'Scouting for investors to complete my dream project'

Kamal Hassan

If there is one actor who is truly turned on by versatility, it's Kamal Hassan. He's probably the only actor in Indian cinema who has experimented with the bare essence of film-making "� be it Abhay, Appu Raja, Mumbai Express or the work-in-progress Marathunayagam. Over the last 25 years, Hassan has gone beyond the elementary level of acting, creating a niche for himself.

He has traversed the length and breadth of the land, breaking linguistic barriers and leaving audiences astounded with his repertoire and his seemingly inexhaustible bag of tricks. With his more-than-fair share of lows, Hassan has alway managed to spring back with his undying enthusiasm and ambition of film-making. A lover of digital cinema, Hassan continues to strive to make a movie that is digitally sound and aesthetic. Business Standard catches up with the actor to understand what lies beneath the intelligent psyche.

As one of the digital enthusiasts in the country, would you think that Bollywood is fast catching up with Hollywood in terms of digital technology in filmmaking?

No. To elaborate would be to poke on the wound. We have to catch up in a lot of fields. And just getting our hands on the technological button will not do it. We must first have the responsibility to touch the button. It's like a nuclear button, anyone can become a nuclear country.

Technology is there and will continue to come. But the industry has to get geared in terms of vertical and horizontal integration. We have to formulate and have a good communion, which focusses on implementation. Otherwise we will be like Palestine in the world of entertainment.

You have been one of the few actors to use digital technology in your films. Which is the next big project you are conceptualising?

I am currently working on a script called Dashaavataram, and the name itself indicates what its all about; its about having 10 avatars. We're trying to make a very interesting script and it not just being a vehicle for an over ambitious actor. We're trying to make it look as simplistic as possible. I am playing 10 roles in the film. It is currently a Tamil film, but due to the size of the film, it may be made in Hindi as well. The budget is currently Rs 25 crore.

What are you future plans as a filmmaker?

I am basically an artist. I am trying to make myself business savvy and so it is a learning process. I am in talks with a series of Indian and international companies for larger productions. But I am not in a position to name them, though, as the talks are in their preliminary stages.

What are the stark diferences between the Chennai film industry and Bollywood?

It's a classic case of the poor boy and the rich boy. We wash our clothes and dry them and hence we don't change very often in a day. But when you are a rich boy and have a washing maching and an ironing mistress at home, you have the liberty to change innumerable times a day. That's a habit the Chennai film industry can't afford. You could call it a spartan way of life or being disciplined.

But do you see the quality of movies improving both in Bollywood and down South?

I see it improving more in Mumbai. That's because Bollywood is quicker in understanding the niche market that is emerging. It is also because people in Chennai are not daring investors; they are careful investors. It's an attitude and therefore you will not find a company that is more than Rs 5000 crore in the South.

What is your final destination as an actor?

I am a reluctant actor. I am essentially a technician. My dream project which is still on the anvil is Maruthanayakam. Everything went as smoothly as a dream and then I woke up to reality. The movie is a film in Tamil, English and French and a lot of western actors had signed up. I shot 30 minutes of it and needed Rs 38-40 crores to finish it. So, I am currently scouting for investors to complete my dream project.