Kamal Haasan worked as a barber to ‘insult' his mother, says he would've died penniless in an auto rickshaw had he not heeded guru's advice

Indian Express

15-05-2025

Multi-hyphenate Kamal Haasan said that he didn't have the necessary skills as a youngster to land a conventional job, and so, mainly to 'insult' his mother, he began working as a barber. He also reflected on his relationship with his mentor, filmmaker-writer K Balachander, and the wisdom he gained from him. Kamal recalled a vital piece of advice that Balachander gave him, and said that it probably saved him from a sorry fate. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, he said that many of his friends have died tragic deaths despite being more talented that him.
Recalling his early life and angst, he said, 'The person who told me that my best match would be Mr Balachander was another guru of mine, he was a barber, and he taught me barbering. I worked as a barber at a salon, but that was mostly to taunt my mother, because she thought that I was doing nothing. I was reading paperbacks and watching cinema, and she said that this isn't what I should be doing. The kind of talent I had, I didn't find work easily. I thought about what would insult my mother, and I became a barber.'
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He said that Balachander was inspired by this story, and used it in the climax of his movie Zara Si Zindagi. He said that when he was 19, he told Balachander that he wanted to become a director, but Balachander strongly dissuaded him from pursuing that path. The filmmaker told a young Kamal that he would spend his life travelling in auto rickshaws if he became a director, and was the first person to suggest that he had the qualities to become a movie star. 'Forget riding an auto rickshaw, I would've probably died in one had I not taken his advice,' Kamal said.
The legendary actor-filmmaker said that he has seen several of his friends, many of whom were more talented than him, lose their lives in tragic circumstances. 'The died on the streets,' he said, reflecting on the advice that Balachander gave him. 'That's how I decided to totally go into acting. If I had made that mistake, he would've been right… I've seen many of my friends die like that… That is why I am grateful to Mr Balachander, because I could've gone down that route. I would've died with my angst, with my unfulfilled dreams, in an auto rickshaw. And nobody would know that there is a dead body in the auto rickshaw.'
Kamal Haasan is one of the most acclaimed movie stars in Indian cinema history. He will next star in the film Thug Life, directed by his longtime friend, the equally acclaimed Mani Ratnam.