An anonymous user starts an interesting thread on Twitter, asking people to comment on their favourite actor and the country they hail from. Karan Kumar Khatri replies to that thread.
Answers range from Marlon Brando to Tom Hardy. Karan’s choice? Kamal Haasan.
Here’s the twist, Karan isn’t Tamil nor is he Indian. He’s from Pakistan, and despite language barriers, is a loyal, and impressively well-informed, fan. “For me, Kamal Haasan is the greatest actor in the world!” declares an excited Karan over phone from Karachi. “Not just in terms of acting, but in terms of understanding the depth of the characters he plays. I can’t imagine any other actor making a Hey Ram or Virumaandi .”
Karan says he began by binge-watching the actor’s Hindi films on television, “I didn’t know the existence of South Indian movies until I watched Appu Raja , Hindustani , Chachi 420 and Sagara Sangamam , which were dubbed in Hindi,” says the 25-year-old, “I found them different from the usual Bollywood movies. I came to know of him through the TV promos of Abhay ( Aalavandhan in Tamil) and Dasavatharam .”
He says he was so impressed by Kamal’s performance in Abhay , that he began systematically waching the actor’s other movies. After watching Dasavatharam, Karan says he began “studying” the actor.
Karan Kumar Khatri was impressed by Kamal’s performance in ‘Aalavandhan’
While Karan says was aware of the Vishwaroopam fiasco, which spawned heated debates across the country back in 2013, he felt “it wasn’t a one-sided movie because it spoke about extremism”. He adds: “It blew my mind and I was like: ‘Man, this is something I have never seen before’.” Kamal may not have fan clubs in Pakistan, but Karan jokes that he runs a one-member club, spreading the word about the actor.
Looking back
In Kamal’s oeuvre, Karan considers Hey Ram a masterpiece and says it is “intellectually stimulating”. It was also the “only Indian film” he has revisited multiple times. “When I first watched it, I felt like I was reading a novel.”
The Computer Science graduate says he prefers the actor’s deeply philosophical films such as Anbe Sivam and Virumaandi over the highly-regarded Nayakan.
“I had so many expectations from Nayakan that I didn’t find it great. Virumaandi is one of the best narrative films I’ve seen. It engaged me on many levels.”
Karan has also been following the works of Kamal’s peers — Rajinikanth, Mohanlal and Mammootty. “At least to my limited knowledge, nobody has pushed the envelope as much as him,” he declares.
From Bollywood to Karachi
Be it Hey Ram , Vishwaroopam or Dasavatharam , Kamal’s movies have always been about geopolitics. So, what makes him relevant to a fan in Pakistan?
“He’s popular here for his Hindi movies — Sadma and Chachi 420 to name a few. Kids love the latter while adults like Appu Raja . Since he was the first Indian actor to play a dwarf in that movie, people know him quite well.”
Karan says Indian films are hugely popular in Pakistan, and adds that DVDs of Indian movies sell like hot cakes. “There isn’t much difference between Pakistani and Indian audiences when it comes to the consumption of Bollywood movies,” he says, adding, “Though I don’t follow Bollywood much, I loved Andhadhun which released last year.”
According to Karan, very few South Indian movies cross borders and make it to Pakistan. “ K.G.F and 2.0 were the two South films that released here in recent times.” Ask him about the ban imposed on certain films by the government, and he jokes, “They’re like Tom and Jerry. Some films get banned here, but not all.”
Karan is upset that his favourite actor has decided to quit cinema for politics. “Just when I started developing a strong liking towards him, he announced that Indian 2 will be his last movie,” he says.
Ever since Kamal launched his political outfit Makkal Needhi Maiam, Karan says he has been actively reading about the actor’s political steps. Like a typical Kamal fan, he believes that the party will bring about a much-need reform in society.
Karan, though, has one unfulfilled wish — to watch a Kamal Haasan film in a theatre in Pakistan. He pins all his hopes on Indian 2 , which is currently in the works. But he quickly adds: “If they release it with a different title, I might have a chance.”
