Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan Biography

Personal Information

• Full Name: Kamal Haasan
• Date of Birth: 7 November 1954
• Place of Birth: Paramakudi, Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), India
• Nationality: Indian
• Occupation: Actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, lyricist, producer, politician
• Father: D. Srinivasan Iyengar (lawyer and freedom fighter)
• Mother: Rajalakshmi (homemaker)
• Siblings: Charuhasan and Chandrahasan (both actors), and Nalini, a classical dancer
• Spouses: Vani Ganapathy (1978–1988, divorced); Sarika Thakur (1988–2004, divorced)
• Children: Shruti Haasan, Akshara Haasan
• Sings in: Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and English

Kamal Haasan – Early Life and Training

• Received his primary education in Paramakudi before the family moved to Madras (now Chennai), where he continued his schooling in Santhome.
• Entered films as a child artist after AVM’s M. Saravanan recommended him for Kalathur Kannamma.
• Returned to the industry after a seven-year gap as a dance assistant, apprenticing under choreographer Thankappan.
• Trained as a makeup artist under Michael Westmore and attended makeup workshops in the United States.

Acting Career

• Has acted in more than 230 films across Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali cinema; Vikram (2022) was his 232nd film as an actor.
• Known for versatility, method acting and elaborate physical transformations.

Key Milestones & Notable Films:

• Kalathur Kannamma (1960) – Child artist debut, which won him the National Film Award for Best Child Artist
• Arangetram (1973) – First full-fledged role, for K. Balachander
• Moondram Pirai (1982) – First National Film Award for Best Actor
• Nayakan (1987) – India’s official entry to the Academy Awards
• Indian (1996) – Vigilante action drama; third National Film Award for Best Actor
• Hey Ram (2000) – Written, directed and produced by him
• Dasavathaaram (2008) – Played ten different roles
• Vishwaroopam series (2013, 2018) – Spy thriller he wrote and directed
• Vikram (2022) – Blockbuster that won him his eighteenth Filmfare Best Actor award

Filmmaking and Direction

• Works as a director, screenwriter, producer, lyricist and playback singer.
• Notable films directed: Hey Ram, Virumaandi and Vishwaroopam.
• Virumaandi (2004) won the inaugural Best Asian Film Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, South Korea.

Awards and Recognition

• National Film Awards – Five: Best Child Artist for Kalathur Kannamma (1960), Best Actor for Moondram Pirai (1982), Nayakan (1987) and Indian (1996), and Best Tamil Film for Thevar Magan (1992).
• Filmfare Awards – 21 wins in total, the most for any actor, including a record 18 Best Actor awards across five languages.
• Padma Shri (1990) – India’s fourth-highest civilian honour
• Padma Bhushan (2014) – India’s third-highest civilian honour
• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2016) – conferred by the Government of France
• State honours – Kalaimamani (1978), the M.G.R. Award (1989) and the Sivaji Ganesan Award (1999) from the Government of Tamil Nadu, the NTR National Award (2014) from Andhra Pradesh and the Paidipati Jairaj Award (2026) from Telangana.
• Invited in 2025 to join the actors’ branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Political Career

• Launched the party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on 21 February 2018 and has been its president since.
• Took oath as a Member of the Rajya Sabha for Tamil Nadu on 25 July 2025, succeeding Vaiko, and serves as MNM’s parliamentary chairperson.

Philanthropy and Social Work

• Was the first Tamil actor to convert his fan clubs into welfare associations.
• Appointed a United Nations ambassador in 2007 for a joint campaign with the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society to protect the rights of people living with HIV.

Television and Media

• Hosted Bigg Boss Tamil from its first season in 2017 through season 7, and briefly hosted Bigg Boss Ultimate in 2022 before film commitments led to his exit.

Kamal Haasan – Recent Activities

• Starred in Indian 2, released on 12 July 2024.
• Played the antagonist in Kalki 2898 AD (2024), marking his return to Telugu cinema; the film grossed over ₹1,000 crore.
• Reunited with Mani Ratnam for Thug Life, released in theatres on 5 June 2025.
• Took oath as a Rajya Sabha member on 25 July 2025 and now combines parliamentary work with his film career.

Kamal Haasan Awards List