- Veteran actor Yatin Karyekar called Kamal Haasan self-obsessed during Vasool Raja MBBS shooting
- Kamal Haasan changed a key slap scene to a push in the Tamil remake Vasool Raja MBBS
- Karyekar said Sunil Dutt's authority in Munna Bhai MBBS was missing in the remake
Veteran actor Yatin Karyekar, who has worked with Kamal Haasan in Hey Ram and Vasool Raja MBBS, recently called the latter "self-obsessed." Karyekar elaborated that on several occasions Kamal Haasan improvised scenes and made creative choices to ensure his character did not appear vulnerable.
What's Happening
- Yatin Karyekar particularly highlighted his experience of working with Kamal Haasan in Vasool Raja MBBS, the Tamil remake of Sanjay Dutt's Munna Bhai MBBS.
- Karyekar said a very crucial scene from the original was not included in the remake.
- He told Siddharth Kannan on his podcast, "Kamal Haasan is very self-obsessed. We were shooting for Vasool Raja MBBS. The scene where Jimmy Shergill slaps Sanjay Dutt in the Hindi version was being recreated in Tamil, but he didn't let that scene happen. He replaced the slap with a push."
- Furthermore, Karyekar recalled the assistant director being extremely stressed while the changes were being discussed. He remembered thinking, "When a Sanjay Dutt can do it, what is this man's problem?"
- He also said the authority brought by Sunil Dutt in Munna Bhai MBBS, where he played Sanjay Dutt's onscreen father, could not be recreated in the remake.
- "Nobody could say, 'Ae, jaa na,' to Kamal Haasan in the role of his father in the film," said Karyekar.
On Kamal Haasan Using Controversy In His Approach
Yatin Karyekar went on to state that Kamal Haasan had a habit of utilising controversy because it helped keep the spotlight on himself and his films.
He particularly highlighted an incident during Hey Ram when the actor sat in front of an aeroplane to protest a flight delay. Needless to say, it grabbed a lot of eyeballs and media attention.
Karyekar also stated that he did not agree with Kamal Haasan's approach of courting controversy. Nevertheless, he expressed his admiration for Kamal Haasan, calling him a brilliant technician and filmmaker even though he disagreed with how Kamal handled his public image.
About Vasool Raja MBBS
Filmmaker Saran's 2004 film Vasool Raja MBBS was a treat for Tamil fans, who got to witness a remake of Rajkumar Hirani's blockbuster Munna Bhai MBBS.
The film was led by Kamal Haasan, alongside Prabhu, Sneha, Prakash Raj and Nagesh. Yatin Karyekar and Rohini Hattangadi played the same characters as in the Hindi version.
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