From 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye' To 'Indian 2': Lesser-Known Facts About Kamal Haasan’s Films

Kamal Haasan's cinematic odyssey speaks volumes for his unrivalled artistic genius and unconventional choices. From his early days as a child star to recent blockbusters like 'Kalki 2898 AD' and 'Vikram 2', Haasan never ceased to push limits and smash stereotypes.

Kamal Hasaan Movies: Lesser Known facts

The Unexpected Success of 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye'

The Hindi film debut of Kamal Haasan, 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye' (1981), found Bombay distributors sceptical initially. Veteran producer L V Prasad managed to have a preview of the film and openly announced it as a disaster. But audiences reacted with uncontrollable emotion, and cinemas started overflowing. Prasad got 40 additional prints ready and released the film all over the country. It went on to celebrate a 50-week run in theatres, marking Haasan's entry into Bollywood in style.

Shah Rukh Khan did not take a single penny for his appearance in the movie 'Hey Ram'

While working on 'Hey Ram' (2000), Haasan transliterated the latter's crime thriller idea into a much more profound exploration of Gandhi's assassination. Although it was a box office bomb, it did win critical acclaim. Even more surprisingly, Shah Rukh Khan, impressed by the vision in the film, refused compensation for his role as Amjad. For Khan, it was an honour to share screen space with the legendary Kamal Haasan.

Don't Miss: Underrated Shah Rukh Khan Movies That Deserve More Love

The Unique Censorship Journey of 'Pushpak'

Inspired by Charlie Chaplin, Haasan's silent comedy 'Pushpak' in 1987 had to go through an unusual release strategy. Since it was a film without dialogues, it was certified several times in the same year by the Censor Board. It was separately certified in different Indian languages, with different titles, so that it could be released pan India.

'Sathya': Story of Endurance

The making of 'Sathya' (1988), a Tamil remake of the Bollywood blockbuster 'Arjun,' was not easy at all. Haasan's production house was deep in financial crisis due to the poor response received for his earlier science fiction film, 'Vikram.' It was Haasan's commitment and the classic musical score by Ilaiyaraaja that made 'Sathya' a film close to the hearts of the public and which then became an epitome.

Contemporary Treatment in Recent Films

Kamal Haasan has indulged in high-octane action sequences fairly recently, which are nothing more than loaned elements from global action franchises. This streak can be seen through works such as 'Vikram 2' and, finally, 'Indian 2,' which prove that a veteran actor like this one hasn't lost his touch and still reinvents himself along the shifting taste of audiences.

Don't Miss: Indian 2 Twitter Review: Kamal Haasan's Latest Fails To Impress Netizens

The Audible Audiobook: A Close Look into Haasan's Legacy

'Kamal Haasan: A Cinematic Journey', Audible's multi-part piece, certainly is an exhaustive fanboy and cinephilic exposition. Author K Hariharan has minutely probed Haasan's evolution across more than 50 films for artistic choices and influence on Indian cinema.

For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi

Herzindagi.com is Jagran New Media's gender and lifestyle vertical, catering to women of all age groups, helping them remain updated, on-trend and aware. To improve our performance and understand our readers' interests better, we have created this poll. This will take 2 minutes of your time, do help us out with this link

Image Courtesy: IMDb