Kamal Haasan shares his secrets about love and life with Shubha Shetty-Saha

On his next film Dashavataram
I look at this film as an opportunity that I created for myself. Not many times you get a chance to pat yourself on the back. Shivaji saheb (actor Shivaji Ganeshan) had done nine roles. We came up with the idea of not just doing a remake of that film but adding something extra to it. The title has a mythological message. We are trying to talk about how the world is converting into one village, without putting an intellectual load on the audience or the enjoyment factor of the film. I have 11 avatars in the film—10 roles and the 11th one that of being a scriptwriter. The 11th was the most challenging.

On being unconventional on and off screen
Convention is something you are told about. The Pope once believed that the earth is the centre of the universe. And then came along Galileo who said otherwise. I can’t help being born into a family or being named thus or being given a religion. But I could have changed other things, which I walked into. When I was young I didn’t know how to say ‘no’. Now I say a precocious ‘no’ to everything first. Now I’m older and wiser. I’m happy about being wiser but I also feel closer to death now. I’m not scared of death. Life becomes easy if you accept death as a part of life.

On being termed ‘arrogant’ and ‘egoistic’
How does anyone know how the other person is? If someone was shown Gandhi’s picture without actually being told about him, all he would say is ‘who is this man, he doesn’t have teeth or hair’! When I was 16 and a nobody, my father told me, ‘you will be a great man someday, at that time you write your autobiography’. I said I didn’t want to. He said ‘all great people do.’

On daughter Shruti
Shruti is in two minds, whether she wants her dad to make a movie for her or be on her own. Though I’d like to direct her, my first duty is to be a better dad. Anybody can be a good director for her, but it’s only my onus to be a good dad.

On the downside of fame
An actor’s profile is so prominent that he has to watch every word. Most words are rehearsed. A pedestrian Indian appears more intelligent than us because of his spontaneity. We are always judged. Everybody and anybody can judge Mr Shah Rukh Khan, Mr Amitabh Bachchan, Mr Kamal Haasan. But then we asked for it. I’m probably putting on the same smile for everybody. But I will genuinely mean it only for a few. Right now doing this interview is therapeutic as I’m talking to myself. I’m not ashamed of correcting myself. 

On women
I love women. I’ve had great relationships with them. Woody Allen said, ‘Sex is the best fun you can have without smiling’. Love can be all pervading and multi- faceted. I was born and brought up by women. I like being around women.