If there’s one Indian actor who is a one-man industry in himself, it’s Kamal Haasan who has always taken the road less travelled. Be it experimenting drastically with his looks, playing the toughest of roles using prosthetics at a time when nobody else had attempted it in films, the list of Kamal’s achievements is long!
Here are 10 lesser-known facts about Kamal Haasan on his 65th birthday today:
1. Kamal started his acting career when he was just six, and won an award, too, at that young age. His role was that of an orphaned child in Kalathur Kannama (1959) and for his performance in it, he was awarded the prestigious President’s Gold Medal.
2. A polymath in the truest sense, Kamal has made sure he goes beyond the realms of acting — he’s a dancer, singer, director, producer, lyricist, technician and make-up artiste too! He even travelled to USA to learn the art of make-up and using prosthetics so that he could do his own make-up in one of his films.
3. In 1994, he added another feather to his hat by becoming the first Indian actor to get Rs 1 crore as his remuneration for a single film.
4. After watching the film Abhay (2001) — the Hindi remake of the Tamil film, Aalavandhan — renowned Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino had reportedly told filmmaker Anurag Kashyap that he was inspired by the film to such an extent, that an action sequence in Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) was based on it.
5. Kamal’s 1987 hit, Nayakan had impressed audience globally. The film and its story were so poignant, that in 1997, the Time Magazine listed Nayakan as one of the Top 100 Best Films of all time.
6. Some actors are known to go bilingual or even trilingual, but them being successful in all these languages is rare. However, Kamal has given silver jubilee films in five languages —Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu.
7. In Dashavatar (2008), Kamal shocked everyone by playing 10 different roles in a single film, which was a record at that time.
8. Known to be a philanthropist in the truest sense, Kamal has always championed the causes that hold importance in the society. He was among the first actors who have pledged to donate their organs (upon death) to Madras Medical College.
9. Apart from taking the first step for a right cause, he also encourages his fans to do the same. He says that if his fan clubs’ admire him, they should show their appreciation by helping others in whatever way they can.
10. Kamal is the highest Filmfare Award achiever — he’s got it 19 times in the history of Indian cinema. Being his humble self, he reportedly requested the Filmfare Association to withdraw his name from future awards to ensure youngsters get these awards.
Happy Birthday Kamal Haasan!
