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One of India's most decorated actors, Kamal Haasan, has joined Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Disha Patani on the cast of filmmaker Nag Ashwin's next, Project K. Made on a budget of Rs 500 crore, Project K is scheduled to release in theatres on January 12, 2024, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages.
Expressing his excitement, Haasan wrote, "I am eagerly waiting for Project K. Whatever position the audience places me at, my primary quality is that I am a film buff. That quality will keep applauding any new attempt in my industry. Let mine be the first applause for ‘Project K.’ With our director Nag Ashwin’s vision I am sure that applause will echo across our country and the world of cinema."
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The 68-year-old actor who made his acting debut as a child artist in the 1960 movie Kalathoor Kannamma, is one of the top talents in the country. While Haasan has many blockbusters to his credit, he has turned down a few blockbuster projects that helped other actors consolidate their position in the industry. Below, is a list of movies rejected by the veteran actor.
Kamal Haasan rejected these hit projects that earned Crores at the box office: Enthiran, Main Hoon Naa & more
The political drama, Mudhalvan, written and directed by S. Shankar was offered to Kamal Haasan but the actor couldn't be a part of the project as he was already committed to Hey Ram. According to IMDb, Haasan had requested Shankar to postpone the project by almost 10 months, but the filmmaker went ahead with Arjun and completed the project. According to The Times of India, Shankar had approached Rajinikanth and Vijay to play the main lead in the movie before offering the role to Haasan.
Before Mudhalvan, S. Shankar had approached Kamal Haasan with the script of Gentleman, an action heist movie that revolved around a businessman who steals from the rich to aid the poor. However, the 68-year-old actor turned down the project due to the complex politics shown in the movie, according to IMDb. The role was then offered to Arjun, who teamed up with Madhoo and Subhashri to entertain the audience. In addition to a good run at the box office, the movie also won many prestigious awards.
Did you know Kamal Haasan and Preity Zinta were the first choices for S. Shankar's science-fiction action flick Enthiran/Robot? Yes, the filmmaker had announced the project with Haasan and Zinta in the lead in the early 2000s. However, the project got shelved due to scheduling conflicts and budget issues, according to IMDb. But the filmmaker did revive his dream project a couple of years later and roped in Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to essay the lead roles. The Tamil movie emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2010. It also won two National Film Awards.
Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Farah Khan wanted to rope in Kamal Haasan to play the main antagonist in Main Hoon Naa, however, the actor turned down the offer due to his hectic schedule, according to India Today. Confirming the same, Khan had even revealed the reason why Haasan couldn't be a part of her project. "I went to Chennai. Kamal Haasan was very nice and he met me and showed me the rushes of the film he was then making. He took me to the office and fed me lunch. Finally, he told me he can’t do my film. He told me that he’s making a movie on Silk Route," she said. She finally roped in Suniel Shetty to play the main baddie in her movie, who left everyone impressed with his act. The movie starred Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao in prominent roles.
After essaying the role of Rajaraman Venkatraman aka Vasool Raja in Vasool Raja MBBS, a remake of Sanjay Dutt's Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Haasan was supposed to reprise the role in the sequel. However, the actor decided to opt out of the sequel as he wasn't sure if the theme of Gandhigiri would strike a chord with the South audience. Following Haasan's exit, the project never materialized.
According to a TOI report, an Indo-Japanese production titled 19 Steps starring Kamal Haasan and Asin was put on the back burner due to the veteran actor's decision to walk out of the project. The report also stated that the Bharat Bala directorial was co-produced by Walt Disney. The makers are yet to share an update on the project.
