“Uttama Villain” – USA & Canada Release by Prime Media

PRIME Media in association with Raaj Kamal New Frontiers is very proud to announce that we are distributing Ulaganayagan Padma Bhushan Kamal Hassan’s magnum opus “Uttama Villain” in USA & Canada.
Movie is getting geared to release on April 2nd.

Uttama Villain is a Comedy-Drama film directed by Ramesh Aravind. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Kamal Hassan, Jayaram, Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar, Nassar, Parvathy Nair and Urvashi. Directors K. Viswanath and K. Balachander plays vital roles in the film.

Uttama Villain music is orchestrated by M.Ghibran. Audio album is getting rave reviews and singled out to be one of the best albums of the year.

Enriching cinema, Kamal style

Over the years, Kamal Haasan’s cinema has featured not just dance but other arts as well. There was street theatre in ‘Anbe Sivam’, leather puppetry in ‘Dasavatharam’, and now ‘Uthama Villain’ will showcase Theyyam, villu pattu, kalari and koothu.

After Kamal Haasan became a dance assistant, the late dance master Raghuram became an acquaintance. Raghuram was related to Padma Subrahmanyam – whom Kamal had fallen for when he saw her dance on stage. “I fell in love with a lady I didn’t even know” is how he put it – and when Kamal found out about this, he knelt in front of Raghuram and said, with a wink in his eye (or maybe without one), “I want to marry your aunt.” He settled for learning her style of dance instead. Kamal said, “I don’t know if he was bluffing or if he really learnt from her, but he used to teach me. We were from different styles, and so it was sort of an exchange of ideas.”

K. Balachander did not care for dancing in films. He did not care for choreographers. Thangappan Master was hired for ‘Sollathaan Ninaikkiren’, but Balachander did not like what Kamal Haasan called “the traditional cinema dance master.” He wanted someone young, and so Kamal brought in Raghuram. Balachander asked them to partner up for the choreography. They became co-choreographers for films such as Balachander’s ‘Avargal’, whose title cards mention that the mock-cricket match was “staged by Kamalahasan and Raghuraman.”

Kamal Haasan said, “Raghu was really talented. He was working with Chopra Master. His training was superior to mine because he had a great teacher. When we got together, we formed a new style, a bit of Padma Subrahmanyam, a bit of Kolhapuri Kathak, all my influences. So our compositions looked very different.”

They worked together on many films, including Hindi films such as ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’. Kamal Haasan said that he had a hand in choreographing most of his dances onscreen, even if he wasn’t credited. After the release of ‘Avargal’, Raghuram got married. Kamal and he were still choreographing dances together, but around the time of (the 1978 Malayalam film) ‘Madanolsavam’, Kamal said he didn’t need this title. “It was more useful for him, as I had already made it. I was a star in Kerala.”

We spoke about his dances in the films of the late 1970s and the early 1980s, when it was practically signed into his contract that a film that featured him would also feature a dance by him. ‘Unakenna mele ninraai’ in ‘Simla Special,’ ‘Kaamanukku Kaaman’ in ‘Uruvangal Maaralaam’. Even the tweaking of ‘Yadhuvamsa Sudhambudhi Chandra’ in ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’. “That’s not classical,” Kamal Haasan said. “That’s a sell-out. That’s what people like my sister didn’t like.” Then came ‘Sagara Sangamam’. Kamal and RC Sakthi wanted to make a film on a similar subject, about a dancer who was an alcoholic. They even had a name for it: ‘Anupallavi’. But when K. Viswanath came calling, Kamal felt he had to do the film, especially as it was from the creator of ‘Sankarabharanam’.

On the sets of ‘Sagara Sangamam’, Kamal’s training restarted. Gopi Krishna was one of the choreographers, and he insisted that Kamal train for at least a month. Kamal was one of the top stars of the time, doing multiple shifts, but he had to find the time. “It was actually a great sacrifice from my side,” Kamal Haasan said, but it was worth it. The dance sequence that resulted for the song ‘Naadha Vinodhamu’ became one of the film’s highlights. The other dances, including the “dance of rage” that predated the ones in Yash Chopra’s films, were composed by Kamal and Raghuram. I asked him if he considered the dances in this film “pure dances.” He said, “But even in the film it is called Bhaarat Natyam. That was my constant defence against the question: ‘What style is your dance’? It’s better than calling it Oriental Dance, which is a very derogatory term coined by the British.”

Over the years, Kamal Haasan’s cinema has featured not just dance but other arts as well. There was street theatre in ‘Anbe Sivam’, shadowpuppetry in ‘Dasavatharam’, and now ‘Uthama Villain’ will showcase Theyyam, villu pattu, kalari and koothu (“Not theru koothu, as it has been brought down to, but the traditional form”) and even Bharatanatyam (“where the teacher used to dance with the disciple; it’s only after Rukmini Devi Arundale that the nattuvangam artist sat down”). Kamal Haasan said the film wasn’t so much dance-based as folk-art based, and added, “A purist will not accept this form, even in folk arts.” He’s done an attakalari performance for the film, and he’s written the lyrics for the piece. “It’s difficult because you have to maintain grace with that huge headgear. It’s like dancing Kathakali with a kavadi.” Kamal took out his phone and showed me picture of him in the Theyyam make-up of Narasimha avatar. I asked him if this was his way of enriching cinema. “Absolutely,” he said. “I am at this opportune position. I am trying to bring a lot of great talented people into this cinema, which is very versatile and accommodating. I want to give everything I have to this medium.”

Now Vishwaroopam 2 in Auro 3D

We are doing Vishwaroopam 2. ... This time the sequel will come in Auro 3D," Kamal told reporters here on Wednesday

he sequel to ‘Vishwaroopam’ will come soon in 3D sound format, also known as Auro 3D, actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan said.

After the success of Vishwaroopam, which had utilised the Auro 3D sound technology, Kamal’s Vishwaroopam 2 is in the making. The sequel is also likely to be released this year.

“We are doing Vishwaroopam 2. We are working on it.

We are quite charged up for it. This time the sequel will come in Auro 3D,” Kamal told reporters here on Wednesday.

Vishwaroopam was embroiled in a controversy after a section of people demanded a ban on the film’s screening, claiming that it hurt the sentiments of a community.

Following the protests, the movie was banned from screening across Tamil Nadu and in some other states but was released after few days.

The espionage thriller was reportedly made on a budget of Rs. 95 crore and has grossed over Rs. 220 crore.

The sequel will reportedly focus more on mother-son sentiments.

Kamal and the art of screenplay writing

Charu anna would be composing these funny lines and singing them to tunes of the latest Tamil film songs. Much later, RC Sakthi made me write. My friend Puviarasu made me write. Great poets such as Gnanakoothan encouraged me to write”

When I asked Kamal Haasan what kind of music he listened to, outside of work, he said, “Pretty much anything that comes my way – even dubstep, which (Gautami’s daughter) Subbulakshmi introduced me to.” He said he was most fond of neoclassical music, and he named the composer Alex North, who veered away from the traditional orchestral approach prevalent in Hollywood and incorporated other elements – jazz, for instance, in his score for ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. (North went on to compose for well-regarded films such as ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’).

“You can see those influences in my films,” Kamal Haasan said, “right from ‘Rajapaarvai’.” He then spoke about an “extraordinary neoclassical score,” a Hiranya Vadham kind of piece, which Ghibran has composed for the soon-to-be-released ‘Uthama Villain’.

“I am not a great fan of songs being part of the film, unless it’s a musical,” he said. “I think it’s high time for a bifurcation between music and cinema. It’s such a nuisance when we bring in songs. We have trained the audience like that. It takes a long time to make the audience understand that too much fried food is bad for you. They listen only if the doctor tells them. But now that the portion sizes have become small, they’ve begun to understand.”

***

We then spoke about his writing, and Kamal Haasan went into a flashback to when he must have been around 16. He and his brothers were waiting for their mother to serve them dosais and Charuhasan, on the spot, composed and sang this pastiche based on the tune of ‘Vettri meedhu vettri vandhu ennai saerum’, the popular MGR song from the 1970 film ‘Thedi Vandha Maappillai’.

“Dosai meedhu dosai vandhu ennai saerum,

Adhai vaarthu thandha perumai ellam unnai saerum,

Idli-oda chutney thandha annai allavo,

Idhu oosugindra dosai enbadhu unmai allavo.”

This is impossible to translate with its flavour intact, but the point Kamal Haasan was making was that, as with music, writing too was all around him in that household. “Charu anna would be composing these funny lines and singing them to the tunes of the latest Tamil film songs. Much later, RC Sakthi made me write. My friend Puviarasu made me write. Great poets such as Gnanakoothan encouraged me to write.” Even Raghu Rai could be added to that list, for Kamal Haasan said that poetry and photography are very important hobbies that a screenwriter should have, because they make you think of succinct ways of saying what you have to say. “I’m a great fan of Raghu Rai. Each photograph of his tells you a whole story. A little higher up, a different angle, and it’s a whole new story.”

RC Sakthi, who would go on to direct films such as ‘Dharma Yudhdham’ and ‘Sirai’, told Kamal very early in their association, “You are a screenwriter.” He thrust a 40-page notebook in Kamal’s hand and told his friend to start writing his screenplay. This was around 1970-71. Kamal started writing something called ‘Ninaivugal’ for a short film. Sakthi liked it and asked Kamal to join him as co-writer on ‘Unarchigal’, a film he was planning about the sexual misadventures of a teenager. Kamal, who would play this protagonist, came up with the title. The film was supposed to be a quickie, released in 1972.

But it got embroiled with the Censor Board over its content, which was fairly explicit for the time. The 1972 roster of the Tamil film industry included ‘Agathiyar’, ‘Dheivam’, ‘Annai Abirami’ and ‘Sakthi Leelai’. The story of a teenager who contracts a sexually transmitted disease must have been a bit of a stretch. ‘Unarchigal’, finally, made it to the screens in 1976.

Captain's son to take on Kamal Haasan

Sagaptham is an upcoming film that marks the debut vehicle of Captain Vijaykanth's son Shanmuga Pandian. This film is directed by Surendran and produced by L K Sudheesh. The makers of the film have made a formal announcement that the film, will make it to theatres across the world on April 2.

The audio of 'Sagaptham', composed by Karthik Raja, was launched in Chennai recently. Interestingly Kamal Haasan's much awaited 'Uttama Villain' will also most likely hit the screens on April 2, along with Udhayanidhi's 'Nanbenda'.

Kamal Haasan has left me baffled many times'

'Working with Kamal Haasan was a different experience because of his knowledge and the experience he brings to the table.

'Everybody says he is an encyclopedia and he is one, indeed.'

Sound designer Kunal Rajan discusses Kamal Haasan, and their latest film together Uttama Villain.

Kunal Rajan is the most sought-after sound designer in Tamil cinema.

Born and raised in Pondicherry, Kunal graduated in sound design from Singapore, then moved to Los Angeles for a career in Hollywood.

Kunal has collaborated with A R Rahman and Resul Pookutty in Shankar’s Endhiren, Murugadoss’s Hindi remake of Ghajini and Akshay Kumar’s Blue.

He collaborated with Kamal Haasan for Vishwaroopamand most recently, for Haasan’s forthcoming film,Uttama Villain, directed by Ramesh Arvind.

He spoke to Rediff.com contributor Praveen Sundaramfrom Los Angeles via Skype about his career in Hollywood, Uttama Villain and collaborating with Craig Mann, who recently won an Oscar for Whiplash.

How did you start your career in Hollywood?

After I moved to the United States, I started doing on-location sound. After a year of that, I realised that my passion lies in post-production, in sound design and mixing.

I did a course in the US specialising in post-production sound and slowly I started my career as a sound designer.

Was it difficult to find work in the US?

It is very scary to think about it now.

Before I came here, I thought there were Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Sony and so many companies and I would go to the US and send them my resume with my Bachelor’s degree in sound from Singapore.

I thought it would all be very easy.

Not even one company got back to me.

So, I started with students who were doing their thesis films. Slowly I got into very low budget, independent films. Slowly I began getting good work.

How did you get into mainstream Hollywood?

I worked on short films and small budget films. One person would recommend me to another and my network grew.

I began working on independent films. Some of them were recognised at film festivals and one went to Sundance.

My resume started getting better, with better films and better filmmakers. People started approaching me.

Now I find myself working in films like Jem and TheHolograms, which should be out in October this year, directed by Jon M Chu. It’s his next film after GI Joe. It is a very big movie for me. I am very excited.

What about your work with Tamil filmmakers?

Arun Vaidyanathan’s Achchamundu Achchamundu was my first Tamil film. Sometime in 2007-2008, I read an article online that a Tamil filmmaker was making a Tamil film to be shot entirely in the US.

At the time, I was getting better work and had a good team. I contacted Arun through his website and expressed my interest in working with him. That’s howAchchamundu Achchamundu happened.

Technically, I have done only four Tamil films:Achchamundu Achchamundu, Vishwaroopam, R S Prasanna’s Kalyana Samayal Saadham and Saivam.Uttama Villain will be my fifth release.

You were also a part of Ghajini and Endhiran…

I’ve known Resul Pookutty for a while now, even before he won the Oscar. He was doing the foley work (foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality) for Murugadoss’s Hindi remake of Ghajini.

He wanted to do some part of the work in the US. I helped him with that and also collaborated with him forEndhiren and Blue as a sound editor.

I also did a little work in Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra One.

What was it like working with Kamal Haasan?

I was initially concerned about working with such a senior artist and technician. He comes with a lot of experience and has terrific knowledge on every aspect of filmmaking.

I was aware that it was a big budget film and he has high expectations from people he works with.

He made me feel very comfortable and was open to ideas. If you know your job, Kamal will trust you and leave it to you. He collaborated very well, not just with me but my entire crew; they all enjoyed working with him.

Some of them have worked in very big budget Hollywood films like Inception. But they felt that working with Kamal was a different experience because of his knowledge and the experience he brings to the table.

In a particular situation if you don’t know how to go ahead, he would be there. In his mind he knows the solution, but he will let you play around and come up with different possible solutions. Finally, he will tell us to try a particular way, just for the sake of trying and check if that works.

He has left me baffled many times.

Everybody says he is an encyclopedia and he is one, indeed.

Tell us more about your experience of working inUttama Villain.

Kamal Haasan had narrated Uttama Villain to me while we were working on Vishwaroopam.

I thought it would be a cakewalk. It was only when I watched the first rough cut that I realised what I was getting into. He has done a fantastic job.

One of the biggest challenges was working in two different time zones in two different counties -- India and Los Angeles. Coordinating, getting all the sound files back and forth was very tough. The movie has contemporary portions and also period portions.

All the period portions were challenging because it was not something I had done before.

I had to work carefully without using any modern sounds. We wanted to keep it subtle and enhance the story and keep it as realistic as possible.

Did you visit the shooting spot?

No, but Kamal Haasan used to update me almost every two or three days over the phone. He would tell me about the scenes that he had shot.

I was aware of what was happening and I was always curious to see the final output.

I always watch the first cut like an audience and only from the second viewing I make my notes as a sound engineer.

Was the film shot in live-sound?

No, some of the actors don’t speak the language and most scenes were shot in challenging locations.

The thing with live-sound is when you work partly live and partly dub, it affects the quality of the film.

Kamal Haasan thanked you for putting him in touch with Craig Mann, the sound mixer who worked inUttama Villain and won an Oscar for Whiplash. How did you guys collaborate? What did Craig Mann think of working in a Tamil film and Kamal Haasan?

I told Craig I was working in an Indian film and looking for a sound mixer to collaborate with.

He replied that he had just finished a small budget musical called Whiplash and if I was inviting him to collaborate for a Bollywood musical, he would love to do it.

I had to tell him that Indian films are not Bollywood films alone; there are multiple regional industries making fantastic films. He was fascinated by how many film industries we have in India.

I then told him about Kamal Haasan. They collaborated really well.

Will you be working in more Indian films?

I am open to working in any language as long as I find the work challenging and the team is good, and it is for people who understand the importance of sound, directors who understand what sound can do to their film.

I have worked in French, Italian and Ethiopian films too

Latest Updates on Kamalhassan Prabhu Deva film !!

The last couple of days the Tamil industry as well as fans of Ulaganayagan has been super excited about the veteran actor doing a film directed by our very own Prabhu Deva who is the top Bollywood director now.  The two of them have combined before as the lead stars in the laugh riot Kadhala Kadhala and this gave an impression that the new film would be a comedy.

But the latest breaking news hint that the film is an international thriller based on the story Velvet Kuttrangal by Rajesh Kumar which is inspired by the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight last year. This Vasan Visual Venture's production is going to be a huge treat for both Kamal and Prabhu Deva fans.