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Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Actors’ actor: Kamal Haasan says he will cast actors, not stars when he makes a movie of his choice

“Malayalam cinema gave me recognition and made me a star when I was nobody,” says the actor in that familiar gravely voice of his. But he makes it clear that he is not a superstar who rests on his laurels.

“As far, I am concerned, ‘Dashavataaram,’ which will be released next year, is history. I am immersed in my next film, ‘Marmayogi,’ a bilingual period film in Hindi and Tamil, set in the seventh century. It will be the biggest film made in Tamil and it is being scripted and directed by me,” says Kamal who was in Thiruvananthapuram for the inauguration of the 12th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

Dismissing comparisons between the IFFK and the International Film Festival of India with “Why compare karimeen (Pearl spot) and tandoori chicken? Films are made by a team and the festival must cater to each segment in that team and give them the opportunity to learn and evolve in their areas of interest.

“Now, filmmaking is controlled by business interests who may know nothing about cinema or its aesthetics. It is imperative for such business men to be exposed to the finer nuances of the art of film-making. It must whet their appetite to make better films” says Kamal whose films have always tried to explore new territory.

“I would also like to do a bilingual in Tamil and Malayalam with Mohanlal. One has to think big and ensure that production does not suffer for want of funds. Malayalam cinema has to rediscover and find the kind of strength it had in the Seventies and Eighties. There is no reason to mimic. The grass is always greener over the septic tank,” he says laughing loudly.

The numero uno star of the late Seventies and Eighties becomes nostalgic when he recalls his association with what is now considered as the golden era of Malayalam cinema. However, he confesses that though most of his films in Malayalam were hits, he is disappointed that he did not work with many of the directors whom he greatly admired such as John Abraham, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan, K.G. George…

“I feel I should have made the time to work in their films. I would have loved to work in a film like ‘Nirmalyan,’ ‘Chemeen’…. John was a good friend of mine and he and I did have plans to work together. Similarly, playwright Surasu and I used to have long discussions to do a play. Those years in Malayalam cinema taught me about life and cinema,” recounts Kamal.

“I used to tell many of my friends to see Malayalam films for the variety in thematic content, treatment, acting and so on. Not any more. We need good scripts. The written word has to be respected. It is true that some of my hits in Malayalam did not have a screenplay.

“‘Madanolsavam,’ for instance, had me going to the sets and saying my lines impromptu. It was crazy but it worked only because there was a master like Shankaran Nair as director. Incidentally, Sankaran Nair was the one who directed my first script, ‘Rasaleela.’ He told me my script was morbid and tweaked it a bit to come up with a winner. Bharathiraja could get away without bound screenplay or scripts it because of his long association with masters such as Babu Nanthencode and Krishnan Nair. But those are exceptions.”

And who would he cast if he were to make a film of his choice.

“Not a star. But only actors. That is what directors like Bharathan, Bharatiraja and Balachander did. And that is why their films became a success,” says Kamal.

But the one-man industry Kamal Haasan is reluctant to call himself a success or a super star.

“Success is difficult to quantify. Once, it meant the amount of money I earned. Then I found that I yearned for creative heights as an actor. So the idea of success keeps evolving. Finally, I decided that I would do only one film at a time and give it my best. That is what I have done with ‘Dashavataaram. That is what intend to do with ‘Marmayogi,’” he avers.

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