THR India's 25 in 25: Why 'Anbe Sivam' Still Remains An Enduring Cult Classic 

A tale of two men, as different as can be, who embark on a serendipitous journey together from Bhubaneshwar to Chennai amidst torrential rainfall and floods, Anbe Sivam is regarded by many as a film that released “ahead of its time” (not new for a Kamal Haasan project) due to its underperformance at the box-office, but has attained cult status over the years.  

After going through several scripting changes for over a decade, Haasan, who also wrote the Tamil film, put the project together and cast R. Madhavan as his co-star in a stroke of genius; the bromance (and musings) between their characters, Nallasivam and Anbarasu, on everything from humanity to globalisation has been matched by few pairings since. It also led to a real-life friendship between the duo, who later collaborated on several more projects together (Nala Damayanthi, Manmadan Ambu). 

In the film, Haasan plays a fiery socialist and street theatre performer who is later scarred and partially paralysed after a horrific accident; he delivers one of the most uniquely low-key performances of his career, while Madhavan serves as the able foil to his on-screen partner. Other actors such as Nassar, Kiran Rathod, Uma Riyaz Khan and Santhana Bharathi round out a fine supporting cast. 

Plenty of Anbe Sivam’s many concurrent themes such as communism and atheism have manifested strongly in Haasan’s persona as a politician decades later, but in the film — brimming with ideas as it is — some of them tend to lose focus. Still, Haasan the writer is in such spectacular form that you can’t help being riveted to the screen as he mixes gravitas with moments of genuine hilarity superbly. 

A still from 'Anbe Sivam'

Sundar C. and R. Madhavan on Making Anbe Sivam

“I was an absolute student to Kamal sir during the making of the film. Amongst the many things I learnt from him, foremost was the knowledge that there was no need to force-feed emotions to the audience unnecessarily. For instance, when his character limps in the film and struggles to walk due to his accident, I made some shots in the edit to highlight that portion and tug on the heartstrings. But Kamal sir asked me to tone it down and keep it normal. ‘If the audience doesn't get it, then it means we haven’t established the character properly,’ he said,” says director Sundar C., recalling his memories of working on the project 22 years ago. 

He also tells us how Anbe Sivam foretold of the concept of a tsunami — a relatively unheard-of phenomenon in India at the time of the film’s release — a year before the disastrous 2004 tsunami wreaked havoc in 15 countries, with Tamil Nadu in India being one of the worst affected areas. 

“It’s such a tragic coincidence. While we were making the film, Kamal sir was invited to present the Gollapudi Srinivas Award to the best debut director of the year. The award is given in the memory of Telugu filmmaker Gollapudi Srinivas who passed away while making his first film (Prema Pusthakam); he was shooting in Vizag standing on a rock, when a giant wave suddenly washed him away! We were discussing this terrible incident and how such natural disasters happen, which is when Madhan [dialogue writer] suggested that we refer to a tsunami scene in the flashback portion of the film. Nobody knew what it meant back then, but later in 2004…I still feel so shaken by the coincidence.” 

Though the film faltered at the box-office during the time of release, Sundar says he remembers Hassan’s words from the premiere even today. “It was released during the Pongal festival alongside other typical entertainers. At the celebrity show, the director of another Pongal release — a big-budget masala film that went on to be a success — came upto me and jovially remarked that Anbe Sivam wouldn’t dent the box-office prospects of his film as it wouldn’t do well. Obviously I knew our film wasn’t a commercial outing at all, but when I told Kamal sir of these comments, he reassured me, ‘Sundar, we have made a good film from the heart; only good things will happen to us as a result of it. The results may vary now, but only our film will stand the test of time.’ It’s been two decades since… and I still earn respect today for my work on the film, with first-time watchers from the younger generation still discovering and decoding it.”

A still from 'Anbe Sivam'

Madhavan, who had debuted in Tamil with Alaipayuthey (2000) just a couple of years prior to working on Anbe Sivam, says people pointed out that working with someone like Haasan would certainly mean being overshadowed by him. "But I was such a huge fan that I’d have said yes even if it meant sharing a single frame with him. During the shooting, I learnt so many things about filmmaking from him; apart from the fact that our banter and repartee was extraordinary, it was fascinating to see how Kamal sir did only what was exactly right for the film. I realised the importance of heading a project and giving everyone space; nobody cares about your performance if the film doesn’t work. After the release, he told me, ‘Wait and watch…everyone will tell you that you’ve done a better job than me.’ He was right — I won Best Actor at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards that year.”