Kamal Haasan gives a fiery speech at Indian 2 event: ‘This is my country and…’
The album of Shankar’s Indian 2 was launched at a grand event in Chennai on Saturday. Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR gave speeches.
The team of Indian 2 hosted a grand event at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai for the audio launch of Shankar’s sequel to the 1996 film. Shankar, Kamal Haasan, Anirudh Ravichander, Rakul Preet Singh, and Kajal Aggarwal were in attendance, along with Silambarasan TR, Lokesh Kanagaraj, Nelson Dilipkumar, Bobby Simha, and Brahmanandam.
Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan were among those who caught attention with their speeches at the event. While the former delved into what Indian 2 was all about, apart from talking about politics, Silambarasan shared his excitement about the much-awaited sequel, referring to Kamal as his ‘guru’.
Everyone is your kin’
Kamal gave a fiery speech at the audio launch, talking about the themes Indian 2 and Indian 3 will explore. “I am a Tamilian and an Indian; that’s my identity, and yours too. That’s the concept behind the sequels,” The Hindu quoted him as saying, adding, “Divide and rule is a British concept. It worked back then because they had a home to go back to. It will no longer work. I wonder where those trying to do the same today would go to?”
He also shared his dream of someday seeing a Tamilian rule the country while safeguarding the unity India prides itself on. He reportedly said, “Yathum oore, yavarum kelir. (Every city is your city; everyone is your kin.) We are known for giving lives to those who have come to our state. Why shouldn’t there be a day when a Tamilian rules the country? This is my country, and we must safeguard the unity within it.”
‘Kamal sir is my on-screen guru’
Silambarasan spoke about Kamal at the audio launch, stating how excited he is to watch the sequel and how the actor inspired him through the years. He said, “I just came from shooting for Thug Life with Kamal sir. I feel that Indian had tapped the commercial formula to be a hit. I have lost count of how many times I watched it, I can’t wait for the sequel.”
He added, “If Appa (actor-director T Rajendar) is my guru behind the camera, Kamal sir is that on-screen. I can’t explain in words how excited I am to be working with him. Everyone is talking about pan-India films now, but he worked in various languages before it was a trend. Indian is an apt title for him.”
Kamal gave a fiery speech at the audio launch, talking about the themes Indian 2 and Indian 3 will explore. “I am a Tamilian and an Indian; that’s my identity, and yours too. That’s the concept behind the sequels,” The Hindu quoted him as saying, adding, “Divide and rule is a British concept.
Indian 2, which comes with the tagline Zero Tolerance, has been in production since 2019, will see Kamal reprise his role as Senapathy. The sequel will also feature Kajal, Siddharth, and Rakul in lead roles. The film was temporarily put on hold after an accident injured the crew on sets in 2020. Shooting was also delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed in 2022, with Shankar juggling shooting between this and Ram Charan, Kiara Advani-starrer Game Changer. Indian 2 will release on July 12.
Taking the opportunity, the director of Indian 2, S. Shankar talked about the highly anticipated movie and said, “Every scene of Kamal Haasan would be a treat for the fans’’.
Further, he praised Anirudh Ravichander for the banger tracks in Indian 2. “I’m working with Anirudh for the First time and he has given 6 great songs’’, he said.
Lokesh Kanagaraj who is currently busy with the preparation for his upcoming film with Rajinikanth was also present at the audio launch event.
Speaking about his excitement around the film, he said, “ I have been waiting for this film since its announcement. Whenever I meet Kamal sir, Shankar sir, or Anirudh, I always asked for updates.”