Six reasons why Kamal Haasan is an indisputable mega icon

Kamal Haasan completes 61 glorious years in Indian cinema today, the sizable portion of which has been crafted by his work as an actor, singer, dancer, writer, producer, make-up man, technician, director and now, a politician. Such has been his contribution that an international channel featured him on the show, 'Mega Icons' and referred to him as a polymath. With a career spanning six decades, the multifaceted personality is lovingly called Ulaganayagan (universal hero) by his fans.Here are five big reasons why he continues to be an unrivalled movie star.
Language no bar
As an actor, Kamal Haasan has dominated the Indian cinema scene by having headlined movies in six different languages, which includes Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and Bengali. Haasan dubbed his own lines, even if the language was new for him. He's known to have learnt the language and then gone ahead to shoot for the film. It comes as no surprise then that he is a mega icon with pan-India appeal.
Milestone man
It can be said that Haasan was born to be part of the world of films. His cinematic journey commenced as a child artiste with the classic film, 'Kalathur Kannamma' (1959). His adorable performance as a kid won him the President's Gold Medal and he has been on an award-winning spree since then. He has four National Awards, 19 Filmfare Awards, a Padma Shri, a Padma Bhushan, an Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) and a mention in the Limca Book of Records to his credit. No other veteran actor in the country has won so many prestigious awards.

Master of all cinematic crafts
The team that works with Haasan closely reveal that the legend hungers to learn something new every day. It was this thirst for knowledge that has earned him recognition as a technician, producer, writer, dancer, artiste and filmmaker. He is the only actor to have seriously pursued Bharatnatyam and Kathak. He has lent his voice to over 50 films. From singing to editing to choreography, he has not only learnt these skills but also excelled at them. As an actor, he has performed his own action scenes, stunts and fight scenes without a body double. Haasan has channeled all that he has learnt into his cinema.
An actor with a vision
Haasan is not only enigmatic, but is also ahead of his time. The actor has experimented with a wide variety of roles, undergone transformations for the portrayal of his characters and explored socially relevant themes that were seldom spoken about in the public domain. His passion for cinema keeps him motivated to experiment and capture every character in its true dimension.
The game-changer
Haasan has numerous game-changing films to his credit. If the timeless 'Nayagan' (1987), written and directed by Mani Ratnam, brought international recognition to Tamil cinema, his experiment with silent movie 'Pushpaka Vimana' (1987) is considered a masterpiece. His film 'Raaja Paarvai' (1981) is now considered a cult classic that follows the story of a blind violinist who impresses Madhavi, a rich writer, with his ability to live independently despite his impairment. His 'Apoorva Sagodharargal' (1989) had him play a dwarf, Appu, out to avenge his father's death and it was a huge blockbuster that ran in theatres for almost 600 days. He also specialises in playing multiple characters in his films, so much he's often the subject of caricatures for it. He has played 10 roles in one film, 'Dasavtharam' (2010), the only other actors to do that was his idol, Sivaji Ganesan in Tamil film 'Navarathri' (1964), which was remade with Sanjeev Kumar in 'Naya Din Nayi Raat' (1974). Seven of Haasan films, including 'Saagar' (1985), 'Swati Mutyam' (1986), 'Nayagan' (1987), 'Thevar Magan' (1992), 'Kuruthipunal' (1995), 'Indian' (1996) and 'Hey Ram' (2000) have been sent to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language category over the years.
Bollywood's Kamal Haasan hangover
Haasan chose to explore his craft in the South than in Hindi films. However, his presence could be felt even in his absence in Bollywood as they went about remaking his films with Hindi film superstars. Much before his entry in Bollywood with 'Ek Duje Ke Liye' (1981), his '16 Vayathinile' (1977) was made with Amol Palekar in 'Solva Sawan' (1979), 'Sigappu Rojakkal' (1978) with Rajesh Khanna in 'Red Rose' (1980), 'Kalyanaraman' (1979) with Dharmendra in 'Ghazab' (1982). Later when he began concentrating only in South films, his 'Oru Kaidhiyin Diary' (1985) was remade with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Aakhree Raasta' (1986), 'Swati Mutyam' (1986) with Anil Kapoor in 'Eeshwar' (1989), 'Nayagan' (1987) with Vinod Khanna in 'Dayavan' (1988), 'Thevar Magan' (1992) with Anil Kapoor in 'Virasat' (1997) among others.