Kamal Haasan, actor-turned-politician and founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), is set to enter the Rajya Sabha after being nominated by ally DMK, following a poll pact ahead of the 2024 general elections. Though offered a Lok Sabha seat, the 70-year-old chose a Rajya Sabha berth, citing national interest. Once a critic of Dravidian parties, Haasan has now fully aligned with the ruling DMK, marking a dramatic shift in his political stance. Having launched MNM in 2018 as an alternative to the DMK and AIADMK, Haasan had earlier declared, “Our voice will be heard in Parliament,” signaling his ambition.
From stating that his party was to eradicate corruption to calling Stalin an “insult to Karunanidhi” to saying “he will never ally with thieves”, he has made a 180 degree turn to ally with the DMK in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to begging for a Rajya Sabha seat to ensure his survival.
"I can swear boldly that I will never ally with thieves." – MNM Chief
All for 1 Rajya Sabha seat.. pic.twitter.com/NgChDARJuP
— Soma Sundaram (@isomasundaram72) March 9, 2024
In a series on “This Day That Year” by Dinamalar on social media platform X, a remark made by Kamal Haasan in 2021 has come to the fore. On 8 March 2021, Kamal is said to have made the statement, “If you want to insult Karunanidhi, all you need to say is MK Stalin.” MNM President Kamal Haasan said that if he wanted to be humiliated, he would lie down.
தமிழக அரசியல்: இதே நாளில் அன்று! #KamalHaasan | #DMK | #MNM | #Stalin | #Karunanidhi | #tamilnadupolitics https://t.co/zc5i50ljad pic.twitter.com/C6G624vZgy
— Dinamalar (@dinamalarweb) March 8, 2024
Leave politics aside for the moment, as they say in politics there is no permanent enemy or friend. Let us take a look at his misogynist behaviour and his anti-India attitude over the years.
Anti-India Kamal Haasan
Despite making films like Kuruthi Punal, Hey Ram on partition which was a minority appeasement movie or Indian, Kamal Haasan has exhibited a deep anti-India bias on most occasions. Here are a few instances of his anti-India attitude.
Called For Plebiscite In Kashmir
Part-time-politician Kamal Haasan, made his alignment move with the DMK in pursuit of a single Rajya Sabha seat in 2024, voiced strong opposition to the central government’s actions in Kashmir at the time of Article 370 abrogation. In 2019, he called the move to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories a “direct blow to democracy,” and called the move as an autocratic decision-making process.
“This move is highly regressive. Article 370 and 35A have historical significance, and any changes should have been made through a consultative and inclusive process,” he said.
Not only this, back in February 2019, during a public event in Chennai, Kamal Haasan raised several provocative questions, stating, “Why do the soldiers die? Why should our home’s watchman die? If politicians on both sides (in India & in Pakistan) behave properly, no soldier needs to die. The Line of Control will be under control. Why is India not holding a plebiscite in Kashmir? What are they (Indian government) afraid of?”
Makkal Needhi Maiam leader Kamal Hassan at an event in Chennai yesterday: Why India is not holding a plebiscite in Kashmir? What are they (Indian government) afraid of? pic.twitter.com/9M6bS5JoWV
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2019
Said India’s First Terrorist Was A Hindu
In May 2019, actor-politician Kamal Haasan stirred controversy by calling Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, “free India’s first terrorist.” While campaigning in Aravakurichi, a Muslim-majority constituency in Tamil Nadu, Haasan stated, “I am not saying this because this is a Muslim-dominated area, but I am saying this before a statue of Gandhi. Free India’s first terrorist was a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse. There it [terrorism] starts.” Emphasizing unity and equality, he added, “Good Indians desire for equality and want the three colours in the Tricolour to remain intact. I am a good Indian, will proudly proclaim that.”
His remarks drew sharp criticism from BJP leaders. Tamil Nadu BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan condemned the statement, calling it “strongly condemnable” and accused Haasan of inciting “communal violence” through “divisive vote bank politics.” She urged the police to take action and ban his campaign.
In response, Haasan later clarified, “Let me tell you terrorists abound all religions. Every religion has its own terrorists, and we cannot claim that we are sanctimonious.” He emphasized that his speech aimed at maintaining harmony and warned that arresting him would escalate tensions: “Let them arrest. But if they arrest me tensions will escalate.”
His film Hey Ram was another attempt at minority appeasement in which he would’ve shown Hindu nationalists as Nazis.
Misogynist Kamal Haasan
For all the women empowerment dialogues he may have made in his films, Kamal Haasan has his share of harassment behaviour that he meted out to his female colleagues and female family members. Here’s a recap of those incidents.
Kisses Underage Co-Star, Voices Support For Sexual Harassment Protest – Irony Of Ironies
On 23 May 2023, Kamal Haasan tweeted, “Today marks 1 month of protests by athletes of the wrestling fraternity. Instead of fighting for national glory, we have forced them to fight for personal safety. Fellow Indians, who deserves our attention, our national sporting icons or a politician with an extensive criminal history?”
It is worth noting that Kamal Haasan, who has come out in support of wrestlers protesting the arrest of their molester, was once accused of kissing an underage actress on screen without her consent. The alleged incident occurred during the shooting of the movie Punnagai Mannan, during which he kissed Rekha, a 16-year-old actress who had just completed 10th grade back then.
The visuals of the song “Enna Satham Indha Neram” show Kamal Haasan having sex with the 16-year-old actress semi-naked.
In an interview with a YouTube channel, actress Rekha said, “I had no idea about the kissing scene. I was only 16 at the time. Neither Kamal nor Director Balachander informed me that there would be a kissing scene. I felt horrible after filming the kissing scene.”
Kamal Haasan’s support for female wrestlers was mocked on social media, as there are already calls to file a POCSO case against him for kissing an underage actress without her permission.
Suhasini Maniratnam Reveals How Her Uncle Kamal Haasan Used To Drop Her At College Without Wearing Pants
After the above anecdote went viral, another anecdote by former actress and filmmaker Suhasini Maniratnam who is also the niece of Kamal Haasan surfaced in which she noted how her uncle Kamal used to drop her at college without wearing pants.
In part/episode 13 of Zee Tamil’s show titled “Weekend With Stars” that was aired in 2018, Suhasini Maniratnam shares about her early life and her relationship with Kamal Haasan.
Sharing her experience with anchor Archana Chadhoke, Suhasini says “Sometimes, shooting happens opposite to our college. The shooting of Ilamai Oonjal Aadugiradhu was going on. Till then, I had kept it as a secret and nobody knew the fact that Kamal is my chitthapa (uncle). The song ‘Nee Kettal Naan Maatenendra Solven Kanna’ where Kamal will be smoking and Sripriya takes it off, that scene was being shot there. Everybody were going crazy saying ‘Kamal Haasan has come, Kamal Haasan has come, We’ve to go and see’ and I told them ‘I won’t come, I won’t come’ but they took me anyway. After going there, I was standing somewhere hidden at the back and then Kamal shouts ‘Aye!’ and calls me by a name. Shall I tell that name? ‘Chu Chu, come here’, he said. I was so embarrased”
She jovially says “I’ve a beautiful name Suhasini and he called me Chu Chu! Yea that’s my name. He called me that and people beside me started asking ‘Why is Kamal calling you with a weird name?’ to which Kamal said ‘You don’t know? She’s my daughter. My brother’s daughter’. That’s it. I got jittered. After that I became quite popular in college.”
She further goes on to say “Then, sometimes Kamal used to drop me at college. In those times, I don’t know whether you remember. There used to be a dress for karate. He won’t be wearing anything under. He used to be doing karate at home. Down, only his underpants will be there. He used to say that he has bought a new car and will drop me at college in that. I used to beg him saying ‘Please wear pants and come. Or atleast wear shorts and come.’ to which he would say ‘Chee chee, I won’t get out of the car. I’m a big star. And that too will I step outside ladies college?’. But then correctly he will come, he will get down and open the door for me. That’s it! The entire Queen Mary’s will be watching Kamal Haasan and his legs would.. Ayyo! I would be so ashamed! I used to yell ‘why are you doing like that?’. But he is like that only. Always doing galatta.”
Anti-Hindu Kamal Haasan
While he may have made statements in public claiming he is atheist, Kamal Haasan ensured to inject anti-Hindu themes into his films, often portraying Hindu symbols and traditions in a negative light. In Kaathala Kaathala (1998), a Hindu religious figure—also depicted as a liquor merchant—converts a classroom into a cow shed and forces the hero to fake a miracle for a fraudulent Hindu godman, a trope more commonly associated with Christian evangelists.
In Manmadhan Ambu (2010), Haasan himself penned a controversial song in which a woman mockingly prays to goddess Varalakshmi for a sexually satisfying husband, even expressing willingness to convert religions. The song also ridicules the goddess’s husband as someone who is “always sleeping.”
Facing backlash from Hindu groups like Hindu Munnani, Haasan was forced to remove the song, though he claimed he did so to protect producer Udhayanidhi Stalin’s interests.
On Sacred Thread
In July 2018, actor-politician Kamal Haasan held a Q&A session on Twitter where he candidly answered questions from his fans. When asked which books (“nool” in Tamil) had influenced his life, Haasan replied with a pointed wordplay that sparked controversy. He said, “There is a thread I avoided. The thread affected me a lot – Poonool. That is why I avoided it.”
The remark, referring to the sacred thread traditionally worn by Brahmins, drew sharp criticism from members of the Brahmin community. Offended by what they saw as a dismissive statement about a significant religious symbol, the community issued a statement condemning his comment. “The poonool is the most secular thread and his statement has no logic,” they declared. The statement further accused Haasan of disrespecting his own roots, stating, “Kamal Haasan has no respect for his parent heritage and is putting forth a poor personality in front of the people and now people are more aware of it.”
Chozhas Are Not Hindus
Kamal Haasan supported Tamil director Vetrimaaran’s controversial claim that Raja Raja Chola “wasn’t Hindu.” Vetrimaaran, speaking at an event after the release of Ponniyin Selvan: 1, said, “They (BJP) are trying to steal our identity. They have already tried to saffronize Thiruvalluvar. We should never allow that.”
Kamal Haasan echoed this view, stating, “There was no name called ‘Hindu religion’ during Raja Raja Chola’s period. There was Vainavam, Shaivam, and Samanam, and it was the British who coined the term Hindu since they didn’t know how to refer to it collectively.” He compared it to the colonial renaming of places, saying, “It is similar to how they changed Thuthukudi into Tuticorin.”
BJP leader H Raja responded by pointing out that the king called himself Sivapadha Sekaran, and challenged, “Let him point out two churches and mosques built by Raja Raja Chola.” This controversy follows earlier criticism in 2019 by director PA Ranjith, who called the Chola period a “dark age” for Dalits.
Derogates Hindu Gods
While talking about women’s issues on a stage back in 2020, Kamal Haasan said, “Gods too wear less dress. A few Gods don’t wear any dress. When the mind is not spoiled by seeing those Gods, how come it is spoiled while seeing my sisters”. This statement of the MNM chief has invited severe backlash.
While addressing the women audience Kamal Haasan said, “I have never felt shy to speak in front of women. Because my house was mostly dominated by women. Women play an important role in the transformation of the world. Even before Gandhiji, women took part in the freedom struggle. They say that women wearing less dress is the reason for the rape crimes. Gods too wear less dress. A few Gods don’t wear any dress. When you don’t get the urge on seeing ‘that’, how come you feel the urge while seeing my sisters. It is mutual consent when there is love but when they want to have that without love, then is the problem”.
This remark of his came just days after he refused the ‘poornakumbham’ honours offered by Hindu priests on behalf of a Murugan Temple in Kanchipuram on 21 December 2020. According to sources, a member belonging to Kamal Haasan’s party and known to one of the Sivachariyars had approached to make arrangements for welcoming Kamal Haasan. Since the person was known to the priest, he had obliged to the request. However, they did not expect that the actor-politician would refuse it.
Kamal Haasan’s Political Chameleon Act Exposed
Kamal Haasan’s descent from a self-styled reformer to a supplicant at the feet of the very political establishment he once denounced is nothing short of disgraceful. From launching Makkal Needhi Maiam to “cleanse” Tamil Nadu’s politics to now grovelling for a Rajya Sabha seat from the DMK—a party he labeled corrupt and dynastic—Haasan has shredded every ounce of credibility he once claimed.
His alliance with Stalin is not just political opportunism—it is a spineless surrender. His statements various issues, his habitual denigration of Hindu culture, and his deeply problematic behavior towards women all reveal a man intoxicated by his own delusions of relevance. Kamal Haasan has not evolved—he has eroded.
In chasing power, he has betrayed every principle he once preached. His transformation is not that of a visionary stepping into politics for the people—it is of a fading actor scrambling for a seat at any cost, even if it means aligning with the very forces he vowed to fight. His entry into Parliament is not a triumph of idealism, but the coronation of hypocrisy.
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