I have never mimicked anyone - Kamal Hassan

It was a lively interaction when Kamal Haasan met the media in Chennai on Dec 4. Sharing the dais with him were director K.S. Ravikumar, producer Udhayanidhi Stalin, music composer, Devi Sri Prasad, actor Sangeetha and choreographer Shobhi.

'Manmadhan Ambu is a story that happens on a ship,' began Kamal Haasan. 'The entire film was shot on a ship, large enough to accommodate around 5500 people. It is not just a rom- com, but something more and unlike Tenali and Avvai Shanmugi.'

This is the fifth film where he has teamed with Ravikumar. 'The story has tears, laughter and emotions,' he added. Commending the work of the people behind the scenes, he spoke about choreographer Shobhi's efforts for the song, 'Nila vaanam,' (which has been beautifully shot) and how a team of dancers had to be brought from Italy. He also appreciated child actor, Aashish's and Madhavan's performance too.

Prior to the shooting of the film, a workshop was held in Chennai. Kamal emphasized on the importance of rehearsals before shooting on a film. When someone from the audience asked him if it will be marketed like Enthiran, Kamal quipped, 'Look at my career graph. You will see that I have never mimicked anyone, although I consider Sivaji Ganesan, my dronacharya.' Referring to Rajinikanth, he said, 'We are two different individuals and we do not allow comparisons with each other.'

For the benefit of a few press persons, Kamal spoke in Malayalam and Telugu too. Director Ravikumar said, 'We were keen on making Panchatantiram -2 on a ship but it did not happen.' Talking about Kamal Haasan, the director remembered the actor writing poetry on the sets since the days of Avvai Shanmugi. For this film, Kamal has penned the lyrics for a song besides rendering a couple of songs. And that Devisriprasad said was 'a dream comes true for me.'

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Manmadhan Ambu