A legend on his own terms

There are actors.
There are performers.
There are legends.
And then there is Kamal.

From the days of being a six year old in "Kalathur Kannamma" to being the aam aadhmi in "Unnai pol oruvan" its been a journey extraordinaire. Kamal has travelled a full circle "thrice" i guess.

50 years is pretty much a long time in any field, let alone the movie industry. To survive for that long a period of time and to evolve continuously over the period of time, requires a genius of some measure.

For a guy who dropped out of school to learn Bharatanatyam, to have a knowledge of great depth in the latest technologies used in film industry takes some measure. To have the same depth of knowledge ranging from poetry to philosophy to screen-writing requires a special person.

Tamizh cinema is gifted to have an "all-rounder" like him. He has done everything from being an actor, to a director, to a screen-writer, a producer and a dialogue-writer. Even singing has not been left out. He is not a loner in cinema to do this multi-tasking though. People of false demeanour like T.Rajendar have done that too. But T.R is like "Coovum" when compared to the Ganges called Kamal.

In this special year, i would like to look back and recollect a few of my favorite movies that had him in its mix. A top 5 listing to be short.

5.Punnagai Mannan(1984)
With his mentor KB at the helm of affairs, Kamal delivered solid performances ranging from a depressed lover to a comedian. His dance was used well in this movie. I particularly like this movie for the way it dealt with subtle things, such as an estranged romance and a new found love (true KB style). A great tragedy told in the most comic way possible.


4.Kurudhi punal(1995)
Kamal was portrayed as a street smart cop for the first time, a far cry from the all-bash-no-brainer cop versions portrayed by Vijaykant of yore. With fantastic punch lines about fear and bravery, a dangerous villain in the name of Nasser and strong undercurrents of emotions running through, this film was one thrill ride. A milestone undoubted in the great man's career.


3.Virumaandi(2004)
This film was all Kamal from the start to the finish. Starting from the gory looking scenes of a jail to the neck biting kamal in the climax, this movie redefined the way screen writing was done in tamizh cinema. A two-tier screenplay was a successful experiment, i would say, as the film maintained heavy duty momentum till the end. A class act in tamizh cinema screen writing.


2.Nayagan(1987)
Its the only tamizh film in Time magazine's list of "ALL TIME 100 BEST MOVIES". Its also the only "remake" to feature in the list along with its original-The Godfather I and II. Needless to say about the film's magnitude and reach and appreciation world over. Though Kamal borrowed some acting methodologies from Marlon Brando (scratching the head) and Al pacino (dialogue delivery and hugging manners etc), he pumped in a lot of his own skills, as such, to win a National Award for acting. A masterclass, anyday.


1.Anbe Sivam(2003)
Its the only film I have seen till now that defines God to perfection. The most perfect movie ever made by Kamal. Despite its bombing at the box office, the screenplay, some of the conversations, the communist sub-text and the art work that went into creating the accident scenes left a huge mark amidst people. Once again, Kamal's greatest work till date.


Comedy: I would give a seperate nominee here because Kamal has done so many comedies as such (ranging from Micheal Madana Kama Rajan to Vasool Raja MBBS). Each comedy usurping the other in terms of dialogue delivery, the timing and the hilarious situations the protagonist had to handle. But if i should nominate one movie, it would go to Pancha Tantram for the remarkably hilarious dialogues, and racy screenplay (mind you, this over takes Avvai Shanmugi).


The above list has overridden many of Kamal's remarkable performances such as Moondram Pirai, Ninaithale Inikkum, Manamadha Leelai, Sigappu Rojakkal, 16 vayadhinile, Salangai Oli, Moondru Mudichu and so on... But this list is just my most favorite, the most i have enjoyed as a fan, the most complete of 'em all.


I fervently wish that Kamal lives on and on and on and gives legendary stuff from time and again.


A salute to the ever-6 year old-genius. May you live on!!!!


cheers,