Veteran filmmaker and actor Balachandra Menon recently an incident from the legendary actor’s past came to light Kamal Haasan. In a recent interview, the director revealed this Kamal Haasan once agreed to participate in the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film ‘Ammayane Sathyam’. The film was a hit in Malayalam, with plans to remake it in Tamil under the title ‘Kanden Seethaiyai’.However, the project was unexpectedly shelved shortly after filming began.
The shooting of ‘Kanden Seethaiyai’ was halted after 10 days
According to Balachandra Menon, the production of the Tamil remake officially began, and the team spent about ten days shooting in Ernakulam. Kamal Haasan joined the project and initially showed great support and enthusiasm for the film. The cast and crew were working well on the sets, and everything seemed to be going in the right direction. But during the shoot, some of Kamal Haasan’s friends, including writer Crazy Mohan, went to the location. A discussion took place on the set regarding the story and the characters, which later led to a sudden change in the actor’s decision.
The shooting of ‘Kanden Seethaiyai’ was halted after 10 days
As Balachandra Menon spoke to Can Channel Media, the on-set discussion centered around a character in which a female actor appeared in male disguise. In that interview, someone suggested that Kamal Haasan himself might try to play a character in a female costume. This idea is said to have piqued the actor’s interest. Soon after, Kamal Haasan decided to walk out of the remake project. The director believes that this thought gave rise to the film ‘Avvai Shanmugi’, where Kamal Haasan famously appeared in the role of a woman. The comedy film was later directed by K. S. Ravikumar and it was a big hit.
The director reflects on Kamal Haasan’s sudden decision
Although the project ended abruptly, Balachandra Menon said that he does not openly show any anger towards Kamal Haasan. He described the actor as someone who is very focused on his creative ideas. According to the director, Kamal Haasan was initially cooperative, but later chose to follow a different creative direction after hearing the suggestion of his friends. Interestingly, the original ‘Avvai Shanmugi’ was made in 1996, and was later remade into Hindi as ‘Chachi 420’, directed and starring Kamal Haasan. The episode is still remembered in the director’s long career.
