Kamal Haasan ropes in his mentor Balachander for next

Chennai: Legendary filmmaker K. Balachander will essay an important role in Kamal Haasan-starrer Tamil comedy ‘Uthama Villain’, which will go on floors soon after the release of ‘Vishwaroopam 2’. Balachander, known for shaping Kamal`s career, worked with the actor in over 30 films since 1973 Tamil drama ‘Arangetram’. "It`s true that Balachander will be playing an important role. He will be sporting a beard for it. On Kamal`s personal request, he agreed to be part of the project. It will be a role very close to his real life personality," a source from the film`s unit said. In 2010, Balachander had starred in Tamil romantic drama ‘Rettaisuzhi’. ‘Uthama Villain’, written by Kamal, will be directed by his best friend Ramesh Arvind, also a student of Balachander. The film will follow the story of an ageing superstar, which will be played by Kamal. "The film will only go on floors after the release of `Vishwaroopam 2`. Kamal has also roped in his favourite dialogue writer `Crazy` Mohan for the film," the source added. In the past, Mohan penned dialogues for several comedies starring Kamal such as ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’, ‘Apoorva Sagodharargal’, ‘Avvai Shanmugi’ and ‘Panchathantiram’.