Kamal Haasan had devoted himself to Hindi films during the seventies and eighties, he could have become a bigger star than Amitabh Bachchan. Between 1981 and 1985, Kamal did 13 Hindi films. Out of these, his first Hindi film 'Ek Duje Ke Liye' was a blockbuster hit. Two years later, 'Sadma' was released. It was also very successful. But did you know that before acting in Hindi films, Kamal Haasan acted in a Bengali film?

Ranjit Mallick, Sandhya Roy, and others acted with Kamal

In 1977, Kamal acted in his only Bengali film. The film was called 'Kabita'. It was a remake of Kamal's Tamil film 'Aval Oru Thorar Kathai' (1974). 'Kabita' starred Mala Sinha in the lead role. Kamal, Ranjit Mallick, Sandhya Roy, Shamit Bhansali, Anil Chatterjee, Mahua Roychowdhury, Kamu Mukherjee, and others were in supporting roles. The film was a blockbuster in Tamil. It was also remade in Hindi in 1982 as 'Jeevan Dhara'. Rekha played the lead role.

The plot of 'Kabita' centers around the character of Mala Sinha. She is the one who plays the role of Kabita. Kamal plays the role of Kabita's tenant, Gopal. Kamal could not speak Bengali at all, so as usual, his character is kept in Tamil: Gopal Menon.

'Kabita' can be called a hilarious version of Ritwik Ghatak's 'Meghe Dhaka Tara'. In 'Meghe Dhaka Tara', a working woman is struggling to manage her entire family, the entire film is serious. In that respect, although the subject matter of 'Kabita' is the same, the film is comparatively more 'light-hearted'. One of the main reasons for this is Kamal's acting.

Kamal's smile even in a sad scene

Whenever Gopal (played by Kamal) comes on screen, it's as if the film is turning from a mere drama into a comedy-drama. In the film, Kabita (Mala Sinha) has to manage the family alone. At home, there is a single mother, Parvati (Geeta De), a widowed sister, Bharati (Sandhya Roy), a younger sister, Sumati (Mahua Roychowdhury), grandfather Satyen (Anil Chatterjee) and Satyen's family. Kavita is a victim of jealousy from her colleagues in the office. From the middle, the lustful colleague Shekhar (Samit Bhanj) keeps harassing Kabita.

Amidst all this, Kamal's character Gopal tries to keep the audience captivated by doing various things. Gopal lives on the top floor of Kavita's house. He gives a speech on the roof alone. He claps his hands himself. In the film, Kamal Haasan lip-syncs to a Bengali song. Sadly, there is no heroine opposite him. The film shows Sandhya Roy getting married to Ranjit Mallick. On that occasion, Kamal Haasan gets busy dancing, singing, and making everyone laugh, suppressing his sadness.

Kamal Haasan never returned to Tollygunge after 'Kabita'. Kamal became a star in Tamil Nadu in the late 1970s. After that, Bollywood became his destination.