From 'Kokila' to 'Rama Shama Bhama': Five Kamal Haasan Kannada movies

Actor Kamal Haasan needs no introduction in the cinema industry. He has acted in different languages like Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and Bengali and is known for his versatility. The actor started his acting career as a child artist in 1960 from the movie ‘Kalathur Kannamma’ and played the lead role in ‘Arangetram’ in 1973. Kamal Haasan made his Kananda debut from the movie ‘Kokila’ in 1977. Together, he acted in five Kannada films. Let's take a look at five Kannada movies of Kamal Haasan.

‘Kokila’ was the first Kannada film where Kamal Haasan played the lead role. The film was directed by Balu Mahendra. Haasan was paried opposite Shoba in this movie. Most notably, the film won the Best Photography National Award and the Best Screenplay State Award. Later, ‘Kokila’ was remade in Malayalam as ‘Oomakkuyil’ and Hindi as ‘Aur Ek Prem Kahani’. Kamal Haasan's first Kannada movie ran for 100 days in Madras (Now Chennai).

‘Thappida Thala’ was directed by K. Balachander, where Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth acted together. K. Balachander had simultaneously made a 'Thappida Thala' in Kannada-Tamil. Saritha, Premila Joshi, and Sunder also played lead roles in this movie. However, Kamal Haasan played the small role and it was very effective.

‘Maria My Darling’ was another bilingual film which was directed by Durai in 1980. Kamal Haasan and Sripriya played the lead role in the movie. This is a complete revenge story, where Kamal Haasan acting was appreciated. Maria My Darling title song gained huge popularity when it was released. Balakrishna, Vajramuni, M.P. Shankar, Shivaram, and others acted in Kannada versions.

‘Benkiyalli Aralida Hoovu’ is a female-oriented movie where Suhasini played the lead role, which was directed by K. Balachander. Kamal Hassan had played the role of a bus conductor in the film. His small character grabbed attention of the audience through the song ‘Munde Banni’. This is a remake of Tamil movie ‘Aval Oru Thodar Kathai’.

After ‘Benkiyalli Aralida Hoovu’ in 1983, Kamal Hassan made his Kannda comeback from the comedy entertainer ‘Rama Shama Bhama’ which was directed by Ramesh Aravind where he also played the lead role. Kamal Haasan played the role of a doctor in this movie, and Shruthi paired up with him in this movie. Kannada fans were happy to see Kamal Haasan in a Kannada movie.