My colour is not saffron, says Kamal Haasan after meeting Kerala CM

"I have got huge support from people as an artiste. If I am able to get half of this in politics, then I will be successful," he said.

Pic Courtesy: Twitter/@CMO Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Film actor Kamal Haasan on Friday declared he won't join any left or right oriented political party but would rather like to be on his own, stressing that his colour of choice is not “saffron” - an oblique reference to the BJP and RSS.

He made the remarks after meeting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here.

"My colour is definitely not saffron. That much I can say now," Kamal Haasan told the media, in response to questions whether he would swing to the Left or Right.

"I have got huge support from people as an artiste. If I am able to get half of this in politics, then I will be successful," IANS quoted the 62-year-old actor as saying. 

Asked if he would discuss his political moves with the AIADMK, he said: "If I had to do that, then I did not have to wait. All that I needed to do was to clap my hands."

Replying to a question on why he chose to make this statement after meeting Kerala`s Marxist Chief Minister, he said Communist leaders had always been his heroes.

"You just look at the statistics of Kerala and it`s comparable to any European country," Kamal Hassan, who has acted in more than 220 films, said.

When journalists persisted and asked if he would align with the Left, he shot back: "It will happen soon. I want to be in the middle of things and do not want to lean to any side."

On the political situation in Tamil Nadu, he said the Governor should intervene -- a demand also voiced by the opposition in the state.

The Tamil Nadu opposition wants Chief Minister K. Palaniswamy to prove his majority in the Assembly.

Earlier, Vijayan said in a Facebook post that he and Kamal Haasan have known each other for long and they always meet whenever the actor visits Kerala.

"Today`s meeting was the first one after I became Chief Minister. Even though the visit was personal in nature, we discussed south Indian politics and also the overall political situation in Tamil Nadu," Vijayan said.

The Marxist leader received the acclaimed actor, dressed in a black shirt and dhoti, at the car porch. Also present at the meeting were Vijayan`s wife Kamala and other family members.

Kamal Haasan has in recent times made comments critical of Tamil Nadu`s ruling AIADMK party. He also recently shared a stage with DMK leader M.K. Stalin.

(With agency inputs)