There’s one tear-jerker of a scene in the 1983 cult Bollywood film Sadma where actor Kamal Haassan’s character does a monkey dance on a railway platform, trying to make Nehalata (played by Sridevi), who’s lost her memory, remember him. It’s a memorable performance, which eventually won the actor a National Award, India’s highest honour.
Asked if he would reprise the role and the film, he said, “Of course”.
“Actors can be refined and be better. I’m one of those who are an improved version of whatever you’ve seen earlier. It’s not with arrogance that I say it. It’s my duty to be better than my predecessor and it’s my duty to see that my successor is better than me,” Haasan said.
He was speaking to journalists at Raffles Hotel, Dubai, on Friday evening, just before leaving for the airport. The day before, Haasan had been speaking on the art of screenplay at the Sharjah International Book Fair. The reluctance to meet the press was quite visible on the denim-clad 59-year-old’s face as he walked in. Yet, gracefully, he individually greeted those who’d come to meet him.
Books have played a major role in this school dropout’s life, who claims all his knowledge has been gained “on the go”.
Learning on the go
“I have great respect for these ‘unconditional’ teachers called books, because [from a book] you can either learn or you can’t. I have not attended a film institute or school. Whatever I know, I’ve learnt on the go and so, except a few, I cannot exactly recollect or comprehend what and when I learnt a skill or started to use it.”
With this week’s Bollywood film Ram Leela coming under duress to change its title so as not to hurt religious sentiments, Haasan recollects his Vishwaroopam facing a similar trial earlier this year. While director Sanjay Leela Bhansali appeased his critics by modifying the title to Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela, Haasan stuck to his guns.
“It’s very easy to blame India because you can. I think it’s difficult to live in India if you are not in the right place [in society], even though we are getting a lot more tolerant. I got away with it and luck had nothing to do with it. The righteousness of what I believed and what people believed helped me. Anger is the quickest reaction one can resort to and understanding is the longer route, which I’m trying to do,” he said.
“Sanjay Leela Bhansali [had the choice to] try to make a point and lose out on business — which happened to me — or be the sensible man. It’s similar to the argument of whether the sun goes around the earth or the earth around the sun. Galileo apologised. I think that’s the more sensible thing to do than get burnt at the stake by someone who’s very silly and without any vision. I’m a rationalist.”
It’s a characteristic seen in many of his films such as the controversial Hey Ram, based on the assasination of Mahatma Gandhi.
“I have a voice, my stand in society. It’s sometimes interesting, sometimes blasphemous. But this is the theme of my life. I cannot change it now. I’ve never been a fan of [Mahatma] Gandhi till I was a teen. Everything changed in my 20s. I’ve not been converted to Gandhism; I’ve been convinced about him. It’s about the man, not about the [political] party and that’s why I made Hey Ram... Unknown and countless people have died in the name of religion and none of the founders of any religion ever wanted this. We have used/misused/abused it to serve our purposes. But it has nothing to do with God,” he said.
Multiple talents
An award-winning actor at four, Haasan, who was born in Tamil Nadu, is also an accomplished director and producer, screenwriter and lyricist, playback singer, musician and choreographer. In fact, if he had not been a filmmaker, he would have been a classical dancer.
“For two and a half years, I rigorously trained seven-eight hours a day in two disciplines of dance but moved on to a most versatile medium called cinema which encompassed every form of art,” said the actor who feels he’s on a perpetual “paid holiday”.
He often brings these multiple talents on screen too, often playing several characters in the same film, whether it’s the quadruplets of Michael Madhana Kamarajan, the old woman and the young choreographer of India’s version of Mrs Doubtfire — Chachi 420, the 70-year-old killing machine Senapathy and the aimless Chandru of Indian, the triplets — including a midget — of Apoorva Sagodharargal, and of course the 10 characters of Dasavathaaram, a science fiction attempt which left many scratching their heads.
And it’s such roles that gained Haasan several awards, including four National Awards and a number of Filmfare Awards. He has also starred in the greatest number of films submitted by India for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
It’s not the awards he’s after, he said.
Pursuit of excellence
“Anyone can struggle but they can never make a ‘perfect’ film,” he said. “I’m looking for excellence. Without sounding arrogant, let me categorically say that Oscars are not the epitome of the cinematic world. It is an award for American excellence that excludes and sometimes gracefully includes some other countries. It’s an institution or brand created by Hollywood to promote itself, an award decided by 15 people. What about the billions out there? I think that’s more important for a filmmaker. How nice it would have been if [Satyajit] Ray, instead of all his awards, had got a few more audience?”
With five decades in the industry, you’d expect the actor-director to be proud of the centenary Indian cinema is celebrating.
“It is wrong to celebrate 100 years of cinema with [just] India. It is 100 years of cinema for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka... All these places saw Indian cinema as it was produced in Lahore, in Mumbai, in Chennai. It went all the way. It is 100 years of cinema of what used to be my India, my Pakistan, my Afghanistan and my Sri Lanka. That’s how an artist looks at it and it’ll soon be my World. [It is the] governments, political and parochial interests that create borders.”
So, do we see a book from this versatile actor? “Not a book from me, but there’s an interview with me by Hariharan, who’s the principal of the Prasad Film Academy, about my experiences.”
And what of the ladies in his life? “That part is mine and strictly between the ladies and me,” he said.
_resources1_16a30b3d57a_small.jpg)
