'Viswaroopam' - Kamal Haasan's Interview

With a fan in Viswaroopam film shoot in US

Kamal Haasan decided to helm Hindi-Tamil bilingual "Viswaroopam", which will have a backdrop of US, Britain and Jordan, because he doesn't believe in wasting time and says he also wants to "nurture Kamal Haasan, the actor".

"If the director doesn't respect my time, I will have to. If my dates are being wasted, the project becomes mine," he said in an interview Times of India. Earlier, Selva Raghavan was supposed to wield the megaphone for the film.

Pooja Kumar

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: "Viswaroopam" is a project whose direction you had to take over?

A: It was my project and my story. Then time was running out. Sonakshi Sinha's dates were gone. My dates were also running out. I do one project at a time. If the director doesn't respect my time, I will have to. If my dates are being wasted, the project becomes mine. I've limited time, what with me celebrating a birthday every year. I wish I could celebrate my birthday like the government, every five years.

Q: "Viswaroopam" is said to be inspired by the Anthony Hopkins starrer "Hannibal"?

A: After I read that, I was really inspired to think about a film based on "Hannibal". I may do that in the future. Not this time. "Viswaroopam", I am keeping the theme close to my chest. Here in Tamil Nadu, the press has a tendency to jump the gun, draw conclusions and create trouble. For example, if I make a spiritual film, they'll say since it's Kamal Haasan, it has to be subversive, so they'll ban it even before it's ready.

Q: Where is "Viswaroopam" set?

A: The US, India, Britain, Jordan...

Q: It's being shot simultaneously in two languages...

A: That's right. In Hindi and Tamil. My first bi-lingual since "Hey Ram". "Dasavathaaram" got dubbed into Hindi, but the vocabulary was twisted. Unless it's a really funny film like "Appu Raja", the dubbing doesn't work. The culture-specifications come in the way. How do I say 'jaise karni vaise bharni' in Tamil?

That's why we're doing a double version of "Viswaroopam" and needed a leading lady who had no fear of languages. Om Puri saab has that fear. He refuses to do a Tamil film. Some people fear the unknown too much. I embrace it.

Andrea Jeremiah

Q: "Viswaroopam" was supposed to co-star Sonakshi Sinha. What happened?

A: There were dates issue. We tried to work it out but there were legal contracts and any delay would have had repercussions. So we had to regretfully move on. But there was no ugliness, no bitterness or ego hassles.

Q: Wasn't she really young for you?

A: That was the way it was written. I was playing my age. She was playing hers.

Q: Your leading lady in "Viswaroopam"?

A: She's Pooja Kumar, a Broadway actress from New York. Punjabi girl of Indian origin. It's a big break for her. "Viswaroopam" is probably the biggest film being made in Tamil Nadu right now.

Q: You completed 57 years in November. Out of these 50 years in front of the camera. Aren't you exhausted?

A: The day I start looking at acting as work, I would be. Working for money or fame saps you. I stopped doing that 25 years back. The only time I am really happy is when I am in front of the camera. When I am not, I start ruminating, retrospecting and brooding.

I equate acting to building card-houses, which I used to do as a child... My mother used to shout at me, 'Are you building the Taj Mahal?' For me it was building the Taj Mahal. Today, I feel like Shah Jahan trying to build something taller than me (my career). My work is my card-house. I truly admire what they do on the beaches of Orissa. They create true work of art on the beaches and then watch the wind and the waters sweep it away.

Q: How do you manage to get so excited about your films even today?

A: Because the first 100 films that I got were market-driven. They were films which everyone presumed were going by the market demand. Actually there was so much I wanted to do. People advised, scolded and counselled me about my career. So one day I woke up and decided to nurture Kamal Haasan, the actor.