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Kamal Haasan

About Kamal Haasan

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Who is Kamal Haasan?

Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, director, and politician from Tamil Nadu. The acclaimed actor has acted in more than 220 films, and in 2019, became one of the few actors in India to have completed 60 years in the business. The versatile Kamal Haasan has appeared in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and Bengali films as well.

Haasan started his career as a child artiste in 1960, and over his lifetime, he won four National Film Awards and 19 Filmfare Awards. He was awarded the Kalaimamani award in 1984, the Padma Shri in 1990, the Padma Bhushan in 2014, and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French government in 2016.
 
In 2018, Haasan took the plunge into politics, launching his own party, Makkal Needhi Maiam.
 
FILM INDUSTRY
 
Born in a Tamil Iyengar family, Kamal Haasan was initially named Parthasarthy but his father later changed it. At the age of 4, Haasan won the President's gold medal for his performance in Kalathur Kannamma and acted in five more films as a child.
 
At the end of the 1970s, he had six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards. In 1987, he appeared in Mani Ratnam's directed film Nayakan, for which he received his second Indian National Award. The movie was submitted by India as its entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1987 Academy Awards. His other movie Hey Ram was also sent for Academy Awards in the year 2000.
 
In May 2014, he was appointed as the official Indian delegate to the 67th Cannes Film Festival.
 
In 2020, director Lokesh Kanakaraj announced that his next venture will have Kamal Haasan in the lead role with Anirudh handling the music and the movie has been temporarily named #kamal232.
 
Apart from acting, he has written stories for many of his movies. His production company, Raaj Kamal Films International, has produced several of his films and directed Chachi 420, Hey Ram, Virumaandi, and Vishwaroopam.
 
In 2017, he entered TV as he started hosting Big Boss Tamil which became one of the most-watched shows in the state.
 
OTHER WORKS AND WELFARE
 
Haasan is involved in various social services and converted his fan clubs into humanitarian organisations under the name Kamal Narpani Iyakkam.
 
In 2004, he received the first Abraham Kovoor National Award for his humanist activities. He has raised funds for an orphanage for HIV/AIDS-affected children as well as children's cancer relief fund. He was also nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Swachh Bharat Campaign.
 
In 2018, he launched his centrist party Makkal Needhi Maiam. He began his political journey from late President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s residence in Rameswaram. The party contested 37 seats in the 2019 Indian general election and lost. The party's vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha election was 3.72 per cent.

Latest Updates on Kamal Haasan

'Rule of law demands it': SC backs Thug Life movie release in Karnataka

The Supreme Court criticised calls to ban Kamal Haasan's film over his remarks, stressing that films must be allowed release and urged public debate over censorship driven by individual opinions

Updated On: 17 Jun 2025 | 3:24 PM IST

Kamal Haasan, five others elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu

They received election certificates from the Returning Officer Subramani at the Chennai Secretariat

Updated On: 12 Jun 2025 | 11:41 PM IST

Kamal Haasan's dual role: DMK views one RS seat as small price to pay

Haasan is a self-proclaimed atheist but on most other political issues, he has been flexible

Updated On: 06 Jun 2025 | 11:30 PM IST

'Thank you for your support': Kamal Haasan to TN people amid language row

Kamal Haasan's statement comes amid a controversy stirred by his remark that Kannada was born out of Tamil language

Updated On: 04 Jun 2025 | 7:17 PM IST

Language row: Kamal Haasan refuses apology, holds film's release in K'taka

The film is scheduled to premiere nationwide on Thursday, but there have been calls for its ban in Karnataka over the actor's comments on the Kannada language

Updated On: 03 Jun 2025 | 10:38 PM IST

Kamal Haasan moves Karnataka HC over 'Thug Life' release amid language row

At the 'Thug Life' audio launch, Kamal Haasan had said Kannada language was born out of Tamil, sparking strong backlash and controversy in Karnataka

Updated On: 02 Jun 2025 | 4:54 PM IST

Kannada remark row: 'Will ban Kamal Haasan film if he doesn't apologise'

Karnataka minister has said that Kamal Haasan's film Thug Life will be banned if the actor doesn't apologise for his Kannada remark. The KFCC has also demanded a public apology from the veteran actor

Updated On: 30 May 2025 | 11:25 PM IST

'Said it out of love, didn't mean anything': Kamal Haasan on language spat

Pro-Kannada outfits earlier threatened to block the screening of Haasan's upcoming film 'Thug Life' in the state if the actor did not apologise for his remarks about the Kannada language

Updated On: 28 May 2025 | 9:41 PM IST

Kamal Haasan faces flak for 'Kannada was born from Tamil' comment

Pro-Kannada groups and BJP Karnataka leaders threaten to ban Kamal Haasan's new film 'Thug Life' after his remarks linking Kannada to Tamil

Updated On: 28 May 2025 | 1:56 PM IST

Delimitation promotes 'Hindia', non-Hindi states at risk: Kamal Haasan

MNM President Kamal Haasan accuses Centre of trying to consolidate power in Hindi-speaking states under the guise of delimitation

Updated On: 05 Mar 2025 | 3:00 PM IST

One nation, one election proposal flawed, 'dangerous': Kamal Haasan

Though Haasan pointed to Europe and Russia when he commented on simultaneous polls, he did not specify any single country where it had failed

Updated On: 21 Sep 2024 | 6:37 PM IST

Indian 2 OTT release date announced; Kamal Haasan's movie on Netflix soon

Indian 2 is a sequel to Shankar's 1996 movie, Indian, featuring Kamal Haasan in the protagonist's role. The movie is set to stream on Netflix soon

Updated On: 05 Aug 2024 | 11:15 AM IST

Prabhas-starrer 'Kalki 2898 AD' crosses Rs 500 cr mark at global box office

Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 600 crore, the multilingual movie features a star-studded cast of Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan

Updated On: 01 Jul 2024 | 5:05 PM IST

Indian 2 trailer is out; Kamal Haasan is back in his Senapathy avatar

The trailer of Indian 2, a sequel of a 1996 movie, has been released. Haasan will reprise his freedom fighter role. The movie will be released on July 12, 2024

Updated On: 26 Jun 2024 | 11:15 AM IST

Siddharth's next movie is titled 'Miss You'; R Madhavan shares the poster

Siddharth's 'Miss You' is directed by N Rajasekhar and he will next feature in Shankar's 'Indian 2' and S Sashikanth's 'The Test'

Updated On: 06 Jun 2024 | 6:08 PM IST

Haven't joined INDIA, will support anyone with 'selfless' thought: Haasan

Addressing reporters here after leading the 7th anniversary celebrations of his Makkal Needhi Maiam, Haasan also welcomed the recent political entry of top Tamil actor Vijay

Updated On: 21 Feb 2024 | 1:40 PM IST

Joined Bharat Jodo Yatra for 'united India': Veteran actor Kamal Haasan

"I came into politics because I am angry. I thought I must come into politics, I must have my effect on politics before it has its ill-effects on me," he stated

Updated On: 15 Jan 2023 | 11:29 PM IST

Rahul Gandhi's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra beyond politics, says Kamal Haasan

Haasan had joined Gandhi in Delhi last month in the latter's pan-India foot march that started from Tamil Nadu in September last

Updated On: 06 Jan 2023 | 8:45 PM IST

How Kamal Haasan's Congress tilt may impact politics in Tamil Nadu

On December 24, 68-year-old Kamal Hasan once again got national attention when he participated in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in New Delhi

Updated On: 02 Jan 2023 | 12:22 AM IST

Kamal Haasan to contest Tamil Nadu Assembly polls after new movie's success

The veteran actor said that his Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party has entered its fifth year and that he would not take a break from politics due to the success of the movie.

Updated On: 09 Jun 2022 | 10:44 PM IST