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If anyone asks the question, "Who is the hero that takes maximum risk?" There will emerge an instant reply, "It is Kamal." His makeup and dedication reached its zenith not only in 'Avvai Shanmugi’ but also in 'Anbe Sivam’. No one can deny his awesome performance in these films.
Any unfinished work (left in the midway) is a symbol of shame. However, Kamal’s completion of half-a-century in his career is on the other hand is a pride. Wondering why Kamal is being given such a build up here? You will find out the reason at the last para of this article. Before getting to the focal point of the article, it is a must to brief on the importance and the experience of the Assistant directors. Wait don’t rush to the last para now!
Only if an animal is killed it is called a sacrifice. However, there are live sacrifices that happen in the cine industry. The only species that are sacrificed and yet live in this world is that of the assistant directors. Even a simpleton gets an identity as soon as he gets married. But when it comes to the case of assistant directors, hardly they come up in life. In fact most of them remain a destitute just whiling away the time in horror.
I know a person that became an assistant director. He was working as a journalist before he became assistant director. He used to be like a lion roaring around. He never cared about the status of the personalities he interviewed. Many VIPs even went to the extent of becoming crazy by his questions. However, it was his turn now that he had chosen to be an assistant director. He had joined as assistant to a director. The shooting was taking place at AVM when I went to see him. It was really a hot summer season and the sun was shining was mercilessly. I saw him come around the shooting spot with a huge chest on his head. He was breathing hard and sweating like anything.
I patiently waited until he came to a halt. Shaken by his activity I enquired him I was really taken aback. He said that it was a punishment by the director for neglecting one of his orders. Although he was a brilliant chap with good many talents, he had to undergo the cruelty just to keep his career going.
For this man director has been the problem, but for others problems come in various forms. The hero would say, "I just don’t like his face send someone else to read the dialogue for me." Heroine would complain, "He peeped while I was changing my costume don’t let him come near me until the film gets over." However, the real reason behind these would be as simple as a disturbance during their cell phone conversation. They literally heat up the heads like the summer shine and bring down pour in the eyes of assistant directors.
It’s all right to set the knot right in a tie but what would happen if the knot could halt your breath? All you can do is to die! Some of them in the disguise of discipline push these helpless creatures to the extreme horror of life. While some of the pioneer artists do certain things, even the not so popular ones become a copy cat and try to behave smart with their assistants. The one I mentioned in the above para comes under the latter category.
Even Kamal who worships art as womb is not an exception to this. It’s all right for Kamal if any Tom Dick and Hari is his director. Only thing that matters for him is that he has to call the shots (Not during Balachandar’s era but now). If he had to wear a coat for a scene, he cannot tolerate even a single wrinkle on it. If there were any then he would take the assistant director for a ride.
He expects assistant directors to be pro-active and even before he could give out an order the assistant director should have completed the task. Else Kamal can make them piss with a single stare. His eyes can transform into either light house or a Kaasimedu sickle. Assistant directors of his film can breathe only during the release of the film.
Such a terrific personality Kamal got a fantastic answer from an assistant director and that is the matter I am going to reveal you now. Once you read this you might either feel like kicking his ass or appreciate his daring nature. He was working as an assistant director in a film in which Kamal was acting. The story had scenes that were shot in cold regions. One of the scenes had to be shot in Chennai and Kamal had asked the assistant director create smoke to get an effect of misty atmosphere that exists in cold regions.
The assistant director had been trying hard to create smoke with the help of logs. However, before he could create fire, Kamal came to the spot and enquired about ten times why there wasn’t any smoke. The assistant director who had been patient all these while gave witty reply during Kamal’s next visit to the place. As soon as Kamal came to the spot and asked the same question again, the assistant director said, "Just a minute and bent toward the pile of logs and said Kamalhasan… Kamalhasan… Kamalhasan… thrice." Then he turned toward Kamal and said in spite of mentioning your name it doesn’t work! Stunned by his reply, Kamal went away from the place and never returned to the spot again until smoke started emerging by itself.
Well are you wondering what the assistant director is doing now? That was the end of his career in cine industry and who know he might be kindling fire in the kitchen of some motel!
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