IIFA 2023: Kamal Haasan Talks About OTT Revolution; Says, ‘I Saw It Coming Much Before Everything…’

Celebrated actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan says that he saw the OTT revolution happening long before anyone else, but people did not agree with him. He was speaking on Saturday on the sidelines of a press conference for IIFA 2023 Awards.

When asked about his take on OTT, which is currently ruling the mind space of the audience, Kamal Haasan said: "I saw OTT coming much before everyone else. I told everyone that we have to get into it, but the industry disagreed with me. But now, everyone understands what I was trying to say, now that the Indian audience has got a taste of international cinema." Kamal Haasan has been ruling the hearts of fans for decades and he broke the North-South language barrier much before the rest.

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When asked about staying relevant, Kamal said, "I am a film buff. I'd make the kind of movies that I'd like to see myself. Sometimes I get involved with them, and don't act in them, I produce them, and I am doing it even now. There are a couple of films that I am producing, where I have nothing to do with them, except spend money on them.

The landscape of cinema is changing because of new technologies and a different style of storytelling, so we asked Kamal if it is the responsibility of producers to nurture talent and tell riveting stories. He said: "Let's just say you have an MA degree in literature, but that doesn't make you a good screenwriter, it just makes you a degree holder."

He added: "This is a different art. If Shakespeare came today, he would take a few workshops in screenwriting. And he was one of the greatest artists who ever lived. See, it's not just the producers, the industry itself has done very little for industrial training."

Commenting on the state of training for aspiring filmmakers, Kamal said: "It is only by being street smart we have been able to survive so far. Education happens in a very slow manner, almost like nature. A journalist goes to another journalist to train, actors should also be like that, and directors should also be like that.

"We are the largest film-producing country in the world and yet we do not have enough training centres. There are plenty of places to learn cricket, but I don't think I can say the same about cinema. I am not pointing fingers here; this includes me as well."

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On the work front, Kamal Haasan is busy with 'Indian 2', helmed by Shankar, and also starring Rakul Preet Singh and Kajal Aggarwal.