Kamal Haasan's Nayagan: Unveiling The Hollywood Inspirations Behind A Cinematic Masterpiece

Nayagan's Hollywood Roots Revealed: Muktha Srinivasan's son, Muktha Ravi, shared some surprising details about the film Nayagan in a recent interview with a YouTube channel. He revealed that the movie, which portrays the life of Mumbai-based Don Varadarajan Mudaliar, was released only after receiving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from him. Ravi also mentioned that Kamal Haasan won a National Award for his role as Varadarajan Mudaliar, but only after actor Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan was removed from the film.

Ravi added that Nayagan was pieced together by copying scenes from various Hollywood movies. Interestingly, not just Mani Ratnam, but six directors were involved in making Nayagan. One of the shocking moments for Varadarajan Mudaliar's family was seeing Kamal Haasan's character marry Saranya Ponvannan's character, who was depicted as coming from a brothel. This particular scene was inspired by a novel by Bengali writer Saratchandra Chatterjee.

There were challenges in getting the film censored in Chennai, leading to an order to take it to Mumbai for approval. The censor board in Mumbai demanded a letter from Varadarajan Mudaliar himself, clarifying that the film was not about him. After showing the film to Mudaliar in Chennai and obtaining his NOC, the movie was finally released.

Muktha Films initially wanted to remake The Godfather with Sivaji Ganesan and Kamal Haasan. However, Kamal Haasan later decided to do it alone and brought in the story of Varadarajan Mudaliar and Mani Ratnam as director. Despite this change, Nayagan closely mirrored The Godfather in its style. Additionally, a scene involving drugs hidden in salt bags thrown into the sea was directly taken from the Hollywood movie Once Upon a Time in America.

Ravi pointed out that Nayagan is essentially a perfect copy of various elements from Hollywood films. He also noted that many of Kamal Haasan's other movies, such as Avvai Shanmugi, Panchatanthiram, and Guna, were inspired by Hollywood. Fans have humorously commented on how many more Hollywood films might be found within Thug Life, an upcoming movie where Kamal Haasan is directed by Mani Ratnam.