I want people to be whistleblowers: Kamal Haasan

Kamal Haasan, who turned 63 today, announced that the work on his political party "has already begun."

Launching a new mobile application 'Maiyam Whistle', which will be functional from January, the actor said it will serve as a digital platform between him and his fans. "Don't ask me when I'll launch a political party. I am already here. I just have to name it, which I will, eventually," he said.

Elaborating on the initiative, Kamal said, "It's not just an app, but a transparent platform, on which one can register complaints wherever things go wrong. The app is still in the development stage; we have a team of 25 experts, who're working on it. I want people to be whistleblowers. Even I should be questioned."

The actor also stressed that he'll achieve justice and fight corruption. "First, I need to understand what people need. I'll be touring Tamil Nadu and speaking to citizens before launching my party. Ultimately, our aim is to create a good Tamil Nadu. It's a collective effort, which can't happen overnight."

It looks like the actor will wrap his film-related commitments before plunging full-time into politics. "I am waiting to lay a strong foundation. If a film needs minimum six months to complete, what about something serious like politics?"

When asked to comment on his recent remarks on right-wing terror groups in a column, which created controversy last week, Kamal Haasan said he never mentioned the term "Hindu terror" in it. "That might have been misinterpreted. But I always believe there's violence in any religion. It can be Hinduism. If they want to kill me for this, I am ready!"

Interestingly, Kamal Haasan also said he was neither a believer, nor an atheist. "I come from a Hindu family. But I have come out of that shell in search of truth long ago. My identity has nothing to do with any religion. Rather, I'd say I am a pagutharivaalan."

As of now, it's not known yet if the actor will retire from films. He still has the much-delayed Vishwaroopam 2 and Sabaash Naidu in the pipeline, as well as Indian 2, a sequel to the 1996 blockbuster, which was announced on a TV show hosted by him.