04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Kamal Haasan reveals his new nickname for Mani Ratnam; Simbu shares why he's never late to Thug Life director's set: ‘It's not because I am scared of him, but…'
Despite belonging to different generations, there is something interestingly similar about Tamil stars Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR (popularly known as Simbu); both of them pretty much grew up on movie sets after having made their film debuts as child artistes. While Kamal Haasan entered the world of cinema at the age of six, playing a key role in director A Bhimsingh's Gemini Ganesan and Savitri-starrer Kalathur Kannamma (1960) – which earned him the Rashtrapati Award – Simbu made his first screen appearance at the tender age of one in his father T Rajendar's Uravai Kaatha Kili (1984). Since then, the two have come a long way.
Another factor that unites them is their shared admiration and deep respect for legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam. While the two are gearing up for the release of Mani's Thug Life, which also marks the two actors' first on-screen collaboration, Kamal and Simbu recently opened up about their experience working with the veteran director. Talking about Mani's dedication to filmmaking, Kamal also revealed the new nickname he has given to the director because of his habit of arriving on set even before sunrise.
'While working on Thug Life, I was so happy to see him with the same enthusiasm that I saw in him while we were doing Nayagan (the 1987 gangster drama that marked the director and actor's last movie together). I have started calling him Anjara Mani Ratnam (Anjara in Tamil means 5.30) because he starts the shoot at 5.30 am. He would reach the set at 5 itself. Imagine the plight of the cameraman (Ravi K Chandran), who has to be there at least 15 minutes prior. Everyone welcomed this new name I gave him by applauding. I told him I won't come at 5.30, and the best I can do is 7 am. I said, 'At 5.30, it will just be the two of us, sitting there and talking. No one else will be around. So, you do you; I will come by 7.' He is not just an early bird; he is a bird with wings larger than most birds,' Kamal quipped during a promotional event organised by Raaj Kamal Films International, the co-producer of Thug Life.
Simbu, meanwhile, heaped praise on the filmmaker for his professionalism and shared why he is never late to a Mani Ratnam set. The actor has frequently faced criticism for allegedly arriving late to sets and having conflicts with the makers of his films. 'Many have asked me how I go on time to Mani sir's sets and if he is strict or if I am afraid of him. It's not because I am scared of him. Yet, I have never been late to his set even once. There have been days when I reached before he did. The reason is we are actors… When we agree to act in a movie trusting a director or the producer, they should complete the movie on time,' Simbu pointed out as Kamal patted him in appreciation for speaking out.
Watch Kamal Haasan's Thug Life teaser here:
He continued, 'The director should come on time. Only then would the actors come on time. When Mani Ratnam comes to the set, he won't sit around thinking, 'What or how to do something?' He would know exactly what he needs and what needs to be done. And thus, he won't waste an actor's time or call sheet, would complete the movie on time, the payment would come on time, and the movie would also be released on the scheduled date. If a man has perfectly followed all these years, which actor would feel like not reaching his set on time?'
Adding to Simbu's statement, Kamal Haasan mentioned that he too faced the same with people asking him why he would go to K Balachander and Balu Mahendra's sets on time, but when certain others told him to come at 9, he would reach only by 10. 'I didn't react back then (like how STR did now) because they walked around carrying staffs. But all they had were staffs (like sceptres), but it's people like them (Balachander, Balu and Mani) who ruled cinema. When we work with people like them, an alarm automatically goes off inside us.'
