Kamal to act in Kannada movie

There has been a general downward trend in quality be it Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil or Telugu films, Tamil film actor-director Kamal Hassan said.

"There has been a general drop in quality in all these regional films. The onus now is on the audience to support good films," he told reporters.

"There is a slackness which is there in the film industry "" we are a bit slow and need to really work on our R and D," he said.

Recalling his Bangalore connection, Kamal Hassan said, "Bangalore has always inspired me and brings back nostalgic memories of 'Kokila' and 'Swathi Muthyam', shot in the garden city a long while ago."

The versatile actor, who has donned the grease paint for 45 years now, said he was in Bangalore to shoot for the "updated version" of popular Tamil movie "Sati Leelavati", directed by popular Kannada actor Ramesh.

Ramesh is making his foray into direction with this film.

"It is an intellectual connection that I have with Ramesh as both of us have been prodigies of K Balachander," Kamal said.

The updated version called "Rama Shyama Bhama" which "looks at the funny side of marital discord, will have changes to make it more regional and in the context," he said.

His co-stars in the film include Ramesh, Urvashi and Shruthi, Kamal Hassan said.

Describing Kannada film industry as "free from parochial limitations", he said "Rajnikant is a gift of Karnataka to Tamil Nadu".

Denying that his film "Mumbai Express" had been ripped apart by critics in Karnataka, he said "in fact it won rave reviews. However, it is a democracy and you cannot have majority in everything.""

On his magnum opus 'Marudanayagam', a historical saga, which was shelved midway due to financial constraints, Kamal said "you might here good news about Marudanayagam very soon."

On dubbing of films, he said, "The trend being followed in the Kannada film industry in this respect is very healthy; the version's original must be respected."

Responding to whether he craved for an Oscar, the actor said, "Oscar is not a world standard, it is American standard. An actor's award in India is a much bigger award for me," he said.

He is working on a Tamil movie and is in "talks with D Rama Naidu for a Telugu film," Kamal said.