Kamal Haasan tells Rahul Gandhi he made Hey Ram to say sorry to Bapu

Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan was recently in New Delhi to take part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. And after the yatra, the veteran actor had a candid chat with the political leader on films and multiple issues plaguing the nation. During the conversation, Kamal Haasan also revealed how, being a hardcore critic of The Father of The Nation, Mahatma Gandhi eventually became his greatest admirer.

Kamal Haasan told Rahul Gandhi, "I have been talking a lot about Gandhiji now. It was not right from the beginning. My father was a Congressman. When I was in my teens, my environment made me a bitter critic of Gandhi ji. My father did not say anything about it. All he said was, 'Just read history. I think you are talking from the point of what's happening today. He was a lawyer and he didn't argue with me on this case."

He later narrated how he went on to become an admirer of Gandhi and also went on to make a film about him. "Around the age of 24-25, I discovered Gandhi ji on my own and over the years, I have become a fan exponentially. That's me. I made the film Hey Ram to actually correct yourself, and say sorry. I played a parallel assassin (Saket Ram) wanting to kill Gandhiji. As he goes nearer to the person and truth, he changes, but it is too late as somebody else has already done the job that he wanted to do. But he had changed his mind. That's the story of Hey Ram."

He added that he had to take the onus of all the crimes including what happened in the Gandhi family. "We let it happen. I think the worst form of criticism is assassination. I think it's very cheap. That cannot be the answer to anything." Kamal Haasan also added that the nation might soon have a satyagraha for skills. Citing the example of the film industry, Kamal Haasan stated that at least 200 people could be provided employment in a film, but there was not a single institute to train them. He stated it was time to focus on skill development.