I excitedly watched Vishwaroopam, just a day after it hit the theaters in USA among a packed and equally enthusiastic audience. Of course, initially most of my excitement stemmed from the fact that I was going to watch Kamal in action in a jam-packed theatre. I don't remember that last time I did something like that. I enjoyed watching, Kamal as a kathak dancer and I am pretty sure no other actor in the history of Indian (or even ) international cinema would have had such versatile talents. I grew up listening to Kamal sing, dance, fight and romance and I have enjoyed and admired his value as an entertainer.
While most actors/entertainers in the film industry have impassionately stuck to making films with recurrent and cliched themes, Kamal's movies have always been a refreshing out-of-box package. Right from his MMKR (which I watched almost every other day during the lonesome days of my graduate study) and his recent classic thriller, Vishwaroopam. As a young person in my early twenties, I have wondered and contemplated the banal aspects of human life, god and religion and I believe a lot of young and old people would. I was surprised to see that Kamal Hassan could blend classic humor and simplicity with profound meditative questions in Anbe Sivam. I may not agree with him on all his philosophical theories, but I appreciate him for being able to portray them in his art with utmost dexterity.
By banning his magnum opus, Vishwaroopam, simply because it has religious connotations our government and our people have not just shown their irreverence to art but have also proved to themselves to be impertinent bigots. The government by allowing such a ban to persist has yielded to imbecile instincts of bigots instead of creating an air of harmony, by reassuring the masses of the friendly nature of the movie. I read this somewhere -
You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself--William Ward
And I think it is time, we grew up as a people.
We cannot afford to endanger our art and our free thinking citizens simply because we have been bullied by vacuum headed bigots. It is time we realized that there are other ways to seen, heard, understood and identified by something other than caste or religion. It is time we let our intellects rule.
Kamal Hassan is not the only victim of bigotry and non-chalance. A lot of people from all classes (from peasants to acclaimed stalwarts) have had to face this war and there will be many more, if Kamal dosen't win this one! And yes, I want Kamal to win, one because he is my "favorite actor" but more so because his victory will be a heartening indication of the existence of progressive elements in our bigoted society and
for that I will watch the movie again... and maybe again!
