10 Facts We Bet You Never Know About Kamal Haasan’s Nayagan

1. Before working in Nayagan, Mani Ratnam approached Kamal Haasan first time with the script of his debut film Pallavi Anu Pallavi. When Mani met Kamal to narrate the story of PAP, Kamal narrated five stories in return. Later, Anil Kapoor eventually played the lead role in the film.
2. Origin of Nayagan: Before arriving at a Varadharaja Mudaliar inspired biopic, Kamal Haasan had sent the tape of Shammi Kapoor’s Pagla Kahin Kato to Mani Ratnam through Muktha Srinivasan – the producer of Nayagan. But, Mani was not at all interested in remakes. Later, Kamal told Mani – “tape was just to start a conversation.” That was when Mani pitched the idea of a film on the life of Varadaraja Mudaliar. And the rest is history.
3. Have you noticed in the film that Janakaraj and Delhi Ganesh, who play Kamal Haasan’s sidekicks, also appeared grey-headed in the second half? It was Kamal Haasan who convinced both to grow old along with him and asked them to cut their hair short.
4. To provide authenticity  to the old-age character in the film, Kamal Haasan had dentures done to add some weight around the jaw.
5. Do you remember the epic scene where Kamal Haasan says “Naan adicha nee sethuduva” to Inspector Kelkar after getting dropped at the slum? Suddenly, kids surround Kamal and he sprinkles his blood on them which leaves them giggling. It was an instinctive improvisation Kamal Haasan did on the spot. Mani Ratnam – “He did it. I just said action. The rest was all Kamal”.
6. Thenpaandi Cheemaiyile (yaaradichaaro version) was the first thing Ilaiyaraja played when Mani Ratnam narrated the story to him during their first sitting for the film’s composing.
7. The house where Kamal Haasan stays after moving from the slum and the whorehouse where Naan Sirithaal Deepavali song was filmed are the same. Art director ThottaTharani converted the exterior of an abandoned building on the Taj Mount Road into a whorehouse and utilized the other side as Kamal’s home. GENIUS!
8. Nayagan is the first film for which Mani Ratnam used sets. The entire Dharavi-slum set was built by Thotta Tharani in Venus Studios, Chennai.
9. Nasser as Kamal Haasan’s opponent in the film is a fantastic discovery and a terrific breakthrough in his career. When Mani Ratnam was thinking of casting actors like Raghavaran for the role, it was Kamal Haasan who suggested Nasser’s name!
10. In fact, Mani Ratnam started Agni Natchatiram even before Nayagan’s idea came to fruition. He even finished the first schedule of Agni Natchatiram before started shooting for Nayagan. Then, Mani Ratnam postponed Agni Natchatiram for a year to complete Nayagan.

Courtesy: Baradwaj Rangan’s Conversations with Mani Ratnam