‘Here
is
a
man
who’s
always
pushing
the
envelope
regardless
of
the
repercussions.’
‘That’s
the
frenzy
of
a
genius
at
work.’
Kamal
Haasan
and
R
Madhavan
in
Anbe
Sivam.
R
Madhavan
cannot
stop
raving
about
his
Anbe
Sivam
co-star,
Kamal
Haasan,
who
turns
70
on
November
7.
=”One
day,
my
parents
had
gone
to
dinner
with
me
and
my
wife
when
me
ran
into
Kamalji
and
his
family.
He
actually
walked
up
to
our
table
to
talk
to
my
parents,”
Madhaven
tells
tells
Subhash
K
Jha.
“They
talked
about
that
evening
for
the
next
six
weeks!
I
learnt
something
invaluable
from
Kamalji
that
evening.”
Maddy,
you’ve
always
admired
Kamal
Haasan?
Oh
absolutely!
He
is
to
Tamil
cinema
what
(Amitabh)
Bachchansaab
is
to
Hindi
cinema.
I
remember
my
excitement
when
I
was
to
do
a
film
with
Kamalji.
It
was
to
be
directed
by
Priyadarshan.
To
discuss
the
project,
I
spent
the
most
unforgettable
four
hours
with
Kamalji.
For
the
first
three
hours,
we
talked
about
everything
under
the
sun
except
the
film.
We
had
lunch
together.
As
he
talked
about
his
life,
work
and
friends,
I
realised
what
made
him
who
he
was.
Then
we
finally
got
down
to
discussing
the
film.
He
told
me
the
script
of
a
road
movie
which
was
absolutely
fabulous.
After
I
heard
him
out,
I
told
him
I
want
to
do
the
film
exactly
the
way
he
narrated
it
to
me.
“Just
take
me
on
and
teach
me,”
I
told
him.
The
way
he
enacted
my
scenes
and
his
own
was
simply
amazing.
I
wanted
to
do
my
own
scenes
exactly
the
way
he
showed
me.
Were
you
excited?
Yes!
I
remember
Kamalji
paid
me
a
backhanded
compliment.
He
said
he
needed
someone
for
my
role
who
was
spontaneous,
so
he
wouldn’t
have
to
worry
about
what
that
character
is
doing.
Kamalji
is
such
a
pathbreaker.
I
believe
there’re
two
kinds
of
people
in
world,
the
reasonable
and
unreasonable.
The
reasonable
man
adapts
to
the
world
while
the
unreasonable
man
tries
to
bring
the
world
around
to
his
point
of
view.
All
progress
in
the
world
is
due
to
unreasonable
men
like
Kamalji.
Go
on.
Here
is
a
man
who’s
always
pushing
the
envelope
regardless
of
the
repercussions.
That’s
the
frenzy
of
a
genius
at
work.
My
family
has
diehard
Kamal
Haasan
fans.
My
father
relates
to
his
characters
as
though
he
knows
them
firsthand.
There’s
so
much
honesty
in
his
performances!
One
day,
my
parents
had
gone
to
dinner
with
me
and
my
wife
when
me
ran
into
Kamalji
and
his
family.
He
actually
walked
up
to
our
table
to
talk
to
my
parents.
They
talked
about
that
evening
for
the
next
six
weeks!
I
learnt
something
invaluable
from
Kamalji
that
evening.
I
learnt
the
art
of
putting
those
who
are
in
awe
of
you
at
ease.
I
saw
Kamalji
make
my
parents
so
comfortable.
He
has
the
qualities
of
true
leadership.
As
a
fan,
would
you
like
Kamal
Haasan
and
Rajinikanth
to
come
together?
You
know
if
Kamal
Haasan
and
Rajinikanth
are
cast
together,
it
would
be
disastrous.
The
two
actors’
iconic
images
are
so
strong
their
fan
clubs
would
battle
it
out
to
the
finish
line.
You
know,
when
Rajinikanth’s
fan
club
felt
A
R
Rahman
had
given
better
music
in
a
Kamal
Haasan
starrer,
it
was
up
in
arms
against
Rahman.
They
wanted
to
break
his
car!
In
a
film,
Ramya
Krishnan
playfully
put
her
leg
in
Rajni’s
face.
She
had
to
be
given
special
protection
for
months
for
disrespecting
an
icon.
You
feel
a
sense
of
kinship
with
him?
I
can’t
ever
hope
to
be
anywhere
near
him
in
terms
of
acting
potential,
screen
presence,
dancing
abilities
or
comic
timing.
When
we
worked
together
in
Anbe
Sivam,
it
was
an
experience
that
defied
description.
I
didn’t
know
how
I’d
behave
with
him
or
whether
I
would
match
his
standards.
But
it
was
wonderful
how
he
took
me
under
his
wings.
Kamal
Haasan
is
the
most
dedicated
actor
I’ve
come
across.
Though
I’m
far
less
experienced
and
talented,
he
never
got
patronising.
While
doing
Anbe
Sivam,
we
represented
the
purest
form
of
the
guru-shishya
parampara.
He
gave
his
interpretations
of
scenes
and
most
of
the
time
he
was
right.
Understandably,
he
gets
all
the
flak
when
one
of
his
starrers
doesn’t
do
well
and
all
the
praise
if
it
does.
And
why
not?
A
Kamal
Haasan
film
will
always
be
a
Kamal
Haasan
film.
I’d
like
to
do
the
kind
of
roles
that
Kamal
Haasan
does.
Daringly
different
and
always
the
unexpected.
I
hold
him
in
the
greatest
esteem.
I’d
be
happy
if
I
achieve
even
a
fraction
of
what
he
has.
