The Spirit of Acting
November 1997
Indian screen legend Kamal Haasan talks about the close ties between spirituality and true creativity
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My father, a criminal lawyer, wanted to steer my three siblings and me towards a career in art and culture. He even turned part of our house into an auditorium and named it Nalini Mahal after my sister Nalini. However, it was only I, the youngest of the lot, who launched into arts full time.
I picked up much of my dancing skills watching my sister practice Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance). Later Guru Thangapan, Guru Kulkarni and Guru Ramamurthy trained me in various forms of dancing including Kathak and Kuchipudi. I am interested in Hindustani classical music and was one of the playback singers for my movie Nayakan.
My joining the film world was a coincidence. At the age of seven, I attended a party where some movie bigwigs were present. A few guests got into a fight and I began to imitate them. A.V. Meiyappan, director, AVM production house, was impressed by my antics and offered me a role. There has been no looking back since then.
I like to study the life and problems of an average man and put it on screen. My production house, Rajkamal International, has made a number of movies along such lines. The shooting of my movie Maruthanayakam was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Chennai.
I’m quite health-conscious. I practice yoga and meditation every morning. I also meditate when I feel stress or face a problem. I visualize the object that is disturbing me and try to make it open to solutions. I also want to learn reiki but haven’t found the time as yet.
I love the seaside. Looking at wave after wave crash upon the shore fills me with a strange sense of peace. If I ever feel stressed, all I need to do is sit near the sea for a while and return with a rejuvenated spirit.
I am deeply spiritual. This spirituality expresses itself in my work. It is the only worship I know. Whenever I’m given a role, I just immerse myself in it. I don’t worry about whether the role is important or not. For that moment, I put aside my limited self to take on the persona I have to enact. I believe in doing my best and leave the rest to fate. This way I am content and feel at peace.