In Pictures: Revisiting 'Nayakan', the Kamal Haasan-Mani Ratnam basic

Nayakan, the cult-classic Tamil movie starring Kamal Haasan and directed by Mani Ratnam has hit the screens once more. The re-release is a part of the celebrations of Kamal Haasan’s 71st birthday. For followers of the director and actor, the 1987 gangster drama couldn’t have come at a greater time, as the mix’s comeback, Thug Life, turned out to be a catastrophe on the field workplace earlier this 12 months. Nayakan, hailed for its terrific performances, technical superiority and nice writing, was India’s official entry to Oscars. Produced by Muktha Srinivasan of Muktha Films, the film is included in Time’s record of the “All-Time 100 Best Films.” Loosely primarily based on the lifetime of Mumbai crime boss Varadarajan Mudaliar and the Hollywood basic Godfather, Nayakan received National Awards for finest appearing (Kamal Haasan), finest cinematography (PC Sriram) and finest artwork path (Thota Tharani).Here are some uncommon photos from the units of the film.

Kamal Haasan as Velu Naicker from the movie. The Hindu ARCHIVES

Kamal Haasan and Saranya from a track sequence within the film. Ilaiyaraaja’s songs from ‘Nayakan’ are thought of evergreen numbers. The Hindu ARCHIVES

Mani Ratnam explains a scene to Kamal Haasan and Saranya as cinematographer PC Sriram seems on. The movie marked a longstanding and profitable collaboration between Mani Ratnam and PC Sriram. The Hindu ARCHIVES.

Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam through the filming of an motion sequence. Mani Ratnam has mentioned in a number of interviews that he was fascinated with the lifetime of Varadarajan Mudaliar, the Mumbai crime boss. The Hindu ARCHIVES.

Kamal Haasan because the aged Velu Naicker. The actor was praised for convincingly taking part in a posh character, from youth to previous age. The Hindu ARCHIVES.

Mani Ratnam along with his actors. The director was contemporary on the again of the success of ‘Mouna Ragam’ when he launched into the journey of this film. The Hindu ARCHIVES.

Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam on the units of the movie. The Hindu ARCHIVES.

A poster of ‘Nayakan’. The movie was remade in Hindi as ‘Dayavaan’, starring Vinod Khanna. The Hindu ARCHIVES

Several distinguished scenes from the film was shot in Mumbai. The Hindu ARCHIVES.

Kamal Haasan and Saranya from the movie. The Hindu ARCHIVES

Published – November 07, 2025 05:52 pm IST