role, he learnt the mridangam. It is considered as one of the all-time classics of tamil cinema and was directed by his mentor, K. Balachander. The film also saw the entry ofRajnikanth, who would play prominent and sometimes, roles of fairly equal importance in several Kamal films.
[edit]1976–1980: Success in the South
The late 1970s was a period that saw Kamal Haasan's continued collaboration with K. Balachander, who also cast him in many of his socially-themed films. In 1976, Kamal Haasan appeared in the drama Moondru Mudichu with Rajinikanth and Sridevi, another K. Balachander film,Manmadha Leelai, and Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu, which won him his second consecutive Regional Filmfare (tamil) Best Actor Award.[18] Avargal (1977) was one of the most sensitive movies on woman liberation, for which he learnt the art of ventriloquism.[19] The film was also remade in Telugu as Idi Katha Kaadu (1979) with Kamal Hassan repeating his role. 16 Vayathinilewon him his third consecutive best actor award, where he appeared as a village bumpkin, along with Rajinikanth and Sridevi.[18] In 1977, he starred in his first Kannada film Kokila, which was the directorial debut of another friend and mentor Balu Mahendra. The fourth consecutive award came with Sigappu Rojakal in which he was a psychopathic sexual killer, a well appreciated anti-hero thriller. In 1978, he debuted in telugu industry with the smash hit Maro Charithra by K. Balachander.
Few of the other famous films in this period were the youthful Ninaithale Inikkum, the snake horror film Neeya, Malayalam film Yaetta,Kalyanaraman and Allaudinaum Arputha Vilakkum. At the end of this period, he had won six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards.[18]
[edit]The 80s: Bollywood entry and National star status
Kamal Haasan's pairing with the actress Sridevi continued with Tamil classic Varumayin Niram Sigappu in 1980. Kamal Haasan also made a guest–cameo appearance in the Rajnikanth filmThillu Mullu. He reached his 100th film appearance in 1981 with Raja Paarvai, which also marked his debut in film production. Despite this film's relatively poor reception at the cinemas, his portrayal of a blind session violinist earned him a Filmfare Award.[20] He followed it with his debut in Bollywood, Ek Duuje Ke Liye, the remake of his Telugu-language film, Maro Charithra, also byK. Balachandar. Following a year of starring in commercially-oriented films, he won his first of three National Awards for Best Actor with his portrayal of a school teacher who looks after a amnesia patient in Balu Mahendra's Moondram Pirai, alter reprising the role in the Hindi version,Sadma.[15] In 1983, he appeared in Thoongadhey Thambi Thoongadhey playing a double role.
Kamal Haasan began to appear in more Hindi-language films, including Saagar, for which he was awarded both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Award at the same ceremony for this role.[15] Saagar portrayed him alongside Rishi Kapoor. Kamal Haasan also appeared in Geraftaar and a few more Hindi remakes of his tamil films, most famously Zara Si Zindagi. He featured in Tamil cinema's first sequel Japanil Kalyanaraman, which followed up his previous Kalyanaraman, and shared the screen space with Sivaji Ganesan, doing a guest role in Uruvangal Maralam.
In the mid-1980s, Kamal Haasan appeared in two Telugu-language films, Sagara Sangamam andSwathi Muthyam, directed by telugu legend Kasinadhuni Viswanath. While the former film portrayed him as a drunkard classical dancer, Swathi Muthyam portrays him as an autistic person attempting to change society and was India's representative for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1986.[15] The enormous response to these films in Tollywood helped him capture a strong audience in Andhra Pradesh, and many of his later Tamil films were regularly dubbed in Telugu.[21] Following Punnagai Mannan, in which he portrays dual roles including a satire of Charlie Chaplin as Chaplin Chellappa and Vetri Vizha as an amnesiac, Kamal Haasan appeared in Mani Rathnam's 1987 film Nayagan. Nayagan portrays the life of an underworld don inBombay. The story revolved around the life of a real-life underworld don called Varadarajan Mudaliar, while sympathetically depicting the struggle of South Indians living in Mumbai.[15] He received his third Indian National Award for his performance and Nayagan was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1987. It was included in the Time top 100 movies list. In 1988, Kamal Haasan appeared in his only silent film to date, Pushpak, a black comedy.[15] In 1989, he appeared in three roles (one of which was that of a dwarf) in Apoorva Sagodharargal.[15] He then performed dual roles in Indrudu Chandrudu, winning the regional Best Actor Award for his performance. In 1989, Kamal Haasan starred in his last original Malayalam film as hero to date, titled Chanakyan. The film was critically acclaimed and was a huge hit.
The 1980s saw the transformation of Kamal Haasan from a young heart-throb performer in Tamil films to a nationally acclaimed star appreciated for his method acting. By the end of 1980s, he had entered and tasted success in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi film industries, had received Filmfare awards at each of these film industries, three National awards and had his performances recognized at international film festivals.[2][21][22][23][24][25]
[edit]The 1990s
In 1991, Michael Madhana Kamarajan saw Kamal Haasan go one step further from Apoorva Sagodharargal, acting in four different roles as quadruplets. It started an ongoing collaboration with Crazy Mohan, a dialogue writer, for future comedy films.[26] The film became a blockbuster, and his portrayals were all critically praised; one cook role formed the crux for a future venture by his production house.[27] Kamal Haasan won successive Best Actor awards for his portrayal of the deranged, obsessive protagonist in Guna and Thevar Magan, where he played the son of actor Sivaji Ganesan. Guna met with critical acclaim but failed commercially, while the latter became a big success and was remade into Hindi as Virasat. Kamal Haasan was credited for the story and became India's submission for the Academy Awards that year. After a series of successful commercial films such as Singaravelan, Maharasan and Kalaignan, he played a cheated villager in the emotionally draining and underrated classic Mahanadi. Six years after it released, it was premiered at the Rotterdam festival.[28] He then began to appear in comedies such as Sathi Leelavathi, based on the English film She-Devil. The film, his home production, featured him opposite comedienneKovai Sarala and its success led to further regional remakes. He also renewed his collobaration with Kasinadhuni Viswanath in his last Telugu-language film to date, Subha Sankalpam. In 1996, Kamal Haasan starred in the police story Kuruthipunal. His success inKuruthipunal was followed by his third National Film Award for Best Actor, for the film Indian.[29] Playing dual roles of a freedom fighter and his untrustful son, the film also won Kamal Haasan regional awards and plaudits for his portrayal.[30] Moreover, both films were also selected as India's submissions for the Academy Awards in their respective release years.
Kamal Haasan appeared as a woman in Avvai Shanmughi, inspired by the Hollywood productionMrs. Doubtfire.[31] He initialy chose noted adfilm maker Shantanu Sheorey to direct the Hindi remake of Avvai Shanmughi, titled Chachi 420. But unhappy with the complaints after five days of shoot and after checking the actual result, he took over as director.[32][33] In 1997, Kamal Haasan began his first directorial venture, the biopic of Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Marudhanayagam, which failed to complete its schedules with only half an hour and a trailer being recorded during its shoot.[34] Marudhanayagam had been speculated to be the biggest and most expensive film inIndian cinema with a number of high profile actors technicians signing up for roles. Moreover, the film was launched in a highly publicized ceremony by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom during her visit to India in 1997.[35][36] Due to budget constraints, the film failed to materialize into a feature film, but he has since stated his interest in building up funds for the project.[37]
[edit]2000s: Hey Ram and onwards
Following a two-year hiatus in Indian cinema, he opted against reviving his magnum opus,Marudhanayagam, and filmed his second directorial venture, Hey Ram, a period drama told in flashback with a semi-fictional plot centering around India's Partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Kamal Haasan also took on roles as the writer, the lyricist and the choreographer as well as producing the film under his home banner. The film, also featuredShahrukh Khan and was India's submission for the Academy Awards that year.[38] His following film was Aalavandhan, where he portrayed two distinct roles, for one of which he had his head shaved bald and gained ten kilograms. To play the other army major in Alavandaan (Abhay, in Hindi), he went to the NDA for a crash course.[39] The Hindi version Abhay was distributed by reputed Shringar Films.[40][41] Despite much publicity prior to release, the film failed commercially, and he opted to repay distributors who had suffered losses with the film.[42]
Following a series of successful comedies[43] in Thenali, Panchathantiram and Pammal K. Sambandam and a couple of guest appearances, Kamal Haasan directed his third feature film inVirumaandi, a film about the death penalty which won the Best Asian Film award at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.[44] Kamal Haasan also appeared in Anbe Sivam alongsideMadhavan. Priyadarshan, who started the film, departed allowing commercial director Sundar C to complete the film. Anbe Sivam told the story of Nallasivam, enacted by Kamal Haasan as a communist. Kamal Haasan's performance was highly lauded by critics with The Hindu stating that he "has once again done Tamil cinema proud".[45]
Kamal Haasan then appeared in the remake film Vasool Raja alongside Sneha. In 2006, Haasan's long delayed project, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu emerged as a blockbuster.[46] In 2008, he appeared in K. S. Ravikumar's Dasavathaaram portraying ten distinct roles in the venture, which remains one of the most expensive Indian films ever made.[47] Featuring him opposite Asin Thottumkal, the film became the highest grossing film ever in Tamil cinema, beating the previous 2007 record, and won him critical praise for his performance.[48][49] In Canada, the film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the first Tamil film to be done so. The film ultimately grossed more than 
250 crores worldwide.[49][50] He had written the story and screenplay for the project.
250 crores worldwide.[49][50] He had written the story and screenplay for the project.Following the completion of Dasavathaaram, Kamal Haasan opted to direct his fourth directorial venture, with a film tentatively titledMarmayogi, which after a year of pre-production became stalled.[51] He then opted to produce and star in a venture, Unnaipol Oruvan, co-starring him with Mohanlal. The film, which had Shruti Haasan appear as the music director, became a successful venture for him the box office.[52] Kamal Haasan worked on his fifth collaboration with Ravikumar, in Manmadan Ambu, for which he also wrote the dialogues and screenplay. The film also featured Madhavan and Trisha Krishnan and was released in December 2010.
[edit]Behind the camera
In addition to acting, Kamal Haasan has also played various roles behind the camera and is known for his involvement in several aspects of film-making.[10][32] He is the writer of many of his films inlcuding Raja Paarvai, Thevar Magan, Mahanadhi, Hey Ram, Aalavandhan, Nala Damayanthi, Virumaandi, Dasavathaaram, Manmadhan Ambu and is the co-writer of Anbe Sivam. He also wrote the screenplays for Apoorva Sagodharargal, Guna, Thevar Magan, Mahanadhi, Hey Ram, Aalavandhan and Virumaandi. His film production company, Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films. He directed the films Chachi 420, Hey Ram and Virumandi. He considered taking up direction full time, if Hey Ram was a success, but did not do so as the film was a box office failure.[53] In 2010, he stated his intention to direct more films as many young actors had wished to work under him and gain his direct guidance.[54] He wanted to turn a technician after his comeback into adult roles. Speaking about it in a lighter vein, he once said, "Film makers like K. Balachander told me that I won’t be able make much money by being a technician. So the end result is that the star Kamal funds the technician Kamal in pursuing his dreams".[55]
Kamal has attended workshops for make-up techniques in US for several years and once trained as a make-up man under Michael Westmore.[56] Kamal Haasan is also a playback singer. He has sung close to 50 songs in various languages and some of them have become hits, like "Ninaivo Oru Paravai" (Sigappu Rojakal), "Sundhari Neeyum" (Michael Madana Kama Rajan), "Inji Iduppu Azhagae" (Thevar Magan), "Kanmani Anbodu" (Guna), "Kaasu Maele" (Kaathala Kaathala), "Poottu Vaitha" (Singaravelan), "Ram...Ram" (Hey Ram), "Yaar Yaar Sivam" (Anbe Sivam), "Neruppu Vayinil" (Pudhupettai), "Kombula Poova Suthi" (Virumaandi) and "Neela Vaanam" (Manmadhan Ambu). He is also a song writer. He wrote the lyrics for the song "Unna Vida" in Virumaandi, and also for five out of the six songs of the film Manmadhan Ambu. They were well received by his peers in the Tamil film industry.[57]
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Family
Kamal Haasan was born in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, to a criminal lawyer named D. Srinivasan and his wife Rajalakshmi, in the village of Paramakudi in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.[58] His father was a martinet. He wanted all his sons(Chandrahasan, Charuhasan, Kamalahaasan) to study, to do well. The two elder brothers followed their father’s example, and studied law. Kamal spent his childhood studying everything but what he was supposed to be studying.
He has referred to his parents in recent films, with references being made in Unnaipol Oruvan as well as in the song, Kallai Mattum from Dasavathaaram.[59] Kamal Haasan was the youngest of four children, the others being Charuhasan, Chandra Haasan and Nalini Raghu. Charuhasan, like Kamal Haasan, is a National Film Award-winning actor, who appeared in the noted Kannada film,Tabarana Kathe among others, but he has semi-retired from films since of recent times. Kamal's niece (Charuhasan's daughter), Suhasini is also a National Film Award Winner and is married to noted director and fellow Award winner, Mani Ratnam, who collaborated with Kamal Haasan in 1987's Nayagan.[60] Chandra Haasan has appeared as the producer for several of Kamal Haasan's films as well as being an executive of Kamal Haasan's home production company,Rajkamal International. His brother's daughter Anu Haasan has appeared in several films in supporting roles, most notably in Suhasini'sIndira.[61] His sister, Nalini Raghu is a renowened dance teacher, and Kamal Haasan later named an auditorium after his sister as Nalini Mahal.[62] Her son, Gautham, played Kamal Haasan's grandson in his directorial venture, Hey Ram.
[edit]Relationships
Despite his celebrated film career, his personal life had some setbacks which have been exploited by the media. In his early career, he co-starred in several Tamil and Malayalam films with noted actress Srividya. The pair were reported to have been a part of a notorious affair in the 1970s, with their relationship being explored in the 2008-released Malayalam film, Thirakkatha by Renjith, with Anoop Menon portraying Kamal Haasan and Priyamani playing Srividya. Srividya, who died in 2006, was visited by Kamal Haasan at her bedside during her final days.[63] In 1978, at the age of twenty four, Kamal Haasan married danseuse Vani Ganapathy, who was older than him. Vani put on the mantle of costume designer for her husband's movies and was publicized for walking along with Haasan into the Filmfare Awards Southceremony of 1980, immediately after their wedding. However, the couple split after ten years together, after Kamal Haasan began dating fellow actress, Sarika, confirming in a later interview that he and Vani have never been in touch ever since their divorce.[64]
Subsequently, Kamal Haasan and Sarika lived together from 1988, opting to marry only after having their second child. Of the two children:Shruti Haasan (born 1986) and Akshara Haasan (born 1991), the former is a singer as well as an upcoming actress, while the latter is pursuing higher studies in Bangalore. Sarika took a break from acting soon after her marriage with Kamal Haasan. However, she replaced his ex-wife, Vani Ganapathy, as Haasan's costume designer, with acclaimed work in Hey Ram. The couple filed for divorce in 2002, with Sarika estranging herself from Kamal Haasan by the end of the procedure in 2004.[65] His intimate relationship with co-star Simran Bagga, who is twenty-two years younger, became the reason for the split.[66] However, Haasan's relationship with Simran, who appeared opposite him in two consecutive ventures with Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchathantiram, was short-lived as Simran went on to marry her childhood friend in late 2003.[66] Haasan now lives with former actress Gouthami Tadimalla, who co-starred with him in several films in the late 80's and early 90's. He had helped her during her traumatic experience suffering from breast cancer and the pair have been in a domestic relationship since 2005. Along with Shruti and Akshara, Gouthami's daughter, Subbalakshmi, from an annulled marriage also lives with them.[67]
[edit]Religious views
Kamal Haasan, despite being born into a Hindu Brahmin family, has declared himself as an atheist; many of his films notably Mahanadi and the two films Anbe Sivam and Dasavathaaram co-written by Kamal Haasan, featured anti-theistical views.[68] Kamal Haasan, has also been mistaken for a Muslim due to the Islamic nature of his surname, and was famously stopped for his name at Toronto Airport in 2002.[69] The name had originated from a friend of his father, Yaakob Hassan, a Muslim freedom fighter who spent time in prison with Kamal Haasan's father while imprisoned by the British. Yaakob Hassan had protected Srinivasan from other prisoners who hated the Brahmins. Later, he paid tribute to his friend by incorporating part of his name into his sons’ names.[70]
[edit]Social service
Kamal Haasan is actively involved in several social service activities through his fan clubs under the banner Kamal Narpani Iyakkam. (Kamal Welfare Association) [71][72] His fan clubs are involved in organising blood and eye donation drives and donating education materials to school students.[73][74][75][76] He received the first Abraham Kovoor National Award for his Humanist Activities and Secular Life in 2004.[77] He has turned his fan associations into social service organisations. He was also the project ambassador of Hridayaragam 2010, a fundraiser to set up an orphanage for HIV/AIDS-affected children.[78] In September 2010, Kamal Haasan launched a children’s cancer relief fund and presented roses to children with cancer at Sri Ramachandra University in Porur on the outskirts of Chennai.[79] He has also pledged to endorse consumer products and use the money for social service.[80]
[edit]Literary contributions
Kamal Haasan was involved in running the magazine Mayyam, which was run by the Kamal Haasan Welfare Association (Narpani Iyakkam). His views on a wide range of issues including cinema, child and drug abuse and the Kashmir conflict, have been collected and published as a book titled Thedi Theerpom Va (Come, Let's Search Together), by his fan association.[81] His interest in Tamil literature and his own writing skills are well known.[82][83]
[edit]Awards and honors
Main article: List of Kamal Haasan's awards, honours and recognitions
Kamal Haasan, a Padma Shri holder, is the most decorated actor in terms of awards in the history of Indian cinema.[77] He holds the record for the most National Film Awards for an actor (four), three awards for Best Actor, and one for Best Child Artist. Moreover, Kamal Haasan holds a record nineteen Filmfare Awards, ranging across five languages. After his latest award in 2000, he wrote to the organization requesting exemption from further awards.[77] In 2003, his films Hey Ram, Pushpak, Nayagan and Kuruthipunal were showcased under the "Director in Focus" category at the Rotterdam Film Festival.[84] In 2004, Virumaandi won the very first "Best Asian film" award at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan).[44][84]
In 2005, Sathyabama Deemed University awarded Kamal Haasan an honorary doctorate.[85] He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 2006 ceremony of the inaugural Vijay Awards.[86] He received the Living Legend Award in 2007 fromFICCI, which recognizes outstanding personalities from the entertainment arena and honors them with awards at their annual global convention, FRAMES.[87] In 2010, the United Progressive Alliance government organised a retrospective of Kamal Haasan's films. During that event, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the actor fell under a special category, as his cinema broke barriers of language and region.[88] The same year, the Government of Kerala honoured him for completing 50 years in Indian cinema during the inauguration of statewide Onam celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram. A light-and-sound show titled “Suvarna Kamalam” to mark Kamal’s 50 years in Indian cinema, conceived by director T. K. Rajiv Kumar, was the highlight of the evening.[89]
Kamal Haasan is also a recepient of the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1980. Other recognitions includes a string of Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Nandi Awards, Screen Awards and Vijay Awards, including four separate awards for his performance inDasavathaaram. In 2009, Kamal Haasan was appointed as the chairman of FICCI Media and Entertainment Business Conclave, organised by the entertainment division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).[90]
[edit]Acclaim and criticism
Kamal Hassan, widely respected and admired in the Indian film industry, is often praised as someone who would have won many Oscars, if he had been born outside India. His mentor K. Balachandar, while agreeing with such sentiment, says in that case Kamal would not have been able to have a diverse acting career and the adulation he has now.[91][92] Mani Ratnam, who directed Kamal in Nayagan, has claimed he has missed working with Kamal.[93] Veteran Tamil actor Nagesh rated Kamal Hassan as the best actor he had seen.[94] Kamal Hassan's contributions to films have been lavishly praised by his peers in the Indian film industry like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan and Aamir Khan.[95][95][96] Younger actors and film makers like Surya, Madhavan, Bala and Gautham Menon consider Kamal Hassan as their inspiration.[97][98][99][100][101] His list of admirers go beyond cinema. M. F. Husain has claimed, he found Kamal Haasan as the most exciting Indian film-maker/actor.[102]
Kamal Hassan has been accused of reusing story lines, plot elements from western films without crediting them and also for using sexually explicit scenes and themes. He has also been accused of elitism, hurting religious sentiments and being superficial about the social issues he depicts in his films.[103][104][105] He has also been dubbed as an actor who consciously overshadows his co-artists.[97] Other criticisms of Kamal Hassan includes complaints about his obsession towards needless perfection and causing his films to overshoot their budgets. Prem Panicker once observed that Kamal Haasan suffers from "the curse of talent".[106][107]
[edit]Notable filmography
Further information: Kamal Haasan filmography
Posted in: Bollywood Celebrity (Male)
0 comments:
Post a Comment