Hariharan and Kamal Haasan Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In 2009, Kamal Haasan offered a screenwriting course at IIT-Madras and wanted to start a full-fledged film school. The conversation I had with him during that time sowed the seeds of my book, Kamal Haasan: A cinematic journey,
This book, aimed at an international audience, focuses on the context within which a film is made. We want to encourage film studies scholars. It is absent in the Indian context.
People think that box-office results are the only reference for a film. In fact, it sometimes becomes an obsession. But as a film studies scholar, I’m more interested in WhyBecause I believe that film students need to understand the environment in which a certain work is made. A filmmaker also needs to be conscious of this, otherwise you will end up being an emotionally driven director who wants to express his emotions alone without understanding what is happening around you.
I like Kamal Haasan’s films because he sets the context in his work. Out of approximately 260 films of the actor, I considered 40 films based on the chronology and themes of his roles.
Understanding Freudian philosophy and the references to Adam and Eve in the Bible is essential to appreciating a film. Moondram Pirai. Now, did Kamal or Balu Mahendra really think about this while making the film? Probably not. Artists don’t have to think about it directly. They dip into a big pot of knowledge, join together and pass it on to the audience. As a film studies scholar, I attempt to deconstruct the work in the same way I approach a film candidly.
Kamal is capable of playing many roles: as an actor, filmmaker, poet, singer. Still, he keeps his work sensible and consistent. I don’t think there is any other actor in the world who is capable of this kind of mute-tasking. He is also one of the few who takes pains to explain his characters, e.g. Vishwaroopam, Perhaps the only film in the world which makes a Muslim man a hero.
What are you reading at the moment? i am reading caste pride By Manoj Mitta.
A book you recommend everyone to read: viewpoints By Edward Said.
(As told to Srinivas Ramanujam)
published – January 17, 2025 05:47 PM IST
