Veteran actor-politician Kamal Haasan has again become the focal point of a raging controversy—this time due to his statements on Sanatana Dharma. At a recent function conducted by Suriya’s Agaram Foundation, Kamal reiterated that education was the strongest weapon with which to destroy dictatorship and what he called the ‘slavery’ of Sanatana Dharma. His remark has evoked strong reactions, especially from BJP members.
In a quick riposte, the Tamil Nadu BJP has demanded an outright boycott of Kamal Haasan’s movies. BJP state secretary Amar Prasad Reddy dropped a video that accused Kamal — and politician Udhayanidhi Stalin — of insulting Hindu feelings. He appealed to Hindus not to watch Kamal’s films, either in cinemas or on OTT. The video went viral within hours, triggering furious debate on social media.
While Kamal has no immediate film schedule, his long-awaited Indian 3 with director Shankar is in the final stages of post-production. With a controversy brewing, there is some speculation that the film may run into trouble later, much closer to its release date.
To theexisting pressure is Kamal’s recent box office performance. Indian 2 and Thug Life, the latter directed by Mani Ratnam, both underperformed at the box office, supposedly incurring large losses for their producers. Now, in the face of political opprobrium and increasing public scrutiny, Kamal Haasan is in a sensitive spot — both as a director and a public figure.
Whether this scandal will affect his future projects or not is to be seen, but it has at least added fuel to the fire for one of India’s strongest voices in cinema.