Actor Urvashi, who recently bagged the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Ullozhukku, has opened up about working alongside Kamal Haasan in Michael Madana Kama Rajan.
In an interview with anchor Gobinath, the actor particularly recalled the scene in which Urvashi's Tiruppurasundari and Kamal Haasan's Kameshwaran have a confrontation in the former's house, leading to their confession of love. "We shot that scene in a small, old-style house in Alwarpet. A day before the actual shoot, we arrived in full costume and makeup to rehearse the entire scene from start to finish. It was a single-shot sequence that moved from the ground floor to the first floor, so we practised it in one continuous stretch," she recalled. Further, she said that after the rehearsal, Kamal Haasan sir called for pack-up. "I turned to Crazy Mohan sir and asked, “Why did I have to get into full makeup and costume just for a rehearsal?” He took me aside and said, “Kamal sir is very particular. It’s best to follow instructions.” We left for the day thinking the actual take would happen later."
However, Urvashi was challenged to recreate the scene at one stretch with a veteran like Kamal Haasan the very next day. "But the next day, when I arrived fully ready again, Kamal sir simply said, “Let’s go for the take.” I was completely taken aback and asked him, “How can I shoot the scene after just one rehearsal?” He calmly said, “But we rehearsed it well yesterday, didn’t we?” I didn't have a choice."
Urvashi then channelled her inner Tiruppurasundari and performed the famous "Kattindrikom" scene at one go alongside Kamal Haasan. "We started the scene, and though I was nervous, I managed to say my lines and perform in one go. After the take, Kamal sir smiled and said, “She acts like she’s unprepared, but she’s a natural.” That was such a huge compliment for me. He even asked for a retake, but I told him I was done. I find it hard to recreate something the exact same way twice."
Kamal Haasan has previously described Urvashi as an unpredictable actor, which the latter feels is her biggest award so far. "I usually don’t plan how to act in a scene. I go with the flow. For instance, when we were shooting the 'Per Vechalum' song in Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Kamal sir, playing Kameshwaran, was supposed to fall at my paati’s feet. But without warning, he touched my feet as well. I was so shy and caught off guard that I spontaneously jumped to the beat of the song. It wasn’t choreographed; it just happened in the moment," she recalled.
On her friendship with Kamal Haasan, she shared, "Over time, Kamal Sir and I became good friends, with mutual respect. I gained recognition again in the Tamil film industry largely because he once described me as an “unpredictable actor”. It was also Kamal Sir who encouraged me to take up more Malayalam films. He noticed that I wasn’t drawn to glamour or romantic roles and told me Malayalam cinema would offer me stronger character parts, which is exactly what I was looking for."
Apart from Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Kamal Haasan and Urvashi have shared the screen for many more films, such as Andha Oru Nimidam, Panchathanthiram, Manmadhan Ambu and Uttama Villain.
