Buddies come together

It was an event Kamal Hassan’s fans were waiting for. The press conference was even postponed once, heightening the suspense but Kamal Hassan and his best buddy Ramesh Aravind did not fail their fans.

The duo recently announced that Kamal Hassan would be acting in a bilingual — Kannada and Tamil — directed by Ramesh Aravind to the delight of everyone at the event. Ramesh says that the two of them have been planning something on these lines for a long time.
Ramesh and Kamal were discovered by the same person and the two of them began their career around the same time.

Now, 20 years after their stint in the film industry, the two share a close bond, one that has been unshaken by the passage of time and change of circumstances.

Their on-screen combination worked well and their first film together in Tamil, Sathi Leelavathi was a big hit. They came together again in Panchathantiram and thereafter worked on several projects, including their Kannada film Rama Shama Bhama.

Their latest bilingual venture tentatively titled Uthama Villain, meaning good villain, is in the scripting stage and will be a family entertainer with loads of action sequences thrown in to keep the audience at the edge of their seats. A large portion of the film will be shot in Bangalore and it is touted to be a big budget project.

 Kamal spent some quality time with Ramesh during his recent visit. He had lunch at Ramesh’s place considering that even the families are close.

“We have never taken our friendship for granted. There’s mutual respect for each other’s point of view and we’ve reached a stage where we don’t really feel bad or get irritated with the other’s observation or comment about something. That’s the level of understanding and comfort we share,” says Ramesh.

Ramesh doesn’t hesitate to add, “We have always had an open communication and that’s why I feel the two of us share a similar taste when it comes to a lot of things like books, music and movies.”

Even after all these years, Ramesh feels that Kamal has remained the same. “I
admire Kamal’s total commitment to cinema and he always goes an extra mile to give all his projects his best shot. I’ve watched all his movies and there’s a constant exchange of ideas between us, be it on our individual projects or otherwise,” notes Ramesh.

For the moment, Ramesh wishes to concentrate on his project with Kamal and states that he may not sign any project unless it is an exceptional one. His historical film, Basavanna is ready for release. “I’ve always wanted to play a historical character. With this project, that has been fulfilled,” he concludes.