The Curious Case of Kamal Haasan

Every time I try to promote Kamal Haasan and sell his legacy to my friends, he gets the signals from somewhere and immediately disowns his deal with me. You must be knowing how embarrassing it must be for a fan who wants to graduate into becoming his disciple forever. It is tantamount to the helpless frustration that Woody Allen faces in Crimes and Misdemeanors when his 'guru' who alone he believed knew the much guarded, occult paths to 'happiness', suddenly commits suicide on account of 'overpowering emptiness' of life.

In Anbe Sivam, Kamal derided an ad film-maker calling him nothing more than a dog that waits on its feet to catch the bone that multi national companies throw at him. Was the insult rendered hastily like a hot headed, intolerant anti-corporate activist who bashes rich people amidst huge crowds so as to win applause and support? If that was the case, we would have forgotten the film. Kamal's case against the rapacious corporate class was irrefutably solid and thoroughly inspiring. Whenever I used to debate with my friends on the evils of corporate hegemony over public resources, I could easily quote from the quintessential Anbe Sivam. Even if my foundations as a left winger were shaken by someone, I would choose to remain 'ideologically unaltered' because Kamal had vindicated my views in Anbe Sivam. Nearly twelve years after the movie's release, when I look at a Kamal cupping his palms to utter 'Abhimaanam' in the Pothys commercial, I check my admiring eyes that drool at his vintage charm, and cover my face with embarrassment at the realisation of how effortlessly he breaks my image of him. Kamal sympathizers may rush to the defence of him stating that it was Nallasivam who spoke those words and not the genius himself. Guys please be honest.Part of our fascination for Kamal comes from the fact that he loves talking himself through his characters and his movies are really 'his' movies. When Govind says 'Kadavul iruntha nalla irukum' to Asin in Dasavatharam, we whistled in theatres only because we realised that, Govind for a split second had assumed the personality of Kamal, the writer, the rebel. To put it more simply, we are all in awe of Kamal's bravura to bring forth contentious views into the conformist pop culture of Tamil cinema.

Kamal was the first one probably in Indian cinema to delve into the workings of militant Hindu organizations that are holding sway in India right now. If you want to introduce someone to Hindutva and fascism, please invite them for a screening of Hey Ram. Not even a man who was part of Nazi resistance movements of the 1940s or a communist hardliner could have depicted the diabolic logical foundations that drive the fascist mills, better than Kamal. When such a man made a statement requesting the writers and intellectuals to be more tolerant towards 'intolerant' men, it was like being slapped on the face by my own hands.

Frankly, when Hindi parallel film makers were returning their awards in protest against intolerance, I expected an immediate voice of support from Kamal. Imagine how such a gesture from a huge matinee idol would have garnered extraordinary attention and given the movement the requisite momentum. But I can forgive Kamal for it since it is unfair to expect your icon to fulfil your wishes every now and then, because he has done it a few times. As my friend Arulmozhivarman said, even if Kamal is not worried about the common man's worsening state of affairs, he could have risen to the occasion to guard his brethren when they are protesting in FTII against the government. 

I read Kamal's statement that we have always been an intolerant society and things haven't worsened during BJP's rule. I don't know whether he realises that the intolerance lurking inside the society's consciousness for quite so long is consistently being kindled by none other than the State itself and more explicitly than ever before. And anyone who raises a finger against Modi is branded by the government as being anti national or a Pakistani. I recently read reports of a documentary film maker who lives in hiding ever since BJP came to power. According to the report, the police had been fabricating false charges on him because his documentaries focus on the pathetic state of Dalit villagers and their difficulties. The funds of NGOs that support the movements of tribals and poor against corporate invasion have been frozen and one such organization has been accused on charges of sedition. If this is not intolerance, what is it?

I could have forgiven Kamal had he wished not to comment on these happenings and entangle himself in a controversy in an environment that is waiting to pounce on his failings. But he decided to take a stand and he shocked me by defending his own ideological enemies. May be he doesn't want people to rally around him. He doesn't want to have fans as he said before. He may be afraid he would be idolised someday. We make Gods out of mortals and he is probably aware of it. He doesn't believe in God and doesn't want to be one. And this is how we console ourselves by finding excuses to remain loyal to our icons. And this is how we remain fans and fools, perhaps.

-Jeeva P