That's a general term
Yeah
Because I have directed myself
I'm on of my greatest fan
And the worst critic as I say so
That's how it should look
Surya has spoken for both of us put together
He is another great admirer of mine and
I admire his work
As a matter of fact
Raj Kamal has already approached him
To do a full forage camera
Oh
The fact is
I have not done it in the national arena
But my number of comedy films in Tamil is quite a few
We had Covid, we had an accident in the set
Where people died
And it was so unnerving
And we had to continue
Difficult for me to imagine myself into a lovely character
OK
Because I think I have seen my face too many times
I shave that face, or trim the beared everyday
HI GUYS!
This is Himesh and
Welcome to PINKVILLA
Today we have with us the LEGEND
KAMAL HAASAN sir with us
Welcome to PINKVILLA sir
It's an absolute honour to speak to you
Thankyou
NAMASTE
So my first question to you is
Six decades in the industry
Do you still feel the pressure ahead of the friday
Or on the friday of release
I feel the pressure through the week
Not just for friday
Friday is when my film gets released
But there's a lot of pressure before that
When I across that threshold, friday's don't matter
Ok, ok
But what leads to that pressure is it a pressure of numbers
Or is the pressure of how audience recieve
For me
Numbers will come it has to come
The very idea we make a film and sell tickets hoping that more people buy it
But what I'm concerned about is that
Quality of the product that we put up
If I had gone into making slippers
My concern would have been that
It should last long
Yeah
At the same time It should not last so long
That they would never come back
So it should just about run it's course of life
Like there's a lifetime, average lifetime
It should do the full term
That's what I feel when I make a film
It shouldn't fall shorter
Shorter correct
And so, you know if I'm not wrong
This is your return to the big screen after a long time
I mean 'PAPANASAM' was the last that you did
Of course there was 'VISHWAROOPAM' 2 in between
But that was a quite delayed in terms of the production
Yeah we have finished the film
So we were waiting for the producer to
Wake up on that
So actually it was 'PAPANASAM'
Yeah
So what made you select VIKRAM as a film to you
You know return to the screen after seven years
We first choose the director
We saw Kaithi and I liked it, they showed it to me
I keep looking around
I don't go by only the market dictates
All the time
Sometimes it is that but
Most of the time It because of the quality that
The maker the technician excludes
Ok
Not just through the films but through his speech the way he talks and
More on the fact that Mr Lokesh Kanagaraj says that
He is my fan and that's why he came into film
All that is fine but
The film itself is a proof of the pudding
And I like the taste
And I wanted to enhance his technical hand
So that he can make a film
If possible bigger than Kaithi
I was just seeing one of Lokesh's interview
And he said that
If a fan directed you they would get VIKRAM
That's a general term
Because I have directed myself
I'm one of my greatest fans
And the worst critic as I say
So that's how it should look
You'll have to look at it with love
Especially as a writer you'll have to love the a protagonist
Yeah
Or your story won't speak to the right line
And as you know in VIKRAM
Of course there is you there is Vijay Sethupati, Fahadh Faasil, and there is Surya as well
We all have heard you speak about Fahadh Faasil
And Vijay Sethupati but I think not much has been known
About Surya's character what
Surya has spoken for both of us put together
He is another great admirer of mine
And I admire his work
As a matter of fact Raj kamal has already approached him
To do full forage camera
Oh wow
Where I'll step back and watch him performe
He wanted to do a film with me
He was nervous, he was worried
But then it kept on going
We gave him a couple of scripts which were meant for me
Ok
He said that's your script how can I do it
There's nothing called your script or my script
It's a story
But it went on like that and
Finally when I called him up it's not the regular producer
Visiting with a bouquet and asking
I just called him up and he said ok
I'm there, when do you want me
I said a certain date, he said I'm shooting can I come on 10th
10th it is and that's when we shot
It's a cameo role it's not a
Very big role he wanted to set the ball rolling
So that we don't keep talking about making a movie
And we have already done it and so
What he call, break the ice kind of thing
Has happened
So is there something else also happening with me
Oh yeah, sure
Ok
I think even you spoke about you know
Vikram being spinned into a franchise there is also another part coming up
What's the timeline like for this entire franchise
First Mr Lokesh has to finish a commitment he has
After he finishes that he's keen on doing that
I have another commitment with
Gentlemen who was working with me Mahesh Narayan
Who directed Malik
He worked with me, began his career
Before it's began his career as a director
He's also a cinematographer and an editor so
We seem to understand each other and
I'm writing, completed a script for him
We are tweaking it and we should hit the floors
By July or August
Once I finish that will think of another
Vikram
And so you know all through your filmography
You have done so many comedy films
Like you know CHACHI 420 is one of my favourite
I also love the film you did with Madhvan
Yeah
So and I think over the last ten or twelve years
We have not seen you do comics space
Your filmography has trillers and action films
The fact is
I have not done it in the national arena
But my number of comedy films in Tamil is quite a few
Some of them could be remade
I'm, after a long time making a remake is
Boring for me, I would like to do something new
We have subjects which will be intriguing and
We'll see
Correct
But you are open to do comedy even now?
Absolutely, comedy is serious business
Of course
So you'll have to be very careful how you do it
And so you know, you said a wonderful statement
At the event about this being Indian cinema and the cross culture like
Exchange happening since the 80s
Because We have seen Rajini sir
No even
Even before that
Shanta ram ji, though he made hindi films and
Only Marathi films it reached out to the south of India
'JHANAK JHANAK PAYAL BAAJE' breaks language barriers
Yes
No My question is so you have done so many films in the 80s and the 90s
And even Rajini sir did it and
So many other films and music composes and all have
Done films both ways
But there is a span between 2000 to 2015
If you look at that span, that's when
Very few cross culture exchanges have happened
I think because of which this entire PAN India phenomenal
Has started with Bahubali
What do you think was the reason for that period slowing down?
Even you didn't do films enough films
No, so many things started something called
Marmayogi, see everything has to fall in place
The producer has to be right
How come an RK production continued making films
The vision, the producer
And the financial was one man who
Vertically integrated
The ideas the money, everything came from
Now there are two different people
Each tugging at one side
Sometimes average wins over artistry
Yeah
And then everything collapses
Yeah, because you know
I remember Hindustani was one of the film which
Is actually a blockbuster all across
I think one of the first what we call multilingual
Blockbuster in 98
And now you are finally again doing Indian too
Which of course I think 60% of that has been shot
What's the status quo on that
We had son many things coming in between
Apart from
Being very big film
Yeah
We had Covid, we had an accident in the set
Where people died
And It is so unnerving
And we had to continue
I run a white elephant called Raj Kamal films international
And Mr Shankar runs the company called 'S' production
And there are all white elephants, which we had to feed
So we have to go out and work, we can't get stuck with one film
The days of Mughal-e-azam cannot be repeated
Where he sit with one film for a decade
Long time, yeah
But that's happening, like that will
Yeah
We are working on it and we are talking to production they are also keen
It's a question of getting
Everything together
Logistics together
And so you know, you have
You are also a director and like you said
You have directed yourself as well in multiple films
So when you are writing a script and then deciding to direct it
How easy or difficult is it for you to imagine
Somebody except you in the
It's difficult for me to imagine myself into a lovely character
Because I think I have seen my face too many times
I shave that face or trim the beared everyday so
I have seen that face so many times
I always, that's why I even sometimes use
Prosthetic makeup
Because I don't fully look like that character
Sometimes I write for the character
Sometimes I write a character because I'm fat enough to do the character
It's happen before
And people think oh, This man is dedicated
He has become fat
I'm fat, then I can't do the film that another man is doing
Yeah
So I write a story for a fat man
Ok
And it works, it works
Very well
Correct, so have you decide on what to direct next?
There are some lovely director and
I want the productions to go at a faster rate
Not only because of my age but also
Because of
The company deserves that kind of speed
It's capable of producing more
And I think I'm deterrent and the delay
Where as if I leave it to my like
Mahesh Narayan directing
Is almost like my directing because he is part of the team
We understand, why we make a film and
Unlike this thing about the director
Is everything, the audio theory doesn't work in a complicated industry like today
Everybody has an input
Yeah
So why not take my place and delegate and that's what I'm trying to do
Yes
There's a film and I have prepped it well
Then I can do it without sitting on it
If I write, prep, act, finish the film for production
It's gonna take nearly eight to nine months of my time
However tightly I imagine it
In that time I could do two films
Two?
Absolutely
So and have a holiday
Yes, and sir lastly what next for you on acting an production front
The next one is as I told you with
Mr Mahesh Narayan the script is complete
When I say I'll have a holiday
It's always I'm writing a script or watching films to
Get inspired to write another script
OK, perfect
And so there is one more film of yours
Which I found a first look very quirky that's
'SABASH NAIDU' I think it's one of your
Characters from shavdaram
Yeah, yeah
Is that, are you planning to revisit anytime
We are trying to, yeah
The IPR is with me
Correct
Perfect sir
THANKYOU so much it was an absolute honour talking to you
And wish you all the best for 'VIKRAM'
Thankyou