BEHINDWOODS COLUMN

If somebody can act for real, if somebody can sing from the lowest to the highest octave, if somebody can be so perfect with the aramandi while dancing Bharathnatyam, if somebody can precisely recite a korvai in misrachaapu,if somebody can give the exact crane position practiced in Kung-fu, if somebody can talk about Indus valley civilization to the newest technology in cinema and if somebody can keep inspiring, it is this man, an individual, a phenomenon, a Tamizhan's emotion - Kamal Haasan.

To mention, Kamal is also a National Award winning producer before this piece of writing will make it a futile attempt to possibly explain how unimaginably great he is. If Lumierre brothers had something to do with cinema, Kamal from his side curated it. A ventriloquist, a god, a blind instrumentalist, a midget, a drunkard, a psychopath, a challenged with a deformed face, a social-activist, a sex addict, a dancer, an alcoholic, a gangster, a daring cop, a killer, a cross-dresser, a mentally challenged, a doctor, a rogue, a teacher, a servant, an unemployed, an autistic, Kamal has had the maximum change-overs and will continue to surprise his closed ones after the makeup routine.

Tamil cinema has been without Ulaganayagan only for 50 odd years. The living legend's contribution is like a nutrition supplement whenever the body is deprived of a complete diet. When it was about the personal tussle with the ego to become a filmmaker or to make money, this revolution named ‘Kamal’ rotated tirelessly to churn out impactful films with a purpose. From being a frontier in digitizing cinema to bringing newer techniques in film-making to even novelty in film promotion, Kamal sets an example for every single entity in this fraternity. Kamal keeps annoying story-writers and ambitious people who dream of changing the course of Tamil cinema.

Right from the days of being a hero to floating his own production company to then transforming into a director, Kamal's very first stint with writing for a film was, Guru in 1980. He is an underrated writer with family-drama, action-drama, comedy, psychological thriller, action-adventure and a period film to his credit. The writer in Kamal constantly picks the unpicked and makes a film out of it. Capitalism, caste-discrimination, terrorism, women-empowerment, Indian-period-crime, science-fiction-disaster, existential crisis, failed marriages, education, controversy surrounding death penalty, patriotism, communism, atheism, altruism, political-thrillers, there has not been a genre' or a subject-matter that has not been recorded by Kamal. The master craftsman is yet to do a war film or a proper fantasy film though.

Kamal is that seraph shaping our life by inspiring us, continuously. Kamal taught me what it takes to be the father of a daughter. Kamal taught me to punch like a man and walk like a woman. Kamal taught me the knack of pea-cocking. Kamal is the new-age Socrates who gave me the guts to question and not be colonized all my life. Kamal gave me insights about love and lust. Kamal told me, it's okay to be myself and find a way out. Kamal gave me the courage to think different. Kamal whispered to me, knowledge is power. Kamal addressed my situations by saying, its fine to be taken advantage of, cheated and brawled. Kamal taught me hard work, endurance and not to expect. Kamal showed how important multilingualism is. Kamal also told me, it’s cool to be judged. Kamal even taught me the art of kissing and recently taught me the central theme around death.

How to wear a dhoti, how to apply the ash-paste on the forehead, how to hold a gun, how to look into a girl when proposing, how to intimidate, how to sniff for a dead body, how to manage stress interviews, how to handle multiple relationships, how to be progressive, how to be an enthusiast, how to not cry when feeling like bursting into tears, how to cope with the loss of a dear-one, how to be a fashionista and how to lead a life of humanity, how to deal with poverty, how to face separation, how to cross-examine everything, Kamal gave it all and the list stops here for now. He's been my father, my mother, my non-judgmental friend, an alibi and a devil's advocate. I might have seen him just thrice and spoke to him just twice, but through his films, he keeps interacting with me on a regular basis. If a film-star can get into the kith and kin of your life, it is because of his personality. A self-informed, demigod he is.

Accused of plagiarism, his answer was, 'I resemble my mother and my father. I am not an original'. Kamal is that queen bee laying eggs for future cinema. Kamal is not head-lines, Kamal is history! Not forgetting the Nostradamus side of Kamal, he has foreseen or been a little faster in being coherent with the world. He could predict about unemployment, Tsunami, bio-chemical warfare and lastly his guru's death. Kamal is that coincidence of mastery and creativity. Funk, beard, side-burns, accessories, Kamal was a perennial trend setter. He is a by-product of a successful experiment which made for the most competent film personality. He is a prototype that can think, act, write, dance and sing.

He will forever be my most favorite factor ever.

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