Kamal Haasan Quotes

I'm proud of her [Shruti] because she isn't doing a product of our home banner Rajkamal Films. The only thing Rajkamal did for her was to give her a chance to do the background score in ‘Unnaipol Oruvan’. It wouldn't matter to me if she failed as a movie actress. But right now it looks like a winning streak.

For two and a half years, I rigorously trained seven to eight hours a day in two disciplines of dance but moved on to the most versatile medium called cinema which encompassed every form of art.

"I am anti everything that goes wrong for the people. As for extremism, Hindu extremism exists, read the Tamil papers.

Mediocrity is set as a standard...rubbish becomes acceptable. This has been the state of Tamil politics for nearly half a century

It is wrong to celebrate 100 years of cinema with just India. It is 100 years of cinema for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka. All these places saw Indian cinema as it was produced in Lahore, Mumbai, Chennai — it went all the way. It is 100 years of cinema of what used to be my India, my Pakistan, my Afghanistan and my Sri Lanka. That’s how an artist looks at it and it’ll soon be my world. It is the governments and political interests that create borders.

Glad my name came up. Thank audience, mentor, all who made my workplace enjoyable.

Balachander is my inspiration. He had a heart problem 40 years back. He has been making films for another 46 years. He can never grow old. My father used to be like that until he suffered a stroke. Then I suddenly realized he was an old man.That's also true of my brothers Chandra Haasan and to an extent Charu Haasan.I can never imagine them being old.

I am looking for excellence. Anyone can struggle but they cannot make a ‘perfect’ film.

Who will speak like that? In our generation there have not been friends like Rajini and I are. He could have just said a few words of praise and gone away – and then there was no need to say.

I was always a reluctant actor! I continue to be that. I announce a project, the camera rolls and I'm happy. I'm fortunate to be doing leading parts even now. Except for my mentor K. Balachander, for whom I can do even a walk-on part. When he directed his 100th film, I just walked in to do a small role. I just clowned around on camera.

It is an award for American excellence that excludes and sometimes gracefully includes some other countries. It is an institution or brand created by Hollywood to promote itself, an award decided by 15 people. How nice it would have been if Satyajit Ray, instead of all his awards, got a few more audiences?

When we talk career, we get into an argument. In Hindi films, she is facing the same problems I did. If a K. Balachander hadn't come along to do 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye' with me in Hindi, I wonder what would've happened to me! I would have suffered much worse because Shruti is far more savvy than me.

Here are his earlier letters to me, that I've framed. I call them ‘my degrees’.

He is a cool cat. I was surprised when he had a heart problem...People think my film with Mani, ‘Nayakan’, is my best work. To an extent it's true. But I'd like to think my best is yet to come.

I had to read it out to my sister, who was witness to my early dark days, when my mother was afraid what would happen to me. But, I knew I couldn't read without choking up, so I asked Gautami to read it out for me.