K Balachander's 90th birth anniversary today is a good occasion to talk a bit about why his cinematic association with Kamal Haasan is special and interesting. A thread based on just 3 small scenes from their last movie together.

My own formative years were in the late 70s and the 80s --- the period that the duo's partnership mostly covered. And they had an important hand in shaping the cinematic sensibilities of many like me in these parts in that era.

It's well-known that KB and Kamal made 36 films together, their last formal outing as director-actor was Unnal Mudiyum Thambi in 1988 --- the time when KB was more less at the end of his top creative phase, while Kamal was just taking off on his own amazing inventive run.

They reportedly had differences of opinion during the making of UMT with Kamal apparently not very convinced by his characterisation in the film.

But as it happens --- and this is life's way of mocking at us humans --- if that Udayamurthy character had emerged from the screen and formed a political party it would exactly be the one that Kamal has actually floated now.

Anyway, UMT as a film had plenty of brilliant
cinematic moments, but didn't quite come togther as a movie, as they got drowned in the shrill preachiness of the screenplay. It's easy to understand now why Kamal was uncomfortable then.

UMT, again as is well-known, is a remake of KB's own Rudraveena in Telugu with Chiranjeevi. It was a surprise that KB chose to make it in Telugu first, when the emotional heft of UMT has its actual origin in Varumaiyin Niram Sigappu --- one of the best Kamal-KB collaborations.

Udayamurthy & his dad Bilahari Marthandam Pillai are practically separated-at-birth twins of Rangan & Needamangalam Sundaram Pillai. The same conservative father-woke son clash at play. Son canceling out dad over political outlook. This KB-Kamal combo were far ahead, I say. :)

Also, even though Rudraveena and UMT, for the most part, are similar, you can also see that KB was not so sure-footed in the former. One, it could be the language. Two, it is his own comfort and belief in Kamal.

There are three scenes in UMT that are not in Rudraveena. And they are well and truly made for a film in which the hero is a musician and is endowed with an impsih sense of humour. Each one of them, even if short, are also quintessentially both Balachander and Kamal.

Watch this clip: Especially from 3.10 to 3.20 second mark. And in that 10 seconds, Kamal so nonchalantly hums out the 'raga swaroopam' of Bilahari. In those succinct seconds, KB is able to establish the character's soul --- confidence and impertinence.

This is because Kamal knows music. And KB knew that.
And immediately following that, between 3.50 and 4.30 mark, just enjoy this lark of a scene. Kamal casually and playfully strumming out the lines from Paal vadiyum Mugam in Nattakurinji.

Look at the natural sway that Kamal brings to his body while luxuriantly careening inside the cavernous vessel. The enjoyment in the people's faces around him is palpable. And I suspect that enjoyment part was not acting there.

And what of this song! Enna Samayalo As many of you may know that this song was originally recorded for the film Manipur Maamiyaar that never got released (Starring Jayalalithaa and Vijaykumar, it was halted midway).

But it is not known whose idea was to re-create that song in UMT. KB, Kamal or Raaja? But KB is a pastmaster in canning such songs. Remember Orru Naal from Major Chandrakanth where Nagesh playfully creates an orchestra out of household items for Jayalalithaa to sing in 'radio'.

(Just a digression. Look at the two songs and marvel at the two music directors. In Orru Naal, V Kumar, even within that amazing melody is able to pack in a sense of foreboding, about a disaster waiting to happen.)

(In Enna Samayalo, Ilaiyaraaja gives serious ragas a fun and convivial treatment. It needs a strange insouciance to pull this off.)

Enna Samayalo song also showcases Kamal's screen comedy that involves a bit of Nagesh and his own slapstick reprise of Chaplin. The song is one vaudeville entertainment package plus the bonus sui generis Kamalisms thrown in.

That short stretch between 3.52 and 4.00 is a sheer delight, as Kamal infuses it with a sense of easy mirth. It's a remarkable musical delivery of enjoyable and jovial histrionics. Kamal went on to make many memorable comedic songs sequences in his subsequent films.

But remember, it was all forged and polished at KB's lathe.
Many years ago, during an interview with KB, I specifically asked him about these three specific sequences and whether he was able to conjure them up because of the actor. KB unhesitatingly said, "yes".

In that interview, KB openly said that by the late 80s Kamal needed bigger and better things to satisfy his creative urges than anything he (KB) could come up with then. Newer and higher horizons beckoned Kamal. He sure went for them.

But from 1973, with the uncannily appropriate title Arangetram, KB had given the right stage for Kamal. From then on, the duo fed off each other till such time Kamal was ready to outgrow his mentor.

And KB sent him off to bigger things, again with the appropriate title: Unnal Mudiyum Thambi. (End).