Kamal Haasan at 'Indian 2' audio launch: 'Divide and rule will not ...

“Indian is back,” seemed to be the most repeated line at the audio launch of actor Kamal Haasan and director Shankar’s Indian 2. Stars descended at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday to celebrate the film’s music, and the reunion between the veteran actor and director after their 1996 film Indian.

Apart from Anirudh Ravichander, who is collaborating with Shankar for the first time as the music director of Indian 2, the event saw the cast and crew of the film, including Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Bobby Simha and Brahmanandam, in attendance. Actor Silambarasan TR, and directors Lokesh Kanagaraj and Nelson, also attended the audio launch.

At the event, actor-singer Shruti Haasan surprised fans with a rendition of a melange of Kamal hits; Shankar’s son Arjith Shankar, on the other hand, gave a dance performance while the filmmaker’s daughter and actor Aditi Shankar danced and sang an assortment of songs from Shankar’s previous films. Naagin-fame Mouni Roy and Urvashi Rautela also danced for a medley of songs.

Aditi Shankar performing at ‘Indian 2’ audio launch | Photo Credit: Gopinath Rajendran

Nelson, who had directed the reality show Bigg Boss Tamil that Kamal hosts, said, “I was present at the episode in which Indian 2 was announced. I’ve seen the long journey this film took. I also directed the audio launch programs of I and 2.0 in this very place. Shankar sir pushes the boundaries, taking Tamil cinema to a new height. It’s a dream even to get near to that. Rajini sir often praised Shankar sir for his commitment and dedication.” Pointing out an incident on the sets of Bigg Boss, he also said, “I remember him (Kamal Haasan) spotting a spelling mistake in Tamil during a task in the show and he reprimanded me for it. I felt so proud to have gotten scolded by Kamal sir that I told everyone about it.”

Lokesh Kangaraj, who had teamed up with Kamal for Vikram (2022), said, “I’ve always asked for updates about Indian 2 whenever I meet anyone related to it. To get his signature on Vikram’s contract, I went to the sets of Indian 2 where I got to meet him in the ‘Indian thatha’ avatar. To sign the contract, it took almost five minutes to remove prosthetics from his two fingers.”

Next, the film’s female leads Kajal Aggarwal and Rakul Preet Singh took over the stage. Kajal said, “I’ve learnt so much from Kamal sir and it’s a dream-come-true moment to work with Shankar sir.” Rakul said, “Kamal sir exhibits so much dedication and tries to challenge himself more. I learnt so much from him. I can finally say I’m also a Shankar sir film heroine.”

Veteran actor Brahmanandam said, “Shankar, more than being a world-renowned director, is a great human. He’s so dedicated to his craft. Kamal is such a committed actor and I feel proud to be one of his contemporaries.”

Anirudh, who had earlier collaborated with Kamal in Vikram, is teaming up with Shankar for the first time with Indian 2 and its sequel Indian 3. “I was a child when Indian was released. As a 90s kid, Shankar sir has always been my favourite director. I travelled closely with him for five years for this film. I liked how, while getting the music, he would explain the location, details and lyrics. I’m blessed to be working in back-to-back films with him.” Addressing the fan-following that AR Rahman’s music for Indian has gained over the years, Anirudh said, “I know the expectations are high given how the sequel comes 28 years after the first film. Rahman sir’s music inspires me.”

Next to take up the stage was actor Silambarasan, who is starring in an untitled film produced by Kamal, and is sharing the screen with the actor in Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film Thug Life. The actor started his speech with a quip about how people criticise him for being late. “Don’t mistake me for coming late to the event; I am coming from the shooting of Thug Life. Indian is one of my favourite films, and it is very close to my heart. I don’t think there’s any other film with a better structure and formula for a commercial film than Indian. Rahman sir’s music is still a part of our playlists.

“If appa (actor-director T Rajendar) is my guru behind the camera, Kamal sir is my on-screen guru. I can’t explain in words about having gotten the opportunity to work with him. Everyone is talking about pan-Indian films but he had worked in all the languages even before the term became a trend. ‘Indian’ is an apt title for him,” added Simbu.

Director Shankar named each cast and crew member and thanked them for their work in the film. On how the sequel film transpired, the veteran filmmaker said, “Kamal sir wanted to do an Indian sequel back then but I didn’t have a story. Even today, unfortunately, we see news on bribery and corruption still being prevalent and I wondered what Indian thatha would do if he saw this. That’s how I got an idea after the release of 2.0. I remember getting goosebumps when I saw Kamal sir in the Indian thatha costume when we shot the first film. 28 years later, when he returned in the same outfit for a photo shoot, the goosebumps returned. Indian thatha is a saviour of the common man and a deadly villain for the nefarious.”

Director Shankar at ‘Indian 2’ audio launch | Photo Credit: Gopinath Rajendran

On working with Kamal after almost three decades, the director said, “He elevates every scene he is present in. Some senior actors would feel monotonous about their work but Kamal sir updates his acting skills. He had to wear prosthetics for 70 days of the shoot, and it used to take three hours to apply and four hours to remove.” Pointing out a “futuristic scene” from the film, Shankar said, “That scene required him to hang from a rope for three days. It’s a slow-mo sequence shot in 48-frames-per-second and he has to mouth his dialogues in 12-frames-per-second... that too in Punjabi while his hands are busy drawing something. I don’t think any other actor could do that. I’m very proud to be associated with him.”

Speaking about working with Anirudh, Shankar said, “Even if the song he gives is brilliant, I would say that it’s only eighty per cent perfect but he would keep tweaking it until I feel it has hit a hundred per cent. He is very talented and can give songs in any genre.” While talking about the rest of the cast, the director paid tribute to late actors Vivekh and Manobala. “They are not with us today but the film will make you feel they will always be with us. Vivekh sir has done a different character and there’s a lot of chemistry between him and Indian thatha. Siddharth might get an award for his performance and SJ Suryah has done a role different from what he has previously played.”

Shankar also addressed the issues the film faced during production. “We had to stop production for a couple of years and it was Udhayanidhi Stalin who came in and sorted it out for us. There are a lot of surprises in the climax of this film and I am glad my filmmakers Vasanthabalan, Chimbudevan and Arivazhagan worked with me again as second unit directors. I have used R. K. Laxman’s Common Man cartoon character’s animated version as a narrative tool in the film.”

Kamal, who then took over the stage, started with his history with Shankar. “The rigour I saw all those years back in him is still there. He came to me with his first film, which I didn’t accept due to a difference of opinion. I thought he might not come back to me,” said Kamal who was surprised to see him with another script after the success of his first release. “After Thevar Magan, I wanted to direct a film with Sivaji sir. The story Shankar had was similar to mine and I initially turned it down as well. When Sivaji sir got to know this, he said we should drop our film as it features him as the father and me as the son, but in Shankar’s film, I’m playing both roles. That showed his affection towards me and that’s how Indian happened.”

Speaking about the film’s producer, Lyca Productions’ Subaskaran Allirajah, Kamal said, “We had an accident in which we lost a few people and then we had the pandemic followed by some political issues as well. Producer Subashkaran stood by us during all of it. That shows his Tamil bravery. It might sound like I’m taking politics but Indian is also about politics.” Praising the work of Anirudh, he said, “I heard about Anirudh’s fervour about the film’s progress from Shankar and other crew members. I’m not surprised by how good his music is and it’s because of his enthusiasm.”

Kamal also shared a trivia about his make-up crew, which included Academy Award-winning make-up artist Michael Westmore. “He worked on the first film and is now retired. But he came in as a supervisor without taking a salary for Indian 2 and 3. His assistants have also worked in the film.” Commending the work of his fellow actors from the film, Kamal said, “Actors should not just praise me but also stand by me; the cast of Indian 2 did that. Their aid lifted this palanquin called Indian a little higher. I’m standing here also on behalf of those who we lost during the making of this film.”

Clearing rumours on the age of Senapathy, his character from Indian, Kamal said, “While I was 40, I played an older man, but I saw that some were guessing my character’s age in the new film to be around 120. I can assure you that he is just about 15 years older than I am now.” The actor added that Indian 2 and 3 spoke about identity. “I’m a Tamilian and an Indian; that’s my identity and it’s yours too. That’s the concept behind the sequels. Divide and rule is a British concept and they did it back then because they had a home to go back to. It will not work anymore and I wonder where those trying to do the same today could go back to.” Pointing out Kaniyan Pungundranar’s famous verse, ‘Yathum oore, yavarum kelir’ (Every city is your city. Everyone is your kin), Kamal said, “We are known for giving lives to those who have come into our state. Why shouldn’t there be a day when a Tamilian ruling the country comes? This is my country and we must safeguard the unity within it.”

Indian 2 is scheduled to hit theatres on July 12