Kamal Haasan
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Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian filmmaker and politician, currently serving as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha for Tamil Nadu. He is an actor, director, producer, screenwriter, playback singer and lyricist who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He has also worked as an assistant director, choreographer, editor, make-up artist, narrator, television host, and a distributor of films. He founded a magazine, Maiam (lit. Center), which he edited, and has written over 100 poems and some books. In his cinematic career, he has made over 250 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali. Haasan has won numerous accolades, including five National Film Awards, twenty Filmfare Awards, eleven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and four Nandi Awards. He was honoured with the Kalaimamani in 1978, the Padma Shri in 1990, the Padma Bhushan in 2014, and the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier) by the Government of France in 2016. He was invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025 to become a member of its Actors Branch, for being an "exceptionally talented individual having made indelible contributions to global filmmaking community." Haasan started his career at the age of 5 in the 1960 Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma, which earned him the National Award for Best Child Artist. After playing a few supporting roles, he progressed to lead role in the 1974 Malayalam film Kanyakumari, for which he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He then earned three National Awards for Best Actor for Moondram Pirai (1982), Nayakan (1987) and Indian (1996). Haasan has won 20 Filmfare Awards in total, the most for any actor. He holds the record for the most Filmfare Awards for Best Actor, with a total of 18 wins – eleven in Tamil, three in Telugu, two in Malayalam, one in Hindi, and one in Kannada. He has been nominated for 63 Filmfare Awards, the most for any actor. He also holds the record for the most Filmfare Award nominations for acting, with 50 nominations. He is the only actor who has won Filmfare Awards across five different languages. Besides several acting awards for his acclaimed performances, he has won many other cinematic awards for producing, directing, screenwriting, singing, lyric writing, choreographing and dancing. Haasan is also distinguished for starring in the highest number of films submitted by India for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, with seven films – Saagar (1985), Swathi Muthyam (1986), Nayakan (1987), Thevar Magan (1992), Kuruthipunal (1995), Indian (1996), and Hey Ram (2000) which he directed. He has won many awards at various international film festivals, including the inaugural Best Asian Film Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, South Korea, for his directorial Virumaandi (2004). His production company Raaj Kamal Films International has produced many of his films, including Thevar Magan (1992) which won him the National Award for Best Tamil Film. Haasan's portrayal of an innocent man in Mahanadhi (1994), was selected by Forbes India as one of the 25 greatest acting performances of Indian cinema. Hindustan Times hailed him as "A polymath in the truest sense, Kamal has given silver jubilee films in five languages. If there's one Indian actor who is a one-man industry in himself, it's Kamal Haasan." He received the first Golden Beaver Award at the 2025 Indian Film Festival of Alberta, Canada, for "transforming cinema — bridging cultures, breaking barriers, and inspiring audiences worldwide." He was awarded the "Original Pan-India Superstar" Special Award at the 2022 South Indian International Movie Awards. The Directorate of Film Festivals organised a three-day "Kamal Haasan Film Festival" from 2 to 4 July 2010, and showcased seven of his best films – Sagara Sangamam (1983), Nayakan (1987), Thevar Magan (1992), Hey Ram (2000), Anbe Sivam (2003), Virumaandi (2004), and Dasavathaaram (2008) in which he played ten distinct roles. Nayakan (1987) was chosen as one of the 100 greatest films of all time by the American magazine TIME. Anbe Sivam (2003) was selected as one of the 25 best Indian movies of the 21st century by The Hollywood Reporter India. Haasan received the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Special Award, from the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, for completing 50 years in cinema in 2009. He was named one of the 50 most powerful Indians by India Today in 2017. He has been conferred two Honorary Doctorates, one by Sathyabama University in 2005, one by Centurion University in 2019. He received the first A. T. Kovoor National Award for the Secular Artist in 2005, in acknowledgment of his humanist and philanthropic activities. He was the first Tamil actor to convert his fan clubs into welfare associations, and has been consistently involved in many social services, including donating food and medicines to the needy, helping with children's education, and promoting blood and organ donation. He was appointed an ambassador by the United Nations in 2007, for its joint campaign with the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society to protect the rights of people living with HIV. On 21 February 2018, Haasan launched a political party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (lit. People's Justice Centre). On 25 July 2025, he took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha (Council of States), the upper house of the Parliament of India.