Alwarpet Aandavan.

Kamal Haasan

Just saw the interview Kamal Haasan made outside his house claiming he is now officially on the verge of bankruptcy and his plea for his movie to be screened, the Tamil Nadu government has apparently given him "options" : to cut the movie, mutilate it or ban it. I want to talk about the man that is Kamal Haasan and why his speech almost brought me to tears. A man moulded from pressure, a man lost in his own love for his work. He is been in this film industry for 50 years. 50 years! That spans a career longer than Clint Eastwood's, but with a much broader growth since Eastwood never worked as a dance master, stunt director, lyricist and the likes. I grew up with his work actually. I remember the times when entire weekends spent in front of the TV, watching Moonram Pirai, MMKR, Guna, Aboorva Sagotharargal(AS).. the list goes on. Being a movie fanatic myself, it was he, who took my hand and showed what good movies were before I watched my first Scorcese movie. So what has he done to Indian Cinema? Only everything. From winning a National Award at the age of 6, he has only moved from one strength to another. First man who brought the concept of make-up as a tool rather than an accessory, at a time when Indian movies differentiated between two different characters who looked alike, with a mole, he made use of chipped teeth, linguistic differences, accents, buck teeth even going to extremes like in AS where he had to act with his legs folded in to fit the role of a midget and in Alavandhan where he beefed up by consuming two dozen eggs a day. He introduced the concept of digital film-making in Mumbai Express, use of animation to show violence in an entertaining way in Alavandhan(even Quentin Tarantino got inspired when he saw this and emulated this in Kill Bill), use of live set sounds in scenes in Virumaandi, use of steroids and injected fluids for make up in Kuruthipunal, the list goes on. All this from a man who did not even finish his schooling. To speak fluently in six languages, act in all of them and truly show that Tamil cinema was not to be taken lightly.

Aalavandhan and Kill Bill: Animated sequences

A self proclaimed atheist, he has never shied away from speaking his mind or tackling social issues in his movies and in real life. His associations were the first to become social work organizations rather than just a bunch of hooligans screaming and pouring milk over his cut-outs. He has a cancer foundation for children, is a brand ambassador against AIDS prevention and yet in spite of all this it is his two marriages and a live-in relationship (with Gautami, whom he helped overcome cancer) which has become a judgment call on this man's character. Maybe he is a man ahead of his time, most of his films are classics which never became hits, may it be social movies which tried to focus on communism, women's rights, communal violence etc., like Hey Ram or Anbe Sivam or movies which have reached a cult status like Paesum Padam or Alavandhan. They have never been appreciated in their time. Or maybe he was just born in the wrong place, in a state where people took offence to him calling his movie "Sandiyar" or calling him a traitor for making "Hey Ram" or a man without values for making a "Mahanadi" or, like now, for trying to make a good wholesome movie which is on par with Hollywood standards and trying to put Tamil movies on the world scene. His movies were a mirror of the society we lived and when he showed the mirror to people, they did not like what they saw. The only fault he has done through all this is to take everything silently and let people do this to him. Long has India and TN shunned this man and his talents. The truth? Our people simply don't have the brains to handle the subjects this man has to offer.

If he chooses to leave TN, I would be sad and yet happy at the same time. I am reminded of his famous lines "What is the point of feeding grass to a lion? What is the point of using an artist, if you don't use his potential?". Hollywood's knocking, what with Barrie Osborne(producer of "The Lord of the Rings"  and "Matrix") himself heaping praises on him and expressing desire to work with him. I actually want him to leave. I want to show people that I although love my country I am still ashamed of it and why I don't want to go back. How one honest man's lifelong fight will not make a difference, however hard you try. They chased Rushdie out, Hossein out but lamented their departure and admired their work after they left, just like they will for Kamal. Now they are pushing away the most important man in Indian Cinema, only this time I hope he gets the message and leaves.

When I come to India the next time and I happen to drive by Alwarpet and if I realise Kamal Haasan, our "Alwarpet Andavar" no longer lives there, I would smile.. For he surely would be in a better place. And it would be about time.

"விழுந்தால் விதையாக விழுவேன் 
மரமாக வளர்வேன் 
தனி மரம்தானே தோப்பாகாது என்று 
நினைத்துவிடாதீர்கள் 
பல சுதந்திர பறவைகள் வந்து அமரும் மரமாக நானிருப்பேன் 
மீண்டும் விதைகள் விழும் அது 
சோலையாகும் காடாகும் 
ஆனால் விதை நான் விதைத்தது".

-கமல் ஹாசன்

"If I fall, it shall be as a seed

I shall grow as a tree

Don't you think this one tree can populate a forest,

I shall be that one tree where a thousand free birds come to rest,

And they shall carry my seeds

And that will become the forest

But never forget that the first seed was mine."

- Kamal Haasan