Kamal Haasan has done it all—acted, directed, written scripts, danced, and even done his own makeup. Yet, after nearly seven decades in film, he says greed once held him back from learning more. In a rare, open chat, the 70-year-old star admitted that chasing money made him pause on personal growth.
Starting his movie journey at just three, Kamal became a household name with iconic films like ‘Nayakan’ and ‘Chachi 420’. But he’s the first to admit fame can be isolating. “You don’t hear real applause or critics, it all gets filtered,” he shared.
He is now awaiting the release of ‘Thug Life’, directed by Mani Ratnam. It’s their first project together in 38 years since the cult hit ‘Nayakan’. Kamal jokes they waited for fans to forget the old classic—but they never did.
Even with over 230 films under his belt, Kamal says only about a dozen truly moved him. ‘Sagara Sangamam’ and ‘Nayakan’—both still bring him to tears. “If a scene touches me, I cry like anyone else,” he said.
The actor, once considered a “gifted child,” says he lost that arrogance by age eight. He struggled through self-doubt but found his space in theatre before returning strong to cinema. His journey, according to him, is far from over.
As for legacy? He doesn’t crave monuments. “I just hope someone remembers my name,” he grinned. Even if they confuse him with someone else, Kamal’s okay with it—as long as the memory lasts.