Kamal Haasan bids adieu to ‘Ulaganayagan’ tag: ‘An artist must not be elevated above the art’

Kamal Haasan, in an official statement shared on his social media handles, urged everyone to stop calling him by the tag 'Ulaganayagan' and just call him by his name.

Kamal Haasan bids adieu to Ulaganayagan tag

From the black-and-white era to today’s digital era, Tamil cinema has always loved anointing its stars with a moniker of sorts. Right from the most celebrated legends to a three-film-old actor, we have often seen a ‘title’ to their name when it comes on screen. After a lot of permutations and combinations, post 2000s, Kamal Haasan was fondly referred to as the ‘Ulaganayagan’ or the ‘Universal Hero’. Interestingly, just days after his 70th birthday, Kamal Haasan has issued a statement asking his fans, the audience, media, and members of the film to refrain from using the tag anymore.

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In his statement, Kamal said, “I have always felt a deep sense of gratitude over being bestowed with endearing titles such as Ulaganayagan among others. Such accolades given by the people and recognized by esteemed colleagues and admirers has always been humbling, and I’ve been genuinely moved by your love in conferring it upon me.” However, he added that as a student of the craft in the pursuit of evolving, learning, and growing, it is important to acknowledge that cinema belongs to all, and is a collaborative effort of scores of people, including the audience.

“It is my humble belief that the artist must not be elevated above the art. 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,” wrote Kamal, adding, “I humbly request that all my fans, the media, members of film fraternity, party cadre, and fellow Indians, to here on after, refer to me simply as Kamal Haasan or Kamal or KH.”

Thanking everyone for the kindness he has received over the years, Kamal Haasan asserted that the decision came from a place of humility and he wishes to be one of the many lovers of cinema.

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Incidentally, this is not the first time a major superstar of Tamil cinema has relinquished the tag bestowed on them. A few years earlier, in 2021, Ajith Kumar issued a similar statement urging his fans, the audience, media, and film fraternity members to stop calling him ‘Thala’ and simply refer to him by his name, or Ajith, or AK.

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Meanwhile, on the acting front, Kamal Haasan, who was last seen in Indian 2, has completed shooting for Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life, which will hit the screens on June 5, 2025. The actor-politician, who is currently in the US, is expected to return next year and begin shooting for the directorial debut of action choreographer duo Anbariv.

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