On November 11, Kamal Haasan wrote a letter addressed to his fans, the media, and the film fraternity, asking them to stop calling him by his moniker ‘Ulaganayagan’ and instead refer to him simply by his name, Kamal, or KH. A couple of years ago, another Tamil superstar, Ajith Kumar, made a similar request when he asked his fans not to refer to him by his nickname ‘Thala’ (although many continue to call him so). Kamal Haasan Asks Fans to Refrain from Using Titles Like 'Ulaganayagan' with His Name; Says, 'I Prefer to Remain Grounded'.

Kamal Haasan, who will next be seen in Shankar’s Indian 3 and Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life, explained his reason for doing so as the National Award-winning actor prefers to remain ‘grounded.’ In the note, he wrote, "I prefer to remain grounded, constantly aware of my imperfections and my duty to improve. Hence, after considerable reflection, I feel compelled to respectfully decline all such titles or prefixes. I humbly request that all my fans, the media, members of the film fraternity, party cadre, and fellow Indians refer to me simply as Kamal Haasan, Kamal, or KH." Whether Kamal Haasan’s fans and admirers will adhere to his request remains to be seen.

Kamal Haasan's Letter to Fans

Incidentally, Kamal Haasan is also referred to as ‘Nammavar’ and ‘Andavar’ by his fans.

What Does ‘Ulaganayagan’ Mean?

In Tamil, ‘Ulagam’ means the world or universe, and ‘nayagan’ means hero or leader. So, calling Kamal Haasan ‘Ulaganayagan’ means referring to him as a ‘universal hero.’ Kamal Haasan starred in the 1987 film Nayakan, directed by Mani Ratnam, which is considered one of the greatest gangster movies in Indian cinema. Kamal Haasan Birthday Special: From ‘Nayakan’ to ‘Kaathala Kaathala’, 10 Movies of Ulaganayagan That Were Remade in Bollywood With Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Others!

Who Gave the Title of ‘Ulaganayagan’ to Kamal Haasan?

Director KS Ravikumar bestowed the epithet ‘Ulaganayagan’ on Kamal Haasan in 2000 with the release of the film Thenali. When Ravikumar began working on this comedy (a remake of the 1991 Hollywood film What About Bob?), he was grateful to Kamal Haasan for financing the project and bringing him on board after their previous collaboration, Marudanayagan, did not come to fruition.

In an interview with TOI marking the 20th anniversary of Thenali’s release, KS Ravikumar revealed how he came up with the moniker and Kamal’s reaction to it. He said, "Since he was instrumental in giving me this opportunity, I wanted to do something special for him. He already had many titles on film cards, like Padma Shri, Dr, and Kadhal Ilavarasan. But I wanted to give him a unique title and decided on ‘Ulaganayagan.’ When I told him about my plan, he was not too keen, but I showed up at his home with a camera."

Kamal Haasan Title Reveal Card

The director recounted how he filmed the iconic title card for the nickname: "Kamal had completely changed his look as he was preparing for Aalavandhan. I told him I only wanted to shoot his eyes. We filmed in high speed, and at the count of five, I asked him to wink and smile. I took that footage to the CG department and created the visuals – we showed his Alwarpet office, pulled back to show Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and then the world, which turned into a small black circle, his eyeball, and he winked. The terms ‘Universal Hero’ and ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ appeared on the screen."

Thus, Thenali became the first film to refer to Kamal Haasan as ‘Ulaganayagan,’ a nickname that has stuck with the legendary actor ever since. Interestingly, Ravikumar’s 2008 big-budget film Dasavatharam, in which Kamal Haasan played 10 different characters, featured a song titled “Ulaganayagan,” composed by Himesh Reshammiya with lyrics by Vairamuthu.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2024 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).