&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Why Kamal Haasan walked away from Bollywood: 'Too many underworld connections...'")
Beyond Tamil cinema, Kamal Haasan has been regarded as one of the biggest superstars of Indian cinema. He has worked in several movies across languages, including Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Kannada. He made his Hindi debut in 1974 with K. Balachander’s Aaina, a remake of the director’s Tamil film Arangetram (1973).
With this, the actor went on to star in Ek Duuje Ke Liye in 1981, opposite Rati Agnihotri. While the movie was a hit and earned Haasan much-acclaimed success, the actor was never very interested in the world of Bollywood and soon distanced himself from Hindi cinema.
What discouraged him from continuing with Hindi films?
Speaking about his choice at the India Today South Conclave in 2017, the actor explained
Calling himself the poor cousin of Hindi cinema, the actor shared in the interview, “The times… those times were like that. I was a poorer cousin of Hindi cinema. I had to do my own laundry and stuff like that. They were spoilt and rich. They could do six films at a time. I thought that was very defeating. That was one of the reasons.”
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The other reason for his distance was black money and the industry’s underworld connections.
“[Bollywood had] Too many underworld connections. I didn’t want to stay there, either to oppose it or to succumb to the threat. I was one of the actors to decide that I would not have anything to do with black money. I’m quite happy. I drove in a car. It is quite possible. Someone else did it earlier: cameraman Vincent. He never touched black money. It was long before any government threatened him to not keep black money. My brother and I made that call,” he added.
India's financial capital Mumbai, which is known for Bollywood, has long been associated with underworld connections. In the 90s, this reached a new level when Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan emerged. Time and again, the film industry and its connection with D-Company have drawn attention.
Kamal Haasan's work in Hindi cinema
Haasan has been hailed as one of Indian cinema's most respected actors. After building his fan base in South Indian cinema, the actor worked in Hindi cinema for a limited period, delivering several hits.
After his film Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981) became a superhit, he went on to star in movies such as Sanam Teri Kasam (1982), Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya (1982), Zara Si Zindagi (1983), and Balu Mahendra’s Sadma (1983), which remains one of the biggest hits of his career.
The movie, a remake of Moondram Pirai (1982), earned him his first National Film Award for Best Actor. While he has never stayed completely away from Hindi cinema, he has also never been tied down to it.
In 1997, he returned with Chachi 420.
