Kamal Haasan Advocates for the Freedom of Indie Films at IFFI 2025

Post by : Mina Rahman

At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Goa, celebrated actor Kamal Haasan brought attention to the obstacles faced by independent cinema in India, affirming its freedom and distinctiveness.

While walking the red carpet ahead of the screening of his own production Amaran, Haasan stated, “Independent cinema is inherently free, just like India… it should never be constrained by the rigid space of commercial cinema.”

At 71, Haasan is a pivotal figure in Tamil cinema, having skillfully blended experimental and mainstream films with acclaimed works such as Apoorva Raagangal, Nayakan, Thevar Magan, and Sadma. He emphasized that indie films deserve their own identity and shouldn't be molded to fit the commercial format, voicing a long-standing concern about the scarcity of theater space and noting, “This has been my grievance for four decades.”

Spotlight on Amaran at IFFI 2025

Joining him on the red carpet were Amaran stars Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi. The film, which tells the story of Major Mukund Vardharajan, who was killed in Kashmir in 2014, was featured as the inaugural film of the 56th IFFI.

Based on the book India's Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes, the movie is helmed by director Rajkumar Periasamy. Haasan recently appeared in Mani Ratnam's Thug Life, a project that marked their first collaboration in nearly forty years, despite its commercial shortcomings.