How I met Kamal Haasan

The actor turns 60 on Friday and his friends from the film industry recall the day they first met the ‘Ulaganayagan’
Crazy Mohan

Actor, Dialogue writer

While in college, I was part of the drama troupe. One of my skits, titled Great Bank Robbery, won me the best director and best writer awards and I received it from none other than Kamal Haasan. He was a big star then and I was just a student. However, my first professional meeting with him was much later and more interesting.

One evening in 1986-87, I was getting ready to go to Trivandrum to stage my play. There was a commotion behind my house in Mandaveli and I was curious to check it out. It turned out that a film crew was shooting in the cemetery there. I heard a voice from inside calling me. Usually, people are scared when they hear voices from inside a cemetery but I went in, courageously. It was Kamal Haasan who’d called me and he asked if I could write the dialogues for a project. And that was how, Apoorva Sagodharagal was born.

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Ramesh Aravind

Director, Actor

I was asked to compere an event — to celebrate the successful run of Sagara Sangamam in Bangalore — and I saw Kamal Haasan there. That was the first time I saw him. But my actual meeting with him was much later.

I was playing Kamal’s role in the Kannada remake of Sollathan Ninaikiren. Director K. Balachander, who was working on Punnagai Mannan at that time, took me to the sets and introduced me to him. He just said, ‘Kannada padathula pichu odarran pa ivan’ and went away. I recall Kamal sir in the Charlie Chaplin costume that day — he was shooting for the ‘Maamaavukku Kudumaa’ number. And there, below a reflector, was the first time we exchanged words. I was also fortunate to see the shoot of the song, and the unique technique with which Kamal moves around with a cane chair stuck to his back.

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Andrea

Actress, Singer

The first time I met Kamal sir was as a singer. I had sung the ‘Who’s the Hero’ song for his film Manmadhan Ambu, and I was part of the audio launch at Malaysia and Singapore. At that point, I never imagined that I’d do three films with him later. As an actor, I first met him on the sets of Vishwaroopam. He wanted to meet me once before finalising me for the role. He just asked me one question — Do you trust me? I blindly said yes. And that was it! I was on board, and with every film, my respect and admiration for him both as an artist and a human being has increased. He is truly one of the jewels of Indian cinema.

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Kiran

Actress

I was just one film old (Gemini) and had got a call from Kamal sir’s office for Anbe Sivam. I didn’t know how to react. In fact, I’d given an interview just before the release of Gemini in which I’d said that it was my dream to act with Kamal Haasan….but I’d never thought it would happen so fast. When I entered his office, I didn’t even utter a word. He was discussing the project with his associates and I just watched him quietly. I didn’t even know if I would be part of it. At the end of the meeting, he looked at me and said, ‘OK, I’ll see you on the sets.’ And that was it!