CHENNAI: Employing characteristic out-of-the-box methods, Kamal Haasan launched the audio of his upcoming film Uthama Villain on an app, instead of conventional CDs in a function at the Chennai Trade Centre on Sunday.
At the launch, while on stage, he called his daughter Shruti, who was in Mumbai, on Facetime. Shruti, not knowing that her father was launching the app with the audio, was chatting away with her father about day-to-day affairs, when Kamal Haasan revealed that she was being seen by over 1,000 fans and special invitees eagerly waiting for the audio launch.
A panel discussion involving Kamal Haasan, Parthiban, Madan Karky and Villupaatu Subbu Arunachalam followed which droned on and after over two hours, the crowd was beginning to thin.
Sensing the crowd’s impatience, the film’s Lingusamy intervened, “Shall we go on to launch the audio?” causing the discussion to be cut short.
The audience was then treated to a sneak peek into the visuals of a couple of songs of the late K Balachander, who was instrumental in bringing out the latent talents of Kamal Haasan and music director Ghibran, laced with the wit of actor Parthiban who hosted the show.
The event was not without controversies. A number of fans with ‘Fan’ and ‘VIP’ passes were not let in due to lack of space. “I have been an ardent fan of Kamal for 25 years. I came here at 5 pm, hoping to get a glimpse of the actor. But there were not enough seats,” rued one of them.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Kamal App-loads Uthama Villain Audio
Kamal Haasan will come as Ayyappan riding on a tiger this April
Kamal Haasan will come as Ayyappan riding on a tiger this April - Event Story
How enthralling is it to be in a star-studded event led by the star of all stars Kamal Haasan! The Uttama Villain audio launch saw Kamal Haasan in his candid mode, clearly sending out the message that he treated this as a home event. There were a whole lot of personalities like Nassar, Lingusamy, Subash Chandra Bose, Luthfudeen Baasha, Pooja Kumar, Parvathi (second name removed as per her apparent request), Urvashi, Vijay Sethupathi, Vikram Prabhu, Ramesh Arvind, MS Bhaskar, Andrea, Parthiepan, Parvathi Nair, Poorna and many others at the Chennai Trade Center to commemorate the Trade Center of Tamil Cinema – Kamal Haasan, as Parthiepan (emcee of the event) suggested. The entire event was conducted in a very contemporary manner.
Talking about being contemporary – it must be noted that there was no CD release at the end of the show. “CD is old fashion. It is just a thagudu as Sathyaraj calls it,” Kamal Haasan said when Lingusamy requested Kamal to do the honours of releasing the CD.
“People hardly buy CDs now. They comfortably download it. I am going to make the audio available online now.” Kamal replied and uploaded the songs online from his phone.
“But sir, somebody should receive the audio. That is how we have been organizing audio launches all these years.” Lingusamy requested.
Kamal requested her to turn on video call and as soon as she did that, she appeared in the huge AV screen in front of thousands.
“Bapuji, you could have told me.” Shruthi said and signed off before making sure she said a big ‘vanakkam’ to the crowd listening to this conversation.
The show actually began with the recital of a touching letter that K Balachander had written about Kamal Haasan years ago. A few lines that were duly noted in the letter were,
“I did not discover Kamal. I only gave him the platform and the opportunity to discover himself. In the process, I was blessed enough to discover myself. Yes, I own Kamal yet he does not belong to me, he belongs to the world of Cinema.”
As soon as the letter was read, the screen split into two and in walked Kamal Haasan with tears welled up in his eyes.
“Balachander ayya is my everything. If he was not there for me, I would have been a different Kamal Haasan altogether. I believe that I am him and I wish to take up the responsibilities that he left behind.”Kamal Haasan said.
The event also witnessed a few dance performances by Pooja Kumar, Parvathi Nair and Poorna and a song performance by Ghibran’s team for the song‘Single kiskey love’a’, with the making visuals of the song being played at the background. A surprise element in the visuals was that, Kamal Haasan performs a series of rapid dance moves in a portion of the song that has some fast beats.
Nassar, MS Bhaskar, Parvathi, Pooja Kumar, Andrea, Lingusamy, Subash Chandra Bose and Ghibran were all extremely thankful to Kamal, when they got an opportunity to share their feelings on stage.
Nassar – “I was in the sets of Uttama Villain when I got news that my elder son met with an accident. Kamal sir asked me to leave immediately and in my one hour journey towards the hospital, he kept giving me updates on his health condition and asked me not to worry.
I was so shattered and mentally upset. I wanted to go back to the sets so that I could divert my mind. Although Kamal sir asked me not to come for the shoot, I requested him to make me act so that I could be relieved. Kamal sir understood my situation and re-set up an entire set that he dismantled as I was not to be available for the next few days. I sincerely thank him for all that he did for me.” He said with tears rolling down his cheeks.
MS Bhaskar was full of words when he spoke about Kamal and his comedy sense. He highlighted a witty comment that Kamal made when he was asked about a particular bald make-over that Kamal wore.
“Kamal sir pointed at my bald head and said – ‘idhu kaalam’ and pointed at his own bald head and said – ‘idhu kolam’. Such is the timing sense of this legend.”
Ramesh Arvind, the director of the film was keen on thanking Kamal Haasan for the opportunity and the trust he had on him.
“Uttama Villain will have two extremes. On one side you will see a superstar in the 20th century with multiplexes and modern life. On the other side you will see a folk artist of the 8th century with a King and a Queen. There is a thematic link between these two extreme eras.” He said
Kaadhalam is set in a rich gold theme along with Pooja Kumar’s lovely dance moves amid a set of other dancers. The song also features Nassar attired as a King in red and green clothes, with long curly hair. Kamal Haasan is also portrayed in the song in his 8th century make over.
Iraniyan Nadagam is a stage play portraying the Theyyam art form. Kamal and Pooja are featured in this song in their heavy makeovers. The song will definitely be a visual treat for us, with Kamal Haasan flying up in the air and spitting out fire from his mouth.
The trailer, the mind blowing behind the scenes visuals, the song glimpses that kept the audiences awestruck and a very confident Uttama Villain team, send out a strong statement that there are going to be tremors at the theaters this April.
Uttama Villain audio launch today !!
Here's the track list- Loveaa Loveaa, Kadhalaam Kadavul Mun, Uttaman Introduction, Saagaavaram, Iraniyan Naadagam, Mutharasan Kadhai, Uttaman Kadhai,Instrumental versions of Uttama Villain Theme - Guru & Sishya, Father & Daughter,Uttaman & Karpagavalli, Father & Son and Letter from & to Yamini. The Karaoke versions include Dr Arpana,Kadhalaam Kadavul Mun, Saagaavaram and Iraniyan Naadagam.
Kamal’s philosophy of life is incredible says Pooja
At the moment, Pooja is busy rehearsing for her performance at the audio launch of the Ramesh Aravind directorial. "I am performing with the Attakalari Dance Group. It is a very special number which combines different forms of dance such as ballet, Indian classical, contemporary, modern and jazz. It has a lovely flow to it and I am sure it has never been seen in the movies before. It is my first stage performance and my first live performance, too, and I am nervous and excited at the same time."
Ask her about her character in the film and she says, "I cannot reveal much, but all I can say is that I am doing a number of different roles. I play an actress in the film and it was really fantastic working with the whole crew. Ramesh is the kind of director who captures all your strengths and identifies what you as an individual bring to the character. He has an exact vision of what the film should look like overall and that is something that puts actors at ease."
With Vishwaroopam, Vishwaroopam 2 and now Uttama Villain all seeing her paired opposite Kamal Haasan, we wonder if theirs is a pair that works. "Kamal is someone who encourages his co-stars to push themselves when they are performing. So, I guess our pairing has worked, thanks to that. In Vishawaroopam, I was almost like a newcomer, so I was pretty nervous about working with him. But I loved the fact that he was able to help me grow as an actor, because in this profession, you grow only with the people around you. The second time around, too, he had plenty of insight to offer and his humbleness bowled me over. His philosophy of life is incredible."
So, would she ever do a film where Kamal wasn't the hero? "I would love to do a film like that," she giggles adding, "I am waiting for something exciting to come my way."
When Narendra Modi visited the US, Pooja, who has spent a significant amount of her time there, was seen openly rooting for the prime minister and his beliefs. So, is politics on the cards for Pooja? "To be honest, I have a background in Economics and Political Science, so politics has always interested me. I have been actively involved in causes related to social issues and women's rights. As far Modi goes, I support his ideology that it is a time for change. That was why I was openly supportive of him when he came to the US. With regard to being a politician, I still think I have a very long way to go."
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