Balachander's letter to Kamal Haasan
One of the finest actors of Indian cinema, Kamal Haasan was recently felicitated by the Kerala Tourism department in Trivandrum. Besides the State Government, various associations from the Malayalam film industry took part in the event.
The event also featured several cultural programmes, all celebrating Kamal Haasan’s multi-lingual cinematic versatility and the characters he played in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.
However, legenday director K.B. Balachander couldn't be a part this mega event, so he�has sent his�wishes through a letter. "Mention Kamal's name, somehow my ears pick up, my weariness drops, my back straightens, my knees heal, my heart lightens, my smile widens, my spirits soar - so why only beautiful Trivandrum - I would willingly go to even�Timbuctoo -�only to sing Kamal's praises," he began.
"Rajni stands tall for all the world to see. Kamal Haasan however, straddles the whole world. Rajni is a phenomenon! Kamal is an icon, a monarch of all he surveys," he wrote.
"Although the seeds of Kamal's career were sown in Tamil Nadu, it germinated and took roots only in the fertile literary landscapes of Kerala. Kamal learnt the basics of underplaying and the nuances of melodrama�in the formative initial years of his career in a wide variety of roles in over 50 films!" he added.
"I did not discover Kamal. I only gave him the platform and the opportunity to discover himself. In the process, I was blessed enough to discover myself. Yes, I own Kamal yet he does not belong to me, he belongs to the world of Cinema," he said.
He further said, "Kamal follows no rules. Instead he makes his own, only to break them and begin all over again!"
