Kamal Hassan to watch Rajinikanth`s film

Mumbai: In what could be regarded as a major departure from the custom, Kamal Hassan is all set to view his friend and professional rival Rajinikanth`s latest film, the long-awaited ‘Kochadaiyaan’.

The film is crucial for Rajinikanth as it would be his first after his hospitalization two years ago. The film adopts a new form of storytelling known as the Motion Capture technique where all of the Tamil superstar`s actions would be heightened and amplified through special effects. Understandably, Rajini is said to be anxious and has asked Kamal Hassan, known to have a deep comprehension of cinema, to step in to suggest changes. Only then will Rajinikanth decide on a release date. "Rajini considers Kamal to be extremely cinema literate. He respects Kamal`s judgement on cinema. Since this film is crucial (for him), he has asked Kamal to view the film," said a source from Chennai. A suitable date for the screening is being arranged. Speaking fondly about his friendship and rivalry with Rajinikanth, Kamal says: "I`d do anything he asks me to, no question of refusing him. Both of us were young actors who started from scratch. He was the bus conductor with acting aspirations. I was the clapper boy who got the clap in my very film (Kamal Haasan played a character with venereal disease in his first adult role). "We didn`t have fathers to make movies for us. But we had the same godfather K. Balachander. We`ve done around 10 films together, most of them were hits, though we did have failures. We`ve done three films for our mutual mentor Balachander," he added. Kamal also says he can never say `no` to Rajinikanth. "I`ve done guest roles in Rajini`s films. It`s quite strange, but our paths as actors were always intertwined. Initially we were both typecast as villains. I got fed up doing those and went away to Kerala to do Malayalam films. Then his career as a villain took off, and I returned to Chennai to pursue a career in Tamil cinema. "We made our way up together. Rajini once pointed out that though he`s four years my senior, I`m his senior professionally and that he would take my advice about doing a film with me, if there`s an occasion for us to star together," he added. Kamal doesn`t rule out the possibility of doing another film with Rajinikanth. "It depends. He said if we do a film together, he won`t direct it. It has to be either me or someone else. It would be quite interesting to do a film with him," he said. IANS