KAMAL'S LESSER KNOWN AVTAAR

From singing, dancing, acting, directing and now, writing, Kamal touches practically every form of fine art. And touches nothing that he does not adorn. A review of Kamal Haasan’s latest release, a semi-autobiographical book on virtually everything under the sun...

KAMAL Haasan has taken time off his passionate obsession, cinema, to jot down some of his pet ideas in Thedi Theerpom Va, a book published by Kamal Haasan Narpani Iyakkam. Comprising 15 brief essays, a few of them written by Kamal Hassan while he was still editing Mayyam, a magazine which was run by the Kamal Haasan Welfare Association, the book’s title has been culled from a song in his film Sathya, which says:Why waste time on demagoguesSearch for evil and eradicate it. Even a cursory reading of the book makes one marvel at Kamal’s courage to comment boldly on a myriad of subjects ranging from cinema, to child/drug abuse to the Kashmir imbroglio. The essays in the collection, published in different papers over a period of time, touch on practically every topic under the sun, from virtual reality to the incorrigible “Indian” habit of urinating in the streets.

Kamal admits with pride that he is first a lover of cinema, and a filmmaker later. He predicts that in a couple of decades, “TV antennae will be built on the graveyard of cinema, the way audio cassettes were born out of the ashes of old gramophone records.” He adds, “I am certainly one among those who will shed copious tears on the epitaph of cinema, which is the 20th century’s most brilliant technical achievement.”

Certain essays seem to be repetitive, however, though camouflaged in different terminology. Apart from a couple of chapters, which deal with television completely wiping out cinema, the book talks exclusively of Kamal’s pet topic — the utopian ideal of a casteless society and his dream of an India, where even the word caste is obsolete. Kamal time and again tells his readers to relentlessly work towards a casteless society. In essays addressed to his fans, Kamal exhorts them to steer clear of politics. In the bargain, he misses no opportunity to ridicule the present political scenario, take pot shots at politicians with his inimitable, tongue-in-cheek humour.

Kamal’s erudition comes out occasionally when he drops a few names, talks at length on virtual reality and stereotaxic intoxication — some of which may go over the heads of his average fan. But the semi-autobiographical cocktail has indeed been a great hit with Kamal’s fans, for the book is going in to a reprint. And despite his highly-convoluted style, Kamal deserves special kudos for trying his hand at writing. From singing, dancing, acting, directing and now, writing, Kamal touches practically every form of fine art. And touches nothing that he does not adorn.

Excerpts:
Writing is neither my profession nor vocation. I have not yet tried shouting out loud when my defeats suffocate me. I write about them. Hence, my writings are more of an evaluation of my mistakes... I am not fettered by literary rules and regulations. So ignorance of these rigid rules helps me to express myself freely... I totally disagree with the axiom “Men err”. I try my best not to err. Every time I make a mistake I punish myself. If possible, I try to atone for my mistakes. I bear my cross willingly...