Kamal Haasan is known for introducing various new technologies to Tamil film industry, or Indian cinema for that matter.
Recently, it was said that Kamal would introduce a new technology in his new venture with director Lokesh Kanagaraj. It was claimed the new technology would reduce the days of film production.
This week, as part of the Friday special articles series, Mykollywood.com tracks some of the technologies introduced by Kamal in the past.
VIKRAM
Computers were used to record songs for the first time in ‘Vikram’. Also, it was Tamil cinema’s first movie to touch the budget of Rs 1 crore, which was a huge amount at that time.
‘Vikram’ is a 1986 action adventure film directed by Rajasekhar, starring Kamal Haasan, Sathyaraj, Amjad Khan, Ambika, Dimple Kapadia, Lizy, Charuhasan and Janagaraj.
The film was adapted from novel of same name written by Sujatha. The movie was dubbed in Telugu as ‘Agent Vikram’.
THEVAR MAGAN
Screenplay writing software was used for the first time. ‘Thevar Magan’ is a 1992 film written and produced by Kamal Haasan, and directed by Bharathan.
The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Haasan, Revathi and Gautami and Nassar, with Kallapart Natarajan, Kaka Radhakrishnan, Sangili Murugan and Vadivelu in supporting roles. It revolves around a respected village chieftain’s son who wants to open his own business, whereas his father wants him to help the villagers.
The script of Thevar Magan was completed in seven days; it was the first written using a screenwriting software called ‘Movie Magic’. Cinematography was handled by P C Sreeram and editing by N P Satish. The film was predominantly shot in Pollachi.
KURUTHIPUNAL
This was the first Indian film to use Dolby Stereo surround SR technology. ‘Kuruthipunal’ is a 1995 action thriller film directed by veteran cinematographer P C Sreeram.
The film was also simultaneously shot in Telugu and released as ‘Drohi’. The film stars Kamal Haasan in the lead role, with Arjun and Nassar in supporting roles.
The film background score was composed by Mahesh Mahadevan. Produced by Kamal Hassan, the story is a remake of Govind Nihalani’s Hindi film ‘Drohkaal’. The film was India’s official entry for the 68th Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category.
VIRUMAANDI
Live sound recording system was used and for the first time, AND the Neuendo machine was kept at the shooting venue. ‘Virumaandi’ is a 2004 action drama film written, co-edited, produced, and directed by Kamal Haasan, who also performed in the title role.
The film revolves around the interview of two prison inmates, firstly, Kothala Thevar’s (Pasupathy) life sentence, and secondly, Virumaandi (Haasan), who is sentenced to be hanged. The criminals express how they feel about the direction that their lives have taken and how they have ended up where they are. The film’s narrative is based on the Rashomon effect. The film revolves around the controversy of the death penalty.
The cast also includes Abhirami, Napoleon, Rohini, Shanmugarajan, and Nassar in pivotal roles. The film’s score and soundtrack were composed by Ilayaraaja. It was dubbed into Telugu as ‘Pothuraju’. The film won critical acclaim and was a commercial success at the box office. This film acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and inspired similar themes.
MUMBAI EXPRESS
This was the first Tamil film to have the digital format implemented.
A 2005 comedy film, it is directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and produced by Kamal Haasan.
It stars Kamal Haasan himself in the lead role alongside Manisha Koirala. The music was composed by Ilayaraaja, while Sidharth and Ashmith Kunder handled the cinematography and editing respectively. This Tamil version was dubbed in Telugu with the same name.
The film was simultaneously made in Tamil and Hindi with the same title. The lead pair, as well as Saxena, Aravind, Thakar, and Dheena, were retained for the Hindi version. In the Hindi version, Vijay Raaz, Dinesh Lamba, Om Puri, Saurabh Shukla and Pratima Kazmi reprise the roles played by Pasupathy, Vaiyapuri, Nassar, Santhana Bharathi and Kovai Sarala, respectively.
VISHWAROOPAM
It was the first Indian film to utilize the new Auro 3D sound technology. Though Kamal tried to make the movie as first D2H release movie in India, the attempts were failed.
It is a 2013 Indian espionage action thriller film written, directed and produced by Kamal Haasan, who also enacts the lead role. The film has Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah and Jaideep Ahlawat in supporting roles.
Filmed simultaneously in two languages: Tamil and Hindi, the film features a soundtrack composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, with the Tamil lyrics written by Vairamuthu and Haasan himself, while Javed Akhtar translated them for the Hindi version.
By Naveen
*********
