Neha ShelarKamal Hassan has been in the field of acting for almost 56 years now and is one of the most revered actors in the nation. He has worked in every genre you can think of. He is an actor, director, producer, songwriter, singer, dancer, and scriptwriter, who has worked in multiple languages. From a saree clad old lady to a mentally unstable youngster, he has played several characters in movies. Kamal has won three National Awards, one Rashtrapathi award, nineteen Filmfare Awards (for movies in various languages) and several other awards. He wrote to the Filmfare association to not give him anymore Filmfare awards. He is one actor that every actor looks up to.
Kamal Hassan has been part of several awesome movies. We are just listing five here.
- Nayagan
Cast: Kamal Hassan, Saranya Ponvannan, Delhi Ganesh, Nizhalgal Ravi, Nassar, Vijayan, Tara, Kitty, Tinnu Anand
Direction: Mani Ratnam
Genre: Crime Drama
Music: Illaiyaraja
Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes
Year of Release: 1987
This movie was inspired from the movie “The Godfather” which was released in 1972. The story is believed to be loosely based on Varadarajan Mudaliar’s life. Varadarajan Mudaliar was an underworld don.
It is the story of a small boy who unfortunately sees his father get killed by a policeman. He kills the cop and goes to Bombay. He takes shelter under the wing of a smuggler and ends up becoming a don who takes up the name Velu Naicker. Naicker is loved and respected by many. Ilaiyaraja’s music, Mani Ratnam’s direction, and Kamal’s impeccable acting created magic on-screen. This 30-year-old movie stands among the best movies ever made in India.
- Thevar Magan
Cast: Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Revathi, Gouthami, Nassar, Vadivelu, Kaka Radhakrishnan, S. N. Lakshmi, Thalaivasal Vijay, Renuka
Direction: Bharathan
Genre: Drama
Music: Illaiyaraja
Duration: 2 hours 38 minutes.
Year of Release: 1992
Sakthivel returns back to his village with his girlfriend, after a stint in London. His father, Periya Thevar gets offended because it is not common to choose one’s own spouse in their village. Sakthivel plans to open a chain of restaurants in Chennai, but his father wants him to stay in the village, and help the villagers. Periya Thevar’s half-brother Chinna Thevar, and nephew Maya Thevar are against him, because of a family feud, and they plot against Periya Thevar and his family. Sakthivel ends up marrying a girl from the village because the guy she was supposed to marry runs away because of Maya Thevar. He informs his girlfriend Bhanu about the incident and moves on. Maya Thevar plants a bomb in the village, and all hell breaks loose.
The struggle between a modern son and traditional father is portrayed beautifully.
- Anbe Sivam
Cast: Kamal Hassan, R. Madhavan, Kiran Rathod, Yugi Sethu, Nassar, Santhana Bharathi, Seema, Uma Riyaz Khan
Direction: Sundar.C
Genre: Comedy Drama
Music: Vidyasagar
Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes
Year of Release: 2003
Two men Anbarasu, and Nallasivam who are waiting for a flight engage in a conversation. The flight gets cancelled due to heavy rain, and both of them share a room. Anbarasu has to go to Chennai to get married, and Nalla has to go to Chennai to deliver a cheque to a bunch of union workers. Nalla is a deformed man who is witty. They both take a train, but Anbarasu’s bag gets stolen, and Nalla helps him out. Nalla tells his story to Arasu. A few years ago, Nalla used to perform street theater acts to protest against mistreatment of labourers. He ends up locking horns with Padayatchi, a factory owner. Nalla falls for Padayatchi’s daughter, and they decide to elope, but Nalla faces an accident which leaves him disfigured and partially paralyzed. Padayatchi tells Nalla that his daughter is married, and he tells his daughter that Nalla is dead. Nalla continues to fight for worker unions. Nalla goes to Anbarasu’s wedding only to find that Anbu is getting married to Nalla’s ex-girlfriend, who he believed was already married. H makes Padayatchi sign an agreement to raise the wages of the workers, and leaves.
The comic parts of the movie are excellent, but the serious parts will leave you in tears. Anbe Sivam stresses the importance of love and kindness.
- Moondram Pirai
Cast: Kamal Hassan, Sridevi. Y.G. Mahendran, Silk Smitha, Gandhimathi, Poornam Viswanathan
Direction: Balu Mahendra
Genre: Romantic Drama
Music: Ilaiyaraja
Duration: 2 hours 23 minutes
Year of Release: 1982
A young woman meets with an accident and is diagnosed with amnesia. She mentally becomes a child. She is kidnapped and sold to a brothel. She is rechristened as Vijaya. Cheenu and his friend visit the brothel and meet Vijaya. Cheenu gets to know that she is suffering from a mental illness, and also that she was kidnapped and forced into prostitution. He rescues her and takes good care of her. Vijaya’s father gets a lead about his daughter and comes in search of her. Cheenu leaves her at an Ayurvedic doctor’s place for a day. Vijaya’s father lodges a complaint on Cheenu, and he is unable to visit her. In the meanwhile, she gets cured. Vijaya retains no memory of her illness period. She leaves with her parents to the railway station. Cheenu goes behind her and does a few funny acts to gain her attention, but Vijaya does not recognize him. A devastated Cheenu watches Vijaya leave.
It is a tear-jerking movie that is talked about, even today. It was a milestone in the careers of Kamal Hassan, and Sri Devi.
- Kurudhipunal
Cast: Kamal Hassan, Arjun Sarja, Nassar, Gauthami, Geetha, Nizhalgal Ravi, K Viswanath
Direction: P.C Sreeram
Genre: Action Thriller
Music: Mahesh Mahadevan
Duration: 2 hours 23 minutes
Year of Release: 1995
Two honest cops Adhi Narayanan and Abbas devise a plan to get to know the activities of a terrorist group. They send two spies on a mission, but the terrorists come to know about the spies. Kurudhipunal means “River of blood”. The movie is raw and original. The most striking aspect of this movie is its materiality. It is Kamal Hassan’s best cop movie.
Anjali Mathur
Aditi Agrawal
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