Indian cinema maybe a little over a hundred years old, but actor Kamal Haasan has been part of the industry for 60 years now! Starting off as a child actor at the age of four, with Kalathur Kannamma (1960) in Tamil, before moving on to do films in Malayalam.
Fame followed the ‘Ulaganayagan’ (as he is referred to in Kollywood) with many hits in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and the 2000s — think Apoorva Ragangal (1975), Moondram Pirai (1983), Nayakan (1987), Indian (1996), his directorial debut Hey Ram (2000), and Dasavatharam where he played ten characters. In Bollywood, he is most remembered for his roles in Ek Dujhe Ke Liye (1981), Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), Sadma (1983) and Saagar (1985). Haasan has also acted in a variety of Telugu, Kannada and even a Bengali film during the course of his 60-year-long career.
More recently, aside from floating a political party, the actor also ventured into television, with Bigg Boss, a hugely popular reality TV show on Star Vijay.
To celebrate 60 years of the actor Kamal Haasan’s iconic career, a host of events are being organised, over a period of three days, this weekend. Here are some details:
Paying tribute
On November 7, the actor’s birthday, which also happens to be his father D Srinivasan’s death anniversary, Haasan unveiled the statue of his father in his hometown Paramakudi in Tamil Nadu. The event was also attended by his party’s officials and dignitaries, in addition to his fans and other party members.
Today, November 8, the actor will unveil another statue, that of his guru, writer and director K Balachander, at the new office premises of Raaj Kamal films in Chennai. This event will be followed by a special screening of Haasan’s film Hey Ram, followed by an interaction with the actor himself, post the screening. A written statement from the actor’s office states, “This event is to commemorate 150 years of Gandhi, and a personal note from Kamal Haasan will be shared at the venue with special invitees.”
Music and lyrics
Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja will present a musical tribute, in honour of the legendary actor. The event, scheduled to be held on November 9, will see an opening act by the maestro himself, and will also be attended by Rajinikanth, who shares a 40-year-long friendship with Kamal Haasan, in addition to being his contemporary. Narayanan Valliappan writes in his statement, “We at Raajkamal Films International (RKFI) look forward to celebrating Kamal Haasan and his life and times in cinema under the umbrella, Ungal Naan (Yours Truly).”