Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan’s cult classic Hey Ram (2000) continues to intrigue cinephiles decades after its release, and now, a surprising trivia has emerged linking the film to legendary Bengali filmmaker Aparna Sen. In a recent interaction with actor Sathyaraj while promoting her film Coolie, Shruti Haasan revealed a little-known story about her father’s inspiration behind Rani Mukerji’s character name and his surprising dedication to learning Bengali.
Shruti Haasan reveals Kamal Haasan learned Bengali for Aparna Sen
During their chat, Sathyaraj praised Kamal’s passion for cinema and multilingual talent, noting that Shruti had inherited her father’s knack for languages. That’s when Shruti dropped an anecdote that left fans delighted. “No, no. Do you know why he learnt Bengali? Because at that time, he was in love with Aparna Sen. He learnt Bengali to impress her, he did not learn it for films,” she laughed.
Rani Mukerji’s character in Hey Ram named after Aparna Sen
Shruti further added that Kamal’s admiration for Aparna even found its way into Hey Ram. “Even in Hey Ram, Rani Mukerji is named Aparna after her,” she revealed.
About Aparna Sen
For those unfamiliar, Aparna Sen is a celebrated filmmaker and actor, widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in Bengali cinema. A nine-time National Film Award winner and mother of acclaimed actor Konkona Sen Sharma, she has been part of iconic films like Basanta Bilap (1973) and Memsaheb (1972) and has directed acclaimed works such as 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981) and Goynar Baksho (2013).
About Hey Ram
Released in both Tamil and Hindi, Hey Ram was written, directed, and headlined by Kamal Haasan, and also featured Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Hema Malini, Naseeruddin Shah, and Vasundhara Das. Though the film stirred controversy over its portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and the events surrounding his assassination, it went on to earn critical acclaim and remains a milestone in Indian cinema.
Kamal Haasan was most recently seen in Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life and Shankar’s Indian 2.
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