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‘As free as India’: At IFFI red carpet, Kamal Haasan champions independent cinema

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Veteran actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan on Friday reiterated his long-standing concern that independent films continue to be sidelined in theatres, despite the evolution of India’s film industry.

Speaking at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), where his production ‘Amaran’ opened the 56th edition, Haasan said that indie cinema deserves its own identity and freedom, rather than being moulded into mainstream expectations.

“Independent cinema is very independent, as free as India... don't bring it into a confining space of a very commercialised cinema,” the 71-year-old told PTI.

Asked about the persistent lack of theatre space for indie works, he added, “Yes, that’s been my complaint for about 40 years.”

Haasan walked the red carpet with ‘Amaran’ stars Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi ahead of the screening. The film, directed by Rajkumar Periasamy, is based on the life of Major Mukund Vardharajan, who was martyred during a counter-terror operation in Kashmir in 2014.

‘Amaran’ is adapted from a chapter of the bestselling book India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes and is produced under Haasan’s banner Raaj Kamal Films International.

The actor, known for classics such as ‘Apoorva Raagangal’, ‘Nayakan’, ‘Thevar Magan’, ‘Sadma’, ‘Pushpak Vimana’, and ‘Chachi 420’, has been a vocal advocate for independent filmmaking throughout his career.   

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