Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who is gearing up for his television debut with Bigg Boss, says he wouldn’t mind directing a TV series if the money is good enough. In an interview to Times of India, the star opened up on his new avatar as the host of Tamil version of Bigg Boss.
Asked what prompted him to choose the show, he said, “I would say that it is the demography of the audience and the number of people you can reach that made me take this. And of course, the money you get also matters. I am in this business for the money, and I won't be doing films for free. What also matters is that television's reach is fantastic because in the case of movies, you have to sell tickets, etc. So, for me, the more the merrier. Both the audience and the money are good.”
He went on to add that he wouldn’t miss an opportunity to direct a TV series. “But, once again, the money should be right. They got into it because there is more money in it than Hollywood films, and actors are coming in, too. The small screen is giving a run for money for the complacent Hollywood, which knows only Hunger and Games.”
Apparently, the Tamil version of the show will be made on a much bigger scale. A palatial house with all the facilities is currently being constructed in Chennai’s EVP theme park. As many as 15 participants will be part of the show’s first season and will live in the house for 100 days.
On the controversy surrounding Raaj Kamal Films versus Tamil Nadu state government under the rule of late CM J Jayalalithaa, Haasan said he wasn’t afraid to speak when the former was alive. “I tell people who ask me this that they have missed the train. I am already there. I have always been there and that is the problem. Nobody realises that all the films that I write have political background. Thevar Magan was one film in which I showed another side of caste politics, though I never spelt that out in the movie. People say I never spoke when Jayalalithaa was alive. Who said so? There was a Raaj Kamal Films vs Government of Tamil Nadu case — which we won — and that is how we released Vishwaroopam. That's a direct move.”
(Content provided by Digital Native)