Interview: I can start #Marudhanayagam anytime: #KamalHaasan (Pics Credits: @KamalHaasanFans) Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasans mastery of almost every department of filmmaking is a well-established fact. What is relatively unknown is that he is also a fascinating conversationalist. A voracious reader with an inquisitive mind, Kamal has never hesitated to question concepts, practices, beliefs or systems that have defied logic, and has only accepted those that he believes are right. What also sets him apart is the fact that he is one who gives his all to a cause, once hes committed himself to it. In a one-on-one with Times of India, the Ulaganayagan opens up on a number of issues, from what he fears most to what he thinks of the Kiss of Love campaign. Your decision to kickstart your Clean India campaign by cleaning up a water body on your birthday is significant. But any particular reasons for choosing the Madhambakkam lake in Chennai? I took advice from experts such as Arun Krishnamurthy, who is a qualified expert on the subject. There is another point that I wish to prove through this move. We are not doing it just out of sheer enthusiasm alone. We are reaching out to people who are capable of pulling it off and Krishnamurthy has already been at it and been honoured for his services in this regard. Your hit film Vishwaroopam was in the limelight for a number of reasons. One of them was your decision to first launch the film on the DTH platform, which met with stiff resistance. Will you attempt to release Vishwaroopam - 2 on the DTH platform? No. There seems to be a lot of reticence in that. The platforms success and failure will be decided by the technology. One doesnt need to squabble over it. I thought it was a great idea and tried it. In fact, I still think it is a great idea as it is a more transparent idea than the existing system. But I have been doing business with them for the last 40 years of my life and I want to take all of them along with me on this issue. It is not about destroying one industry and creating another. We should create auxillary industries and I believe that is the right path. During the Vishwaroopam problem, everything you had was pretty much at stake. Unflustered by the problem, you took a nap and then made a decision on the issue. While even a simple problem can make a man lose his sleep, how did you manage to take a nap in the face of such an overwhelming situation? Fear is something which can be addressed. If you dont address it, you will end up with religion. In Tamil, that is why you call it Bhaya Bhakthi. One does not exist without the other. They will either threaten you with hell and often, the punishment is what is shown to you first in a predominant manner more than the benefits of it. For me, the strength I got was from the fact that I was right. If I had known I was wrong, I would have shaken in my knees. I would have run. Yes, if I make a mistake, I go on my knees and apologise. That is what makes me stand on my feet again. Otherwise, I would have had to stay on my knees all the time and I would have continued doing those same mistakes, hoping that nobody catches me doing it. That is not a great way to live. For me, honesty may not be the best policy, it is the greatest luxury and I want to afford it. You have three projects lined up #Vishwaroopam2, #UttamaVillain and #Papanasam, which is the remake of Drishyam. Which of these will hit screens first? It will come in a particular order. Uttama Villain was completed first. However, in the industry, we have the rule of who came in first and gave me the money. That way, Vishwaroopam 2 is the eldest. But unfortunately, work is pending in Vishwaroopam 2. The pending work is all CG and not our fault. This time, I thought I was being clever and brought in another producer. If I had produced it, it would have released by now. On the other hand, shooting for Papanasam is complete and I am dubbing for it now. So, as of now, it seems Uttama Villain, followed by Papanasam and then Vishwaroopam 2. What is the status of your much-awaited film Marudhanayagam, who you believe should be credited with having started the First War of Indian Independence? I need not only the money but also a powerful distribution network from the west to take hold of it and release it properly because it is an English, French, Tamil film. That is the virtue of the film and it has to be done like that. It is not a project that I can sell and walk away. I can start anytime on this project as I already have the first 30 minutes of it ready. I need to ready another two hours of content. So, when can fans expect this film to hit screens? I want the right people to come. I want to get a release platform in the US and in the west. Companies like Fox and Viacom must look at it but they are interested in the regular fare. The kiss of love campaign, which started in one city, has started happening in other cities as well. Is that something good or bad? Love can never be wrong. It cannot be bad. It will produce good things. But you will have to see if it is really love or anger. That is all we will have to check. But about those wanting to draw the line... Where do you want to draw the line? Then, we will have to start from Khajuraho. We are getting highly agitated for ordinary things. I am agitated about making a woman jump into the pyre of a man. These are the people who were in support of it till 50 years back. By these people, you are referring to... Whoever says this is our culture, that is also your culture. We have changed it. This will also change. Any unfulfilled wishes? I like to keep my wishes like goals, achievable. Even Marudhanayagam and Vishawaroopam 2 are not unfulfilled. They are yet to be fulfilled.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 14:51:39 +0000
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