Kamal Haasan’s Failed Movies Exhibit Indian Audience' Obsession With the Mainstream

Back in the ’90s when every actor aspired to build ‘the macho’ image among the audience, Kamal Haasan draped a saree while fighting with the goons in the cult classic Chachi 420. His experiments with self to portray unchartered characters as a mainstream hero were not always warmly accepted by the audience though.

Kamal as an artist is known to push the envelope but more often than not the audience wasn’t ready for new concepts that are alien to the masses. ‘Anbe Sivam’ where he introduced the concept of atheism and promoted ‘humanism’ tanked at the box office but finds its relevance with the viewers now. His ambitious project ‘Hey Ram’ that was a commentary on religious extremism gained critical appraise but couldn’t make profits even though the film also has Shah Rukh Khan in one of the pivotal roles.

Not forgetting one of his finest performances in ‘Aalavandhan’ where he has a dual role, one of it is a schizophrenic who suffered from child abuse and the other a psychopath serial killer. Tagged as ‘one of the most psychotic, gruesome, psychology thriller ever made in India at that time’, the film is still is an example for master creative execution but was way too ahead for its audience. All these films are now cherished and appreciated, years after their release.

Haasan never gave up on the audience even after his efforts to serve new cinema to the viewers proved futile. He started acting when he was four and he turns 66 today. As an audience, we can only truly celebrate an artiste like him when we acknowledge the breath of fresh air he brings into the ‘tried and tested’ Indian film industry while he is at it.

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