Born into a Tamizh Brahmin family and named Parthasarathy, he later came to be called Kamala Haasan. A self-proclaimed atheist and an actor par excellence, Kamala Haasan his lived his life on his own terms.
Kamala Haasan’s separation and divorce from Vani Ganapathy, and the circumstances that triggered it, was great fodder for the print media then. But that is history now. No one talks of his relationships, maybe because he himself treated them in such a natural and matter-of-fact manner, treating them with the respect and dignity that they deserved.
( Many years ago, while I was dining with friends and family at The Oberoi in Bengaluru (then Bangalore), the graceful Vani Ganapathy was seated just a few tables away. I couldn’t help being taken in with her grace and wondered why on Earth would any man leave her! Incidentally, that wasn’t the only time I shared the same ‘space’ with the lady: In April, 2003, I had visited Drapes Avenue to select furnishings for my new home and I happened to notice her at the store, again drawn by her sheer grace and beauty. )
I have been a fan of Kamala Haasan and have watched many of his movies in Tamizh, Telugu and Hindi. I have always believed that some of the most socially progressive movies, with strong female characterisations, have emerged from the southern States of the country. Why, even the recent Bahubali stood strong because of the female characters! Kamala Haasan has contributed greatly to this aspect of cinema down south and the list of his filmography is long and impressive - Apoorva Raagangal, Maro Charithra, Moondram Pirai, Sagara Sangamam, Swathi Muthyam. And who could forget his comic timing in the laugh riot, Michael, Madhana, Kamarajan, which exploits the various dialects of Tamizh with such well balanced humour. Of course, not to forget Nayakan and Apoorva Sagodharargal (which seems to have inspired the character played by Shah Rukh Khan in one of his upcoming movies). Winning awards had almost become a habit for him and in an attempt to break away from it, he excused himself from such recognitions.
In his new role as a politician, Kamala Haasan is careful to project himself as being of Centrist ideology, a liberal nationalist. This, at a time when the BJP is working hard to colour the entire Nation saffron! It is pertinent to note that the BJP doesn’t have much of a stronghold in the southern States; Karnataka may well prove that in the upcoming Assembly elections. Our P.M.,Shri.Modi, and Shri.Shah are working overtime here, campaigning hard and visiting temples, which is a new strategy at playing the Hindutva card. But there is a complete disconnect with the local people, who do not understand the language they campaign in or their vision for the people. Fundamentally, what worked in the Hindi belt cannot be replicated in the southern States. Just think about it: the people here are opposed to the Centre’s idea of imposing Hindi. Even recently, the graduating students at IIM-B opposed the proposal to have their certificates in bilingual format - English and Hindi. I wonder what sense it makes that in the midst of such a sentiment towards the imposition of the language, the leaders come and campaign in that very language, even preferring not to have their speeches interpreted into Kannada!
The other moot point that I have tried to make in earlier posts is that the BJP has not been able to cultivate local leaders; probably, Yogi Adityanath is the only exception with some factions of the party even seeing him as a future Prime Ministerial candidate. Why else would the PM be the face of every campaign? Siddaramaiah of the Congress, and the current CM of Karnataka, has a strong presence in the State as a leader and as a politician representing the Congress. The Congress, therefore, does not need to rely on its National leaders, which may be a great advantage to the party in Karnataka, given that the party President is yet to be seen as a seasoned politician.
In this background, Kamala Haasan’s foray into politics is significant - it is an assertion of the presence of people who could steer the local political narrative. The State of Tamil Nadu loves its actors as politicians; they have proved this before and this gives actors hope of a future as politicians! With the AIADMK and the DMK losing there favour with the local people, Kamala Haasan’s move seems to be well timed. His attempt at unifying the southern States to counter the strong North Indian hegemony in Indian politics and his stand on issues such as the Jallikatu and the Cauvery water dispute have been carefully thought out to display a strong cultural identity in the backdrop of a larger Nationalist canvass.
The leaders of the BJP seem to have already got into ‘election mode’ for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Local parties such as the Shiv Sena and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, both part of the NDA that has formed the government at the Centre, have already expressed their displeasure with the BJP, their ally in the NDA. This may be a reason for worry for the BJP, given that there is talk of the formation of a Third Front, a coming together of local political parties, to counter the BJP. Kamala Haasan could well play a significant role in the scripting of such a political outfit. Time will tell how this lotus will bloom in the political waters of (the South of) India.
This might well be the duet between the BJP and Kamala Haasan’s MNM (Makkal Needhi Maiam)!
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