Kamal The Legend

The discipline and rigor of stage plays made him a spontaneous artiste and his passion for the medium comes through in all his portrayals. He made his cinematic debut under KB and fitted his characterization of the helpless, angry young man to a T. Most of his early movie roles were of complex individuals with a seemingly frivolous façade. Think of Nizhal nijamagirathu, Avargal and Apoorva Ragangal. He has also played the lover boy on several occasions. He has a unique penchant for comedy and his sense of timing and body language are impeccable. In Apoorva Sahodarargal, Michael Madhana kamarajan, Singaravelan, Tenali and Pancha thanthiram his flair was showcased well. He has won with fantasy and thriller movies like Kalyanaraman and Vikram. There are innumerable masala films in which he has excelled as the action hero. The terrific thing about Kamal is that even in such masala fare he has carved a unique niche in portrayal. His work in combination with superstar Rajinikanth is also memorable. He has a deep understanding of the medium and he is a perfectionist when it comes to the technical aspects. His painstaking dedication can be understood from the unique make up he used for Indian and Anbe Sivam. He has worked with the stalwarts or jambavans of cinema like KB, Bharatirajaa, Mani Ratnam, K. Vishwanath, Shankar and Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He has been instrumental in creating a talent pool of good writers, lyricists and technicians. Sujatha, Crazy Mohan, Vikram Dharma and the list goes on. He is an excellent dancer and a reasonably good singer. His own production Thevar Magan brought the great thespian, Sivaji Ganesan for a memorable comeback. His recent films have won cinematic acclaim but limited commercial success. Anbe Sivam, Aalavandhan, Hey Ram, Virumandi, Mumbai Express etc. form the series. However, he carries on his journey with the true focus of a Catholic warrior for whom his work is the only form of worship. Awards have been showered on him in plenty. He has also been given the Padmashree. He is the only actor to have been appreciated by the great Satyajit Ray. A twice married man with two grown up daughters, he has had a turbulent personal life which is often blown out of proportion. His brother Charuhasan and niece Suhasini are also veterans in the industry. Hats off to Kamal for holding the torch of excellence and acting as the role model for younger generation of actors!