Megastar Rajinikanth has congratulated his good friend and actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan on being conferred the French honour Chevalier de L’Ordre Arts et Letters (The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters). He referred to him as the Sivaji Ganesan of this generation.
To the ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ (referring to Sivaji Ganesan) of our generation, Chevalier and wonderful friend Kamal Hassan, my heartfelt praise.Rajinikanth, Actor (via Twitter)
Sivaji Ganesan, a legendary actor, ruled Tamil cinema in the latter half of the 20th century, doing almost 300 films in a career spanning five decades. He was the first Tamil actor to be conferred the Chevalier award.
The honour, which is yet another laurel for the actor, is in recognition of his high level of artistic excellence and his distinguished career achievements. The award will be conferred on Kamal Haasan at a special ceremony soon. Kamal has dedicated the award to his admirers and audience.
This award is to those who give me the tenacity of purpose to pursue to this day in moment my arts and letters.Kamal Haasan, Actor
He also said he realised he’s not alone in his chosen field.
Teachers and admirers are bounded around me. With motherly care, they have applauded my every little step forward. The melancholy of my parents not being alive to see this day is allayed by the fact the elders and the young in my family are around to enjoy it.Kamal Haasan
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)