Kamal Haasan ‘Grateful’ to Hindi Audience, Says He Was ‘Just South Actor’: ‘You Made Me into Indian…’

Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan has said that he is “grateful” to his Hindi audience for accepting him as their own. Haasan made his Hindi film debut with Ek Duuje Ke Liye in 1981. The film was a remake of his own acted Telugu-language film Maro Charitra directed by K Balachander. At the trailer of launch of the Hindi version of Indian 2, the actor recalled how he couldn’t speak a single word of Hindi properly back then.

“Let me first thank you for teaching me a lesson,” Haasan began his speech as he addressed the media in Mumbai. “I used to think I’m from Tamil Nadu and that’s my place. You taught me 35 or more years ago that I’m an Indian. I was just a South Indian actor, you people made me into an Indian actor. I’m ever so grateful. I didn’t know a word of Hindi when I was doing my first film. I was exactly what the hero of Ek Duuje Ke Liye was and without your support and applause, I couldn’t have come back on to this stage.”

Haasan then revealed that he was hugely inspired by late legendary actor Dilip Kumar. “It looks like only a few days back I was saluting my gurus and now here is a gentleman (referring to his co-star Siddharth) who is calling me his guru. I don’t know whether to accept it or doubt myself. I have always doubted myself because I have worked with some of the greatest teachers who have put me on this stage. Some of them have been from here. I’m a great fan and a student of Yusuf sahab, i.e. Dilip Kumar sahab. I didn’t know how many people knew because it was a secret but back then I’d come here whenever I could on December on his birthday and kneel before him to kiss his hand. I’m a movie buff and I’m a child of cinema. I came to act when I was three years old. My first film was released when I was just about to hit five. Here I am still working.”

Indian 2 is set to release on July 12. The film will clash with Akshay Kumar’s ‘Sarfira’ at the box office.