Rashmika to play MS Subbulakshmi in biopic; Kamal Haasan compares it to playing Michael Jackson

Kamal Haasan giving the ceremonial clap for the first shot of the MS Subbulakshmi biopic, with Rashmika Mandanna, at the Music Academy in Chennai

Kamal Haasan has compared the challenge of playing MS Subbulakshmi on screen to the pressure an actor would face portraying Michael Jackson. Speaking at the launch of the Subbulakshmi biopic at the Music Academy in Chennai on Wednesday, Kamal Haasan addressed lead actor Rashmika Mandanna and told her the role would demand something beyond acting.

“The tension an actor would have felt when acting in a Michael Jackson film, you will have that tension, I know. But there is a good team to help relieve that. They will support you,” he said. He then added, with characteristic self-deprecating humour, that the role was beyond even his own range. “I don’t envy you because I couldn’t have done this role, even if I removed my beard. I can’t. I can put on however many disguises I want, but like MS Amma, if you bring that compassion in your eyes, you have won half the battle. You have to do it bravely,” he said in Tamil.

‘MS Subbulakshmi was a pan-India superstar’

Kamal also spoke about Subbulakshmi’s legacy as a cultural force that unified the country through music long before cinema or politics attempted to do the same. “MS Subbulakshmi was an iconic woman and a pan-India superstar. MS Amma has been a uniting factor with her music. Not only for the whole of India, especially for the South of India. She has sung in Sanskrit, Hindi, and many other languages at that time,” he said.

Rashmika Mandanna, who was visibly emotional throughout the event, spoke about the weight of the opportunity. “Right now, I have only one feeling in my heart, and that is gratitude. You all came here to especially celebrate Amma, so thank you so much,” she said. She described Subbulakshmi’s voice as carrying “a unique divine power” and said listening to it makes her feel like she is “sitting in the presence of God.”

She also made a direct promise to the legacy she is taking on. “Amma, you chose me to be a small part of your life. For that, I am always grateful, and I always will be. I will definitely give my best, I promise,” she said.

Rashmika Mandanna to play the role of legendary singer MS Subbulakshmi

The launch event featured a live performance of Subbulakshmi’s iconic songs by the Indian Choral Ensemble. The organisers had selected ‘MS Blue’ as the dress code.

About MS Subbulakshmi biopic

The biopic on the legendary Carnatic singer was officially launched on the singer’s 110th birth anniversary, with Kamal giving the ceremonial clap for the first shot featuring Rashmika. The film is directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri with music by Anirudh Ravichander, and is produced jointly by Allu Aravind under Geetha Arts, Rockline Venkatesh under Rockline Entertainments and Bunny Vasu under BV Works. The yet-untitled film is being positioned as a pan-India release across multiple languages.

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Who is MS Subbulakshmi?

Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi is widely regarded as one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists. She was the first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna in 1998 and the first Indian musician to perform at the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. Her renditions of Bhaja Govindam, Kurai Onrum Illai and Suprabhatam remain among the most recognisable pieces of Indian classical music globally. She received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1974, the Sangeetha Kalanidhi title from the Music Academy in 1968 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1975. Her career spanned over seven decades, from her first recording at the age of 10 to her final public concert in 1997. She passed away in 2004, in Chennai at the age of 88.