Image courtesy: Karthik Srinivasan
Below, the city looks as gorgeous as a newly-wed bride. Bejewelled with street lights, smooth roads, structured traffic, architecturally delightful buildings, a lush grand prix circuit and clean environs. Up above on the 25th floor of a five-star hotel, I can only stare at the sheer beauty of Singapore. Just then, a strong fragrance envelopes me like a blanket. This is what I would call sensory overload. The perfume enters the room long before he does. Strong and expensive, like the man himself. I turn around and there he stands. The man, the legend. Kamal Haasan.
He apologises for being late. The thought bubble in my head reads that I would have gladly waited forever. Okay, I’m turning into splinters just standing before him. God save me. Imagine, he did his first movie long before I came into this world. Dressed in a beige suit, he looks every bit the star that he is. At 58, he’s remarkably energetic and sharp. Not to mention extremely charming. He has the effortless ability to put you at ease. Within minutes of meeting him, we’re talking like buddies. There’s ample supply of commercial allure there. Now you know why he has been worshipped by the masses for decades. Anyway, the reason he’s here, glad-handing strangers and chatting up journos like me is to promote his new film Vishwaroop.
First up, he tells me that he isn’t media savvy. Really now. Seeing the incredulous look on my face, he explains, “When I work, I can’t do anything else. It’s not just about the media, it’s the same for my close relatives too. Sometimes, when I’m busy with a project, I don’t speak to them for six to seven months. When I am working, it generally consumes me.”
Hmmm. An insight into how a genius mind works. Complete focus, shut out the distractions. That has been his mantra for years now. As an actor and as a director. Vishwaroop (titled Vishwaroopam in Tamil) is ready for release and you can see a sense of satisfaction on the actor-turned-director’s face. The last few months haven’t been easy. Consequently, he majored on work and minored on fun. But he has enjoyed every bit of it. He smiles, “No one has ever made a film like this in India. It’s a one-of-a-kind film. It’s the costliest movie of my career.
That’s all I will say. And I have made some costly films,” he says of the action-thriller. Ask him whether he prefers to act or direct and he surprises you with his reply, “I used to be a reluctant actor. I never thought I was meant to be in front of the camera.”
What? Is he serious? Is he talking about the same Kamal Haasan generations have grown up worshipping? Seems like he is. He explains, “I would worry a lot about my acting. In fact, I was always waiting for the opportunity to start calling the shots. Getting behind the camera has been a satisfying experience.”
Having said that, he quickly adds that he cherishes his acting career despite the doubts that have plagued him about his acting abilities. He believes it’s the star Kamal Haasan that actually funds the technician Kamal Haasan. Says he, “It’s a great feeling to have the star in my pocket. It rarely happens to a filmmaker. Those who have that, have pockets that become deeper and never tear. I want to direct most films. Truth is, most actors want to direct. They just never have the courage to say it out loud. I may not have pictured myself doing anything else in Vishwaroop but I always knew I wanted to direct it.”
Be that as it may, the fact is that Kamal Haasan has acted in the movie. And those who have seen it can’t seem to stop singing praises of the actor. Now that doesn’t come as a surprise really. We’ve seen him excel on the big screen for decades now. What’s surprising is that the actor has done his own action scenes in the film. His agility on screen is what has left many breathless. I ask him the secret of his nimbleness and he laughs out loud. “There’s no secret. And if there was, why would I tell you?” Point noted.
As he talks about his movie, he says the highlight for him was the opportunity to work with dance maestro Birju Maharaj. The veteran has choreographed some of the most intricate dance pieces for the actor, who thoroughly enjoyed performing them on screen. Says Kamal, “I have always been in awe of Birju Maharajji. Picking up a gun and fighting James Bond style is tiring but it doesn’t have the intricacies of dance. I had to train vigorously for a month to get all the Kathak movements right. But it was a great experience.”
His childlike enthusiasm is contagious. That actually is the secret of his success. Despite being in the industry for several decades, his appetite for the new hasn’t jaded. His eyes light up when he talks about Vishwaroop or his other favourite movies. His passion for the movies could put youngsters to shame. No wonder that he’s already planning the sequel to Vishwaroop. He asserts, “We hadn’t planned it in the beginning. But while making this film, we realised a second part is necessary. After this one releases, we will get to working on the second part.”
The highlight of Vishwaroop is that he has managed to get director Shekhar Kapur to act after a long time. And he is thrilled about it. He grins, “We have discussed about 260 stories. Every time we meet, we talk about 10 new stories. I have been convincing him to make a film with me for 26 years. At least I ended up making one. As far as this film is concerned, Shekhar did it just out of friendship. This time I think I woke him up and got him to do it. It’s no marketing strategy. It’s just a friendship strategy to get him to work with me.”
At this point, I wonder why he cast mostly newcomers for such an ambitious project. And he retorts, “I wasn’t looking for stars. I was only looking for talent.” But fact is that he did approach some big names in the Hindi film industry. If industry rumours are to be believed, Sonakshi Sinha and Deepika Padukone refused to do the film. Ask him about this and he neither denies nor confirms the rumours. Instead, he says, “There are a lot of names doing the rounds. But I won’t mention them. Plus, it’s a nice thing to refuse a film. It gives you a position. Fact is, we didn’t get the dates we wanted. So we had to let them go. The names of a few actresses were suggested by my financier. But I think we should work on the basis of what the script requires. I am happy working with the people I am.”
He continues in the same breath. “Very few actors know how to choose films. Even I haven’t done many films because I didn’t know they were good films. That’s why there should be a script and everyone should read scripts.” There, read between the lines. Go figure.
As we chat about the movies, the director is all pumped up. He elaborates on the various theories of filmmaking, discusses the art of movie-making and finally pronounces that the audience is the ultimate king. If they like your work, you’re on top. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter where you are. He also says that he gets offended when people ask him about the message in his movies. “No one makes a film for themselves. I am quoting another film director here, who got angry when someone asked him this question. He said, ‘What message? I am not a postman that you will find your message in my film.’ Through each of my films, I only try and vocalise my love for the audience.” He continues, “What everyone forgets to realise is that we are the audience. So when some of my filmmaker friends or money lenders say that they know what the audience will like or won’t like, they are bluffing. No one knows. Not even me. So I take the best possible sampling from the audience, which is me and stay true to myself.”
We change the topic after this and train the arc-lights on his daughter Shruti Haasan. Shruti has been making waves at the box-office. Her Telugu film, Gabbar Singh, has broken all records. She was also critically acclaimed in the movie. Naturally, the proud father is all smiles at the mention of her name. And he states that he’d love to work with his daughter sometime in the future. “Shruti is a star on her own. And Rajkamal Films (his production company) will be happy to approach her. It shouldn’t even be that difficult.” He chortles, “Like I said, it’s good to have a star under your banner.”
He moves on to talk about his latest venture with Hollywood bigwig Barrie M Osborne. Barrie, who has produced movies like The Lord Of The Rings and The Matrix, will collaborate with Kamal Haasan for a movie. Kamal is obviously thrilled. “The lineage that Barrie comes from is close to my heart. All the heroes I have looked up to, Barrie has worked with. Apart from being a champion, he has worked with directors like Francis Ford Coppola (director of The Godfather). And we keep referring to Coppola every once in a while when it comes to making films,” he says, proudly.
In addition to acting in this international project, Kamal will also be writing it. “And I will also direct it if I need to,” he cuts in, adding, “I am glad that my entry into Hollywood is through this film. I am sure the subject we have chosen will create an impact.” Well, if his relentless determination is anything to go by, we’re sure it will!
