'Ulaganayagan' Kamal Haasan posted a photo of himself with Academy Award-winning makeup artist Michael Westmore on Instagram on Wednesday, July 26, reminiscing about their collaborations, while also showering praise on him. Referencing the American's work in the Hollywood film Soldier Blue (1970), the iconic Tamil cinema actor honored him stating that it was a delight to work with him over the past forty years. Kamal Haasan, who will next be seen in the highly-anticipated Indian 2, wrote, "From (The arrow in the sun ) Soldier blue where I saw Mike Westmore’s work to this day, I have admired Mike’s work from inside out . Had the joy of working with him on the make up and also wearing it to fame and applause. 40 years have flown with the speed of an arrow. #michaelwestmore (sic)".
Michael had previously collaborated with Kamal Haasan in films like Indian (1996), Avvai Shanmugi (1996), Chachi 420 (1997), Hey Ram (2000), and Dasavathaaram (2008). Considering the duo previously worked in Indian together, both of them are said to be collaborating once again in Indian 2 as well. The American makeup artist won an Academy Award for his work in Mask (1985) and is also known for his work in various Star Trek productions. Michael Westmore along with his daughter and Hollywood actress McKenzie Westmore met Kamal Haasan in mid-2022 during the filming of Indian 2, with a picture of the trio going viral on social media.
As for Indian 2, director Shankar and cinematographer Ravi Varman are currently in the US where they are meeting leading Hollywood VFX and computer graphics artists. According to reports, the duo is discussing the de-aging process for the portions featuring a younger Kamal Haasan in the upcoming film, which is jointly being produced by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies. Indian 2 has Kamal Haasan cast alongside several notable names among whom include Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Rakul Preet Singh, Bobby Simha, and late actors Vivek and Manobala, while veteran actors Delhi Ganesh, Gulshan Grover, and former cricketer Yograj Singh (Yuvraj Singh's father) will also be making appearances. The film also marks the second time 'Rockstar' Anirudh Ravichander is composing for a Kamal Haasan venture after the box-office money-spinner Vikram (2022) and fans expect him to come out firing on all cylinders once again.