Punnagai Mannan Controversy: Kamal Haasan should apologise to Tamil star Rekha for non-consensual kiss in K. Balachander film, say fans

Name: Punnagai Mannan Controversy: Kamal Haasan should apologise to Tamil star Rekha for non-consensual kiss in K.
Uploaded: 2020-02-26T13:58:10+05:30
Description: Tamil actress Rekha's shocking revelation about the unplanned kiss by actor Kamal Haasan in filmmaker K. Balachander's 1986 film Punnagai Mannan has raised a storm on social media.

Tamil actress Rekha's shocking revelation about the unplanned kiss by actor Kamal Haasan in filmmaker K. Balachander's 1986 film Punnagai Mannan has raised a storm on social media.

By IANS
Published: February 26, 2020 1:58 PM IST

Tamil actress Rekha's shocking revelation about the unplanned kiss by actor Kamal Haasan in filmmaker K. Balachander's 1986 film Punnagai Mannan has raised a storm on social media. Many netizens have said that the veteran superstar Kamal Haasan should apologise to the actress for the kiss that, she added, was filmed on her without her consent when she was just 16. "I've said this a hundred times. They shot the scene without me knowing about it. People ask me the same question and I'm fed up of answering it," Rekha told The News Minute, insisting Kamal Haasan and the late Tamil cinema doyen Balachander tricked her into doing the scene. Also Read - This South superstar is known to film steamiest love making scenes in commercial films before they became 'cool'

She added that kiss helped the film in totality to bring out certain needed emotions. Also Read - Prithviraj Sukumaran in Akshay Kumar's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and more dreaded and evil villains to look forward to

"The kiss didn't look ugly or aggressive on screen. There was a need for it, but I was a very young girl and I didn't know about it. He (director K Balachander) said, 'Kamal, close your eyes! You remember what I told you, right?' and Kamal said that he did. Then we had to jump when he said 1, 2, 3... we kissed and then jumped. It was only when I watched it in theatres that I realised it had such a huge impact," she said. Also Read - Bigg Boss Tamil 7 Horror: Contestant Jovika's mother actress Vanitha Vijaykumar attacked by fan of Pradeep Antony; read harrowing details

Rekha was only 16 when she did the film after completing Class 10. She also talked about being told that the Censor Board would not approve of the kiss.

She claimed: "They continued after that shot also, we had a location shift. Suresh Krissna and Vasanth were the associate directors, and I told them I wasn't informed about the kiss and that I wouldn't have agreed to it. But they told me to think of it as a big king kissing a small child. They told me it wouldn't be passed by the Censor. I asked them what the Censor was!"

Rekha says nobody believes her when she says the kiss happened without her consent and that Kamal Haasan is aware of it.

She said: "Only he and the unit that was there can confirm what I've said. Balachander sir is no more. Only those who were there at the shoot know that the kiss happened without my consent." she also said that neither Balachander nor Kamal Haasan apologised to her after the scene.

"Why would they apologise? The film was a superhit! I got many films after that, too, with Ramarajan and Ilaiyaraaja, like 'Namma Ooru Pattukaran'. We were all so busy in those days, going from one schedule to another," Rekha recalled. She added that she would never have agreed to kiss if she was aware of the same in advance.

"I don't know about getting an apology but it is a fact that I wouldn't have said yes to the kiss at that time. They just did the scene suddenly. It's over now and I don't want to revisit it," said Rekha.

WTF!

This would have made the headlines if it happened in Hollywood. This is proper 'sexual harassment at the workplace'. Worst is, they've even planned it.

But since it's Kamal saaaaar and Balachandar saaaaar, it should be fine I guess. pic.twitter.com/alPAC7eXJy

— Sangeeth (@Sangeethoffcl) February 23, 2020

@ikamalhaasan sir have you apologized for this ?? That’s something without consent you have done .. sets a bad example !! https://t.co/0wuyopbcWl

— A-RaJa-Man-I (@aravindanenator) February 24, 2020

Yep. And it clearly upsets her after all these years. She in the least deserves an apology, and why the anger on her for talking about it .

— Crooked Teeth Curly Hair (@theupmakarma) February 23, 2020

Rekha never demanded an apology from either Kamal Haasan or the late Balachander for the incident but, as the news spread, sections of social media said the actor should say sorry, reports sify.com.

You can also vote for the BollywoodLife.com Awards 2020 here

Stay tuned to BollywoodLife for more scoops and updates.

Stay tuned to BollywoodLife for the latest scoops and updates from Bollywood, Hollywood, South, TV and Web-Series.

ByIANS
Published: February 26, 2020 1:58 PM IST