Kamal Haasan's 'self-obsession' affected Tamil remake of 'Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'?
What's the story
Veteran actor Yatin Karyekar has made allegations against Kamal Haasan, claiming that the actor's "self-obsession" affected creative decisions on film sets. Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Karyekar said that Haasan often made choices to safeguard his on-screen image. He also alleged that the actor deliberately courted controversy to stay in the limelight.
Film controversy
'He replaced the slap with a push'
Karyekar's strongest allegations were about Vasool Raja MBBS, the Tamil remake of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. He claimed that an important scene from the original film was altered in the remake because Haasan didn't want to be slapped on screen. "We were shooting for Vasool Raja MBBS. The scene where Jimmy Shergill slaps Sanjay Dutt in the Hindi version was being recreated in Tamil, but he didn't let that scene happen." "He replaced the slap with a push."
Emotional depth
Karyekar felt remake lacked emotional depth
Karyekar also expressed concern that the remake lacked the emotional depth of the original film. He said, "Nobody could say, 'Ae, jaa na,' to Kamal Haasan in the role of his father in the film." He felt there wasn't an actor who could match Kamal's commanding screen presence, making their relationship feel lighter and more comedic than the emotionally intense dynamic in the Hindi version.
Public image
'He once sat in front of the airplane and...'
Karyekar also claimed that Haasan deliberately courted controversy to stay in the limelight. He recalled an incident during the shooting of Hey Ram where Haasan staged a protest after his flight was delayed. "He once sat in front of the airplane and refused to move when the flight was delayed. That created headlines and his movie received publicity." Meanwhile, Vasool Raja MBBS was directed by Saran and starred Haasan alongside Prabhu, Sneha, Prakash Raj, and Nagesh.