Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth unveil K Balachander's statue

Kamal Haasan turned 65 on yesterday, and a series of events are underway to not just celebrate the day but also to commemorate the actor's 60^th year in Indian cinema. Today, Kamal, Rajinikanth, Mani Ratnam, and a host of other celebrities gathered to unveil the statue of late director and Dadasaheb Phalke award winner K Balachander. 

A bust of the director, who both Kamal and Rajini consider to be their guru, was unveiled at the new Raaj Kamal Films International office. Families of Balachander and Kamal Haasan were also present at the event. A portrait of Ananthu, K Balachander's writer and a mentor to Kamal, was also inaugurated. 

After paying a heartfelt tribute to his guru, Kamal also spoke about how Rajini and him are fans of each other's works. Speaking at the event, Rajinikanth said Kamal would always be Balachander's favourite child. He also ranked Aboorva Sagodharargal as his favourite Kamal movie and narrated an incident of how he went to Kamal's house at 2 am to express his wonderment. "I told him that he has become immortal with Aboorva Sagodharargal. Thevar Magan is another classic," said Rajini. 

Referring to the future plans of his home production, Kamal said, "The bust of Balachander is here to monitor my work. We will soon announce our 50th film. It will be a mega film even if I am not acting in it." 

After the event, a special screening of Hey Ram was conducted at the Sathyam Multiplex followed by an interactive Q&A session with the audience. Incidentally, Hey Ram was one of the three films Rajinikanth revealed as his all-time favourites. "Godfather, Thiruvilaiyadal, and Hey Ram are my favourite films. I must have watched Hey Ram almost 30 times," said Rajini.

Earlier, on Thursday, Kamal unveiled a statue of his late father D Srinivasan in his hometown of Paramakudi.