Tamil cinema's evergreen
and debonair director K. Balachander, fondly
referred to as KB, has never hidden his
admiration towards his favorite disciples
Kamal and Rajini. Though he has scaled heights
which has never been tried or followed by
anyone after him, KB has always encouraged
and appreciated talent even if it is a newcomer
to the industry.
Recently, on the eve of the 50th year felicitation
function organized by the Government of
Kerala for Kamal Hassan, KB was all appreciative
about Kamal. Though he couldn't attend the
function, KB has shown his immense admiration
as a mentor and friend for Kamal in his
letter to the press.
Rajini the phenomenon, Kamal the
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Though KB accepts that he neither travels
much nor attends film related functions
due to his age, he admits that his weariness
dries, heart lightens and spirits soar when
he has to speak about Kamal. He also says
that he would like to be present in any
stage in any country just to talk about
or watch Kamal's performance. He even goes
on to admit that he gratefully rests in
the laurels of Rajini and Kamal. He says
that "if Rajini has grown beyond imagination,
Kamal has evolved into everything he dreamt
of". If Rajini, the phenomenon, stands
tall for the world to see, Kamal is an icon,
a monarch of all he surveys is what he has
to say about the giants.
Kudos Kerala
It's known to us that Kamal acted in a variety
of films in Malayalam before finding foot
in Tamil. Identifying this, KB praised the
likes of Thakazhi Sivasankaran Pillai, Vaikkom
Basheer and P Bhaskaran for inspiring Kamal
to underplay a role and to learn the nuances
of cinema. He was generous in saying that
it was the Malayalam industry which kindled
the fire in Kamal's heart. So he thanked
the most literate state in the country for
identifying the talent so early in Kamal's
career.
I did not discover Kamal
Referring to the inventions made by Edison,
Alexander Bell, Marconi, KB says he is proud
to find a place in history as he discovered
Kamal. But, being humble as he ever is,
he says that he did not discover Kamal but
just gave him a platform to discover himself.
"Kamal does not belong to me, he belongs
to world cinema. I gave him away to the
world as his imagination and creativity
became insatiable", is his word.
Kamal is beyond competition
KB also reveals that Kamal learnt the art
of cinema by probing, begging, watching,
observing, demanding, experimenting, experiencing
and learning. Though Kamal has lost more
than what he has gained, he is beyond competition,
beyond rivals. He draws him parallel to
Sachin whose passion and love for the game
and towards his country are as the same
as Kamal. "Hey man! Kamal - I am proud
of you my son", he beams.
Jack of all trades
Hailing him as the jack of all trades, KB
points out Kamal's many talents. Identifying
him as a story writer and a dialogue writer,
KB says that he is good at screenplays and
writing songs as well. Kamal can sing in
Classical and Western notes, an accomplished
Bharathnatyam dancer, a wizard in makeup
and a master in latest technologies and
computer graphics is his observation. He
feels that Kamal's movies like Mahanadhi,
Nayagan, Nammavar, Hey Ram, Guna, Alavandan
and Devar Magan will be studied and referred
by students and other international film-makers.
'!' - Kamal's identity
Astonished by Kamal's achievements, KB feels
that the name Kamal Hassan would be replaced
by the ! (Exclamation mark) soon. The reason
he says is that the greatest personalities
of the world have an identity of their own.
Gandhi is identified by his glasses, Nehru
by his rose, Bharathiyar by his moustache
and MGR by his fur cap. Thus he feels that
Kamal's name will be replaced by an exclamation
mark as he simply ASTONISHES. Comparing
Kamal to legends like Sivaji Ganesan, Nagesh,
Dilip Kumar and Nageshwar Rao, KB feels
that this 'one-of-a-kind-man' is not what
he is because of me. On the contrary, I
am what I am because of him.
He ends by confessing that he has lost his
appetite for personal applause. "All
I wish is to hear the applause, the cheers,
the trumpets and the music singing Kamal
Haasan's genius and fame!", he concludes.
