Kaadhal Parisu to Mahanadhi-List of Kamal Haasan's Pongal Releases

Big-budget films or movies of top actors are released during Tamil festivals like Diwali, Pongal, and Tamil New Year. This is because the holidays help theaters achieve higher collections for 3 to 4 days, making it a prime target for producers.

In that respect, films of various actors have been released for the Pongal festival. What are the Kamal Haasan films released for Pongal? Which of these films were successful? Which ones failed? Let's see now.

Neeya : 

Neeya was released in 1979, directed by Durai. The film starred Kamal, Sripriya, Jai Ganesh, Vijayakumar, and others. The music, composed by Shankar Ganesh, was a super hit. Released as a remake of the 1976 Hindi film Nagin, it became a big hit in Tamil as well, receiving critical and commercial acclaim.

Meendum Kokila:

Released on January 14, 1981, Meendum Kokila was directed by G.N. Rangarajan and starred Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, Deepa, and Thengai Srinivasan. Ilaiyaraaja's music was a super hit, and the film was a major success, receiving positive reviews.

Oru Kaithiyin Diary

Released in 1985, Oru Kaithiyin Diary was written by Bhagyaraj and directed by Bharathi Raja. Starring Kamal Haasan, Revathi, and Radha, with music by Ilaiyaraaja, the film ran successfully for over 175 days.

Kaadhal Parisu 

Released on January 14, 1987, Kaadhal Parisu was directed by A. Jagannathan and starred Kamal Haasan, Radha, Ambika, and others. This film was also a major commercial success.

Mahanadhi 

Released as a Pongal release in 1994, Mahanadhi was written by Kamal Haasan and directed by Santhana Bharathi. Starring Kamal Haasan, Sukanya, S.N. Lakshmi, and Poornam Vishwanathan, the film received widespread critical and commercial acclaim, winning two National Awards among others.

Sathi Leelavathi 

Released during Pongal 1995, Sathi Leelavathi was written by Ananthu and directed by Balu Mahendra. Starring Kamal Haasan, Kovai Sarala, Ramesh Aravind, Kalpana, and Heera, with dialogues by Crazy Mohan, this comedy film was a commercial success.

Pammal K. Sambandam

Released on January 14, 2002, Pammal K. Sambandam was directed by Mouli and starred Kamal Haasan, Simran, Abbas, and Sneha. The film was a commercial success.

Virumaandi

Released on January 14, 2004, Virumaandi was written, directed by, and starred Kamal Haasan, along with Pasupathy, Abirami, Napoleon, Rohini, and Nassar. Initially titled 'Sandiyar,' the film was screened at the Habitat Film Festival and won the International Award for Best Asian Film. It was a moderate hit.

Anbe Sivam

Released during Pongal 2003, Anbe Sivam was written by Kamal Haasan and directed by Sundar C. Starring Kamal Haasan, Madhavan, Nassar, and Kiran, the film won a Special Jury Award at the South Indian Filmfare Awards, with Kamal Haasan winning Best Actor, and Madhavan winning SICA Awards and Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Critically acclaimed and loved by many Kamal Haasan fans, the film, however, did not become a box office success.