“I was asked to compere an event — to celebrate the successful run of Sagara Sangamam in Bangalore — and I saw Kamal Haasan there. That was the first time I saw him. But my actual meeting with him was much later.
I was playing Kamal’s role in the Kannada remake of Sollathan Ninaikiren. Director K. Balachander, who was working on Punnagai Mannan at that time, took me to the sets and introduced me to him. He just said, ‘Kannada padathula pichu odarran pa ivan’ and went away. I recall Kamal sir in the Charlie Chaplin costume that day — he was shooting for the ‘Maamaavukku Kudumaa’ number. And there, below a reflector, was the first time we exchanged words. I was also fortunate to see the shoot of the song, and the unique technique with which Kamal moves around with a cane chair stuck to his back.”
kamalhaasan 