Kamal Haasan used to kneel, kiss Dilip Kumar’s hand on his birthdays; says was scared to ‘go near Sivaji Ganesan’: ‘I still get butterflies…’

Despite being a legendary actor himself, Kamal Haasan has never shied away from gushing over his beloved movie stars. Time and again, he has publicly demonstrated that he is just as much a fanboy of his idols as his fans are of him. Among the many talents across various aspects of cinema that he admires, legendary thespians Dilip Kumar and Sivaji Ganesan occupy a special place. Not just that the two contributed immensely to Indian cinema, they also inspired and influenced generations of actors, including Kamal Haasan, who followed in their footsteps.

Recently, the Thug Life actor opened up about his deep respect for these two legends, revealing how he used to call on Dilip Kumar on his birthdays, kneel before him and kiss his hand in a gesture of reverence. “Whenever I had the time on Yusuf Saab’s (Dilip Kumar) birthday, I would visit him, kneel down and kiss his hand. For me, they are like this (towering figures). Though I knew Sivaji sir very well, I never met him every day. I could, but I didn’t. It was such an important relationship for me; I didn’t want anything in that to change. So, unless it was very necessary, I never went near him, thinking some stupid mistake of mine should not spoil the relationship. Every time I went to speak to Sivaji sir, I had that awe. Even after he passed on, I still get butterflies whenever I talk about him,” he shared during a chat with Gulte Pro.

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திரை நடிப்புக்கென்று ஒரு மைல் கல்லை நிர்ணயித்துச் சென்றிருக்கும் கலைஞர் சிவாஜி கணேசனின் நினைவு நாள் இன்று. ஏதோ ஒரு திரையில் படம் என ஒன்று சலனமுறும் காலம்வரை நடிகர் திலகத்தின் நினைவு தமிழர் நெஞ்சில் அலையடித்தபடியே இருக்கும். pic.twitter.com/OJ93EmZjin

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) July 21, 2021

During the same conversation, Kamal Haasan also spoke about how Indian cinema missed the chance to witness Dilip Kumar and Sivaji Ganesan sharing the screen. Opening up about how wide releases have helped extraordinary talents gain more visibility across various terrains, Kamal pointed out that Indian cinema’s yesteryear legends did not have such opportunities, as a result of which a large section of the population never got to watch their work while they were alive.

“Satyajit Ray, Sivaji Ganesan or Shyam Benegal never got this kind of boon (that today’s people get). Because their filmmaking was so strong, it reached audiences in other parts of the world. It should have permeated down India first. We should have had that influence all around. Sivaji sir’s and Yusuf saab’s acting should have come across, and they should have acted in a movie together. We missed out on all that,” he added.