Kamal Haasan’s Admiration For Aparna Sen
In a surprising and emotional revelation, actress Shruti Haasan has opened the curtains on an unheard chapter of her father Kamal Haasan’s life. She revealed that the legendary actor was inspired to learn Bengali language not for any film role but out of his deep respect for iconic actress and director Aparna Sen.
A revelation between co-stars
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This interesting anecdote came up during a recent conversation between Shruti Haasan and her co-star Sathyaraj during the promotion of a film. The discussion was centred around Kamal Haasan’s dedication to his work and his command over multiple languages. Sathyaraj guessed that Kamal learned Bengali for a film, which is a common thing for this accomplished actor.
However, Shruti corrected him immediately with a smile. “No, no,” she explained, “do you know why he learnt Bengali? Because at that time, he loved Aparna Sen. He learnt Bengali to impress her, not for films.”
An eulogy in “Hey Ram”
This deep admiration extended beyond personal learning and was reflected in Kamal Haasan’s cinematic work as well. Shruti further explained that this sentiment was the reason behind naming a lead character in his 2000 film “Hey Ram”.
In this critically acclaimed historical drama, which Kamal Haasan wrote, directed, produced and starred in, Rani Mukerji played a character named Aparna. According to Shruti, this was a direct and deliberate tribute to Sen. “Even in Hey Ram, Rani Mukerji is named Aparna after her,” she added.
Aparna Sen is a legend of Bengali cinema, known for her work as an actor, writer and director. The winner of nine National Film Awards, she is best known for directing classic films such as “36 Chowringhee Lane” and is also the mother of actress Konkona Sen Sharma. The revelation adds a new layer of personal history to one of Indian cinema’s most important films.