“He Lived A  Full Life,” Kamal Haasan Bereaved Again, Loses His Brother

This  is not a good year for Kamal Haasan. The actor-extraordinaire is being dealt one crippling blow after another by Fate.

“Fate, if that’s what you call it, is certainly giving me  a lot of attention,” says Kamal Haasan mirthlessly , hours after his eldest brother Chandrahasan passed away.

In January Kamal Haasan lost his Bhabhi, Chandrahasan’s wife. Prior to that the actor had a nasty fall which almost killed him and has kept him confined to his bed and home for six months now and still some to  go. Right after the multiple fracture in his leg Kamal Haasan’s companion and partner for 13 years Gautami decided to  quit the relationship.

The latest tragedy in the family has stunned the Haasans.

Says Kamal Haasan, “My brother was on the way back from the US where he had gone to be with his son after my Bhabhi(Chandrahasan’s wife) passed away. We wanted him to  get a change of environment. He was with his son for  a few months, and now on the way  back from  the US he took a break in London so that he wouldn’t have to travel for 23 hours at a stretch. He was in London with my niece, his daughter, for a short break from his journey when the heart attack happened.”

The  family now waits for the body to be released.

Says Kamal calmly, “In the UK even a  minor heart attack is cause for a post mortem. We’re waiting for the coroner’s report before we decide what is to be done.In any case we Hassans are not much into rituals . So it would  be a quiet family funereal service.We would request all friends and well-wishers to respect the family’s privacy.”

Recalling his good times with his departed brother Kamal Haasansaid, “He was 20 years elder to me and almost a father figure. A lot of what I am was determined by what he was. My brother was completely self-made. Do you know, he washed his own clothes  till the very last day of his life. When my Bhabhi died this year, it somewhere broke him from inside. It was the only time I’ve seen him break down. I mean, otherwise his eyes would well up during emotional  scenes in films. But the first and only time he cried in real life was when he lost his wife.He played a very important role in the running of my production house.When Vishwaroopam was in a controversy he mediated and held peace talks with the protesters. Will I miss him? I suppose I will.He lived a full life. I’d like to live the way he did.”