JOURNEY OF A RELUCTANT ACTOR

K. Hariharan's latest book is a definitive guide to actor Kamal Haasan's film trajector

- Rachna Virdi

Writer, critic and filmmaker K.Hariharan recently launched his book, Kamal Haasan: A Cinematic Journey, an unparalleled trajectory of the life and work of the maestro who redefined Indian cinema. Published by HarperCollins, it explores the illustrious career of one of the greatest actors India has ever produced, and brings to light the roles done by him with aplomb.

What was the inspiration behind writing this book? K. Hariharan replies, “The idea for the book has been in both our minds since we held a week-long workshop in Screenwriting at the IIT Madras in 2009. As it was incubating, as if by serendipity, I got a request from HarperCollins in 2012 if I would be interested in writing such a book. That ignited the fire and I began in earnest to research all the major socio-political contexts that surrounded his films from 1972 onwards. The biggest inspiration was the fact that there are very few books on Indian cinema which provide a sociological cum political perspective of an Indian film celebrity like Kamal Haasan.”

More than a film star

A lot of insights in this book are by Kamal Haasan himself. “It was decided that the book should be about the cinematic journey with no reference to his personal or social life,” says the author. “Kamal Haasan is a total filmmaker and the fact that he is also a great actor adds to the list of capabilities he brings to his films. When he entered films at the age of 15, acting was the last thing he had on his mind. He joined the unit of K. Balachander to learn the craft of directing films. But the director also got him to act in all his films between ’72 and ’77 and, after seeing his amazing talent on screen, he convinced him to stick mainly to acting. He is a reluctant film star who is deeply interested in singing, choreographing, set design, make-up, costumes and special effects.”