A Tamilian by birth Kamal Hassan has acted in films in Tamil, Telegu and Hindi. he is one of those multitalented actors who can romance, make people laugh and even be a villain. His versatility has won him fans across the country. Kamal Hassan as a child actor was seen in the 1960 film, Kalathur Kannamma, directed by A. Bhimsingh.

The early life of Kamal Hassan came with many failures but with his capabilities, he rose to a rare height of success. His first breakthrough film as a lead was Apoorva Raagangal (1975), in which he played a rebellious youth in love with an older woman. With the audience appreciating the film there was no stopping this actor. In Bollywood he created a niche for himself with films like, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Sanam Teri Kasam, Saagar, Sadma, Chachi 420 and several others. Mani Ratnam`s Nayakan (1987) saw Kamal Hassan in a godfather like character. It was a huge hit and even today is ranked as one of the best films of his career.

Kamal Hassan established himself as a star during 1970s and 80s. His first regional Filmfare Award was due to his role in the Malayalam movie Kanyakumari (1974). In the following years he won 6 regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including 4 Best Tamil Actor Awards. The mentor of Kamal Hassan, K. Balachander provided him an opportunity to star in some of the outstanding films of his career, Avargal (1977), Manmadha Leelai and others. Some of the best films of Kamal Hassan include Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu, 16 Vayathinile, Sigappu Rojakal (as an anti hero), Ninaithale Inikkum, Balu Mahendra`s Moondram Pirai, Neeya, Appu Raja, Indian, Thevar Magan, Hey Ram and others.

In the 1980`s, Kamal Hassan was seen in two legendary Telugu language films, Sagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam directed by Kasinadhuni Viswanath. Hassan has always experimented with his films and put his histrionic abilities to test from time to time. Pushpak created history when it was released in 1988. It revived the Silent Era. It had no dialogues. The film fetched him the Best Kannada Actor from Filmfare. The Indian film industry owes its eminence to actors like these.

The acting style of Kamal Hassan has been highly inspiring for all the actors who followed his footsteps of versatile acting. A four-time National Award winner Kamal Hassan`s 7 films have been sent to Oscars as official entries. Kamal Hassan has won the Filmfare awards 18 times. He was also awarded the Padmashri in 1990. It is the third highest recognition given to an Indian citizen. The latest film from the actor is Dashavatharam. It has been hailed as the top grosser of 2008.