Here’s an interview with S Muthukumar, photographer and son of DNS (long-time associate of Kamal), which appeared in Express Buzz a while ago. He has worked with Kamal in many movies — Hey Ram, Marudhanayagam, Mumbai Xpress, Dasavathaaram and upto Unnaipol Oruvan. In addition to his experiences with Kamal, you also get to see a very new still from Marudhanayagam! Below is a snippet from the interview before you click away!

Kamal Haasan is a great person to work with. He ensures that everyone eats at the same time and the same food is served to all. Every moment spent with Kamal Haasan’s crew is a learning experience.You can pick up so much by just being around them.

With Unnaipol Oruvan and Eenadu on their final leg in theatres, let us have a round-up of the release and response over the past few weeks.

Rajnikanth, as usual, praised Kamal’s effort, as reported by IndiaGlitz and Thatstamil. He was among the several special invitees who watched Unnaipol Oruvan. In addition to the below video from Behindwoods, check out the video from IndiaGlitz too.

OneIndia published photos of film reel boxes arriving in USA. IndiaGlitz featured first-day-first-show celebrations. Check out the collection of old posters put up on the occasion.

Initial reports on the response came in from OneIndia and Webdunia. After topping the Tamil box-office charts for 4 weeks (before Diwali), Unnaipol Oruvan is said to have garnered terrific profits. Check out other reports from Webdunia (1 | 2) and IndiaGlitz. There was a record in the Mayajaal multiplex in the Chennai area too. Eenadu is said to have had a decent run too.

[With inputs from Ananth]

Here are a few more reviews of Unnaipol Oruvan that are worth mentioning.

Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu was pleased with the effort overall.

Knowing the taste of the Tamil audience, the actor hasn’t stuck to the completely underplayed performance of Naseeruddin Shah. Kamal’s is original and it is appealing.

S. Shivakumar made a few comments in the Bangalore edition of the same newspaper.

What works is the fact that Kamal has not changed anything drastically. I thought a lesser known actor like Nasser would have suited the protagonist’s role better but if the crowds are thronging, it’s because of Kamal and Lal. Was Naseer better in the original? This role is a cakewalk for Kamal though he could have cut down on the use of English with the fake accent. Mohanlal definitely walks away with the acting honours. People who accuse Kamal of being narcissistic should watch the film just to appreciate the way Lal’s role has been lengthened and the fact that he gets the better lines. It’s a chance to watch two of our most consummate performers, not sparring but complementing each other.

The last review is from a magazine in Canada. The reviewer was thrilled to see a meaningful Tamil movie for a change! Below is the scanned version (click to see full-size image).

Here are some more photos from the valedictory function of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Check out more from Behindwoods.

[Picture courtesy: Behindwoods]

The valedictory function of the recently concluded Golden Jubilee celebrations is to be telecast on Vijay TV on October 12 and 13. The promotional video of the programme is out. The idea behind putting this up is not to promote a specific TV channel but to provide glimpses of the performances and what various people had to say. Enjoy!

[Video courtesy: Behindwoods]

Behindwoods.com conducted a contest for Unnaipol Oruvan, for which the grand prize was a meeting with Kamal. He met with all the winners on Monday at his office on Eldams Road.

In addition to the video above, you can read the experience of one of the winners and a short report. Kamal talks about the importance of time and a way in which it could be spent usefully.

More photos are available on Behindwoods.com.

[With inputs from Ananth]

[Video, picture courtesy: Behindwoods]