Indian actor Kamal Haasan, 70, not slowing down especially in honing his craft

Renowned Indian actor Kamal Haasan, who was in Kuala Lumpur to promote his latest flick Thug Life, was asked by the Malaysian media if he had discovered anything new while making the film, and whether those discoveries were good or bad.

- BY MUMTAJ BEGUM

The 70-year-old, who made his acting debut before he even turned six years old, smiled at the question before surmising that no one should strive to learn something bad.

"Only learn good things," continued Kamal, whose real name is Parthasarathy Srinivasan.

"At a certain age, it is hard to distinguish what is good and what is bad. Thankfully, I've reached an age where I can tell the difference."

For him, every experience is valuable as "even the bad experiences are a good thing as we learn from them".

"In anything I do, including filmmaking, I learn from my mistakes. And the most important lesson is: don't repeat the same mistakes."

His words, regarded as gospel by some fans in India, set the tone for the rest of the 30-minute press conference.

Kamal, also a politician, remained grounded even as he was showered with praise, graciously sharing nuggets of wisdom while revealing his continued ambition for meaningful work.

"I might seem larger on screen, but when I stand among you, we're all the same height," he said with a smile.

Kamal, who got an honorary doctorate for his contribution to cinema in 2019, has earned a reputation for being a risk-taker and a forward thinker.

When it was unheard of for a macho Indian leading man to play a woman onscreen, he embraced the challenge in Avvai Shanmughi (1996), donning a wig and saree to play an elderly lady.

In Aalavandhan (2001), he used Japanese manga-style animation to depict violent scenes - an idea that reportedly inspired Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino for his Kill Bill movies.

Kamal's 2013 film Vishwaroopam was the first Indian movie to use Auro 3D sound technology.