Dhanush takes suggestions from Kamal Haasan for 3

Last week just before Kamal Haasan flew out of Chennai to Los Angeles to supervise the sound-mixing for his new film Vishwaroop, his arch-rival Rajinikanth’s son-in-law Dhanush arranged a very special screening of the much-awaited Tamil-Hindi film.

It was important for Dhanush for Kamal Haasan to watch the film, not only because it’s a crucial release for Kamal Hassan’s daughter Shruti, but also because Dhanush wanted tips on improving the quality of the product. Kamal’s suggestions would now be incorporated in the Hindi version of 3 when it releases in May.

We also hear that Dhanush who has been working overtime on the Hindi dubbing of 3 at the Yash Raj dubbing studio in Mumbai might decide to get his voice done by a dubbing artiste. Apparently, Kamal has advised Dhanush to completely do away with the South Indian flavour for the Hindi version of 3.

Interestingly, Dhanush iconic father-in-law Rajinikanth and Dhanush’s wife Aishwarya who directed the film were absent during the screening for Kamal Haasan. Even more interestingly this is the first film of his daughter that Kamal Haasan has viewed in totality.

Speaking emotionally from LA, Kamal Haasan could barely hold back his exuberance. "I was supposed to fly out to LA for unavoidable post-production work. Mr. Dhanush was kind and generous enough to arrange a special screening for me in Chennai. It was just me, Mr. Dhanush and my daughter in the theatre. We didn’t have the comfort of a crowd in the auditorium to buffer our real emotions. I felt emotionally naked. I’ve never been a demonstrative father. But when I saw my daughter’s performance in 3, I knew my little girl had finally come into her own as an actress."

Showing exceptional sensitivity, Dhanush slipped out the theatre during interval leaving father and daughter alone. Says Kamal Haasan, "It was most considerate of Mr. Dhanush. He quietly left the theatre. For the first time in her career, I hugged my daughter after watching her performance. Besides her performance what really thrilled me to bits is that Shruti looks like me in the film. So far everyone thinks she only looks like her mother (actress Sarika)."

Kamal admits he has offered tips to improve the product. "Again I’ve never done this before. But then this is a very special film."

Added Dhanush, "Kamal Sir saw our film. He isn’t someone who says too much. But from his reactions I think he liked our film. 3 is a performance-oriented film and I was nervous about one of our finest actors was watching it. I believed in Shruti’s performance. I knew Kamal Sir would be one proud dad. So I gave them space. I left them alone, as any sensitive outsider would."