Kamal Haasan’s top 10 mind-blowing avatars

Kamal Haasan set a standard for actors portraying women in films with Chachi 420. The beauty and grace with which he played a woman in the film, which was also directed, produced and co-written by him, was commendable. Haasan looked beautiful in a woman’s get-up and played the role with perfection. The way he changed into Tabu’s husband at a short notice, fought the goons wearing a Maharashtrian sari, made the film one of the favourites.

Kamal Haasan surprised his fans when he went ahead to play not double or triple but 10 roles in the film Dasavathaaram which was released in Hindi as Dashavatar the next year. From playing former US President George Bush to an ex-CIA agent, Kamal Haasan went totally unrecognizable in the prosthetic make-up. With a wide storyline, Kamal Haasan again proved his mettle in the film. It wasn’t surprising when it became the first Tamil film to beat the record set by Rajinikanth’s Sivaji.

In Vishwaroopam, Kamal Haasan played two roles poles. One of the costliest films which created quite a stir due to its content was a success and showed Haasan in two different avatars – a classical dance teacher who loves cooking and an undercover RAW agent who fights the terrorists. None other than Kamal Haasan can so easily justify the two diverse roles with such finesse. The actor never ceases to surprise his fans with his unseen versions.

No actor in the Indian film Industry would have played as many double roles as Kamal Haasan. The actor played a double role for the umpteenth time in Tamil movie Anbe Sivam. Yet again, he proved his excellence in the role of a differently-abled Nalla Sivam. He shared the screen space with R Madhavan in the film which was given a cult status by the critics despite its low box office collections. Kamal Haasan's work outdid all language barriers.

Kamal Haasan's experiments with his looks in his films are well known. In the film Appu Raja, he turned into a dwarf! Appu Raja was the Hindi version of hit Tamil film Apoorva Sagodharargal which had the actor in double roles of Appu and Raja. Unlike some other actors, Kamal Haasan created history by playing a dwarf who was almost half his original height. The excellence with which he played the role was exceptional making the Tamil flick one of the longest running films in the history of Tollywood.

Known for walking the extra mile for his roles, Kamal Haasan set a benchmark for his contemporaries and the next generation by turning a vigilante in the film Indian. The film was dubbed in Hindi with the title Hindustani and the original became India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1996. Kamal played double role of a father and his son in the movie and did equal justice to both of them. Kamal and Hollywood make-up artist Michael Westmore’s efforts in shaping the character of the father made the film historic.

Before Kamal Haasan entered the league of serious Hindi films with strong storylines and experimental roles, he was seen and loved as a romantic hero in films like Sadma, Geraftaar, Ek Duuje Ke Liye to name a few. An actor with lean stature, an innocent face and a moustache, Kamal Haasan was perfect for the role of a romantic hero in Bollywood. His role in Sadma topped with innocence was one of the most memorable roles of his career.

Kamal Haasan played an 89-year-old Hindu lying on his deathbed in Hey Ram. He revisits his past by telling the tale of partition, riots and his personal loss. Portraying a calm and composed practicing Hindu who takes on the Muslims for killing and raping his wife, Kamal Haasan showed his fans how he can effortlessly transcend from one attitude to other with utmost ease and perfection. Hey Ram, known for its controversial nature, will remain one of the best Hindi films of his career.

Kamal Haasan not just played a double role in Telugu movie Alavandhan, but also portrayed two widely different people in physique. Playing twins in the film which was shot in Hindi as Abhay, Kamal Haasan was seen as a lean cop and his heavily muscular mentally challenged brother. The variation in the two characters was the result of Kamal Haasan’s acting finesse which made both the roles equally convincing. While the fans loved the cop, they ended up hating his twin in the film.

A professional at playing double roles, Kamal Haasan was seen as a corrupt mayor and as a youngster in Telugu film Indrudu Chandrudu. It was dubbed in Hindi as Mayor Sahab. While he easily played the younger man faking his mental breakdown to beat a murder charge, he had to walk another mile to play the Mayor. The actor had once revealed how he had to widen his nostrils with pen caps and put a gum on the upper lip to modify his face. Hats off to Kamal Haasan!