Kamal Haasan Birthday & Age: Wife, Daughters, Awards and Career Timeline
Kamal Haasan celebrates his birthday on 7 November. Born in 1954 in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, the actor, filmmaker and politician is 72 years old and has worked in Indian cinema for more than six decades, starting as a six-year-old child star.
| Full Name | Kamal Haasan (born Parthasarathy) |
|---|---|
| Known For | Nayakan, Thevar Magan, Vikram, Indian, Dasavathaaram |
| Professions | Actor, Film Director, Film Producer |
| Birthday | November 7, 1954 |
| Age | 72 years old |
| Birthplace | Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality | Indian (🇮🇳 India) |
| Zodiac Sign | ♏ Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21) |
| Chinese Zodiac | Wood Horse |
| Birthstone | Topaz |
| Birth Flower | Chrysanthemum |
| Generation | Baby Boomer |
| Born on a | Sunday |
| Wife | Vani Ganapathy (1978–1988), Sarika (div. 2004) |
| Children | Shruti Haasan, Akshara Haasan |
| Parents | D. Srinivasan, Rajalakshmi |
| Siblings | Charuhasan, Chandrahasan, Nalini Raghu |
| Occupation | Actor, filmmaker, politician |
| Films | 230+ |
| Party | Makkal Needhi Maiam (founded 2018) |
| Honours | Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan |
Who Is Kamal Haasan?
Kamal Haasan is one of Indian cinema’s most versatile artists. He has acted in over 230 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali, and he has also worked as a director, producer, screenwriter, playback singer and lyricist. Off screen he has been an assistant director, choreographer, editor, make-up artist, television host and film distributor. He founded and edited a magazine called Maiam and has written more than 100 poems.
Since 2025 he has also served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha for Tamil Nadu, taking his oath on 25 July 2025.
A Child Star at Six
His film journey began with Kalathur Kannamma (1960). His performance won him the Rashtrapati Award, the President’s gold medal, when he was just six years old. He acted in five more films as a child, then trained with the T. K. S. Nataka Sabha repertory company on his father’s encouragement before returning to films as a young adult. His Malayalam debut came with Kannum Karalum (1962).
Career Timeline at a Glance
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Debut as a child in Kalathur Kannamma; wins the President’s gold medal |
| 1978 | Receives the Kalaimamani award from the Tamil Nadu government |
| 1986 | Produces the sci-fi action film Vikram |
| 1987 | Stars in Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan, later listed in Time’s All-Time 100 Movies |
| 1990 | Awarded the Padma Shri |
| 1992 | Thevar Magan earns him a National Film Award as producer |
| 2007 | Appointed a UN ambassador for an HIV rights campaign in Tamil Nadu |
| 2014 | Awarded the Padma Bhushan |
| 2016 | Named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by France |
| 2017 | Begins hosting Bigg Boss Tamil |
| 2018 | Launches the party Makkal Needhi Maiam on 21 February |
| 2022 | Leads the blockbuster Vikram, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| 2025 | Releases Thug Life; invited to join the Academy’s actors’ branch; sworn in to the Rajya Sabha |
👉 Discover more stars born today: Famous Birthdays on November 7
Kamal Haasan’s Wife and Relationships
Kamal Haasan has been married twice. In 1978, at age 24, he married dancer Vani Ganapathy, who had acted with him in Melnaattu Marumagal (1975) and later designed costumes for several of his films. They divorced about ten years later.
He then began living with actress Sarika in 1988, and they married after the birth of their first child. Sarika worked as costume designer on his film Hey Ram and won a National Film Award for it. The couple filed for divorce in 2002, and it became final in 2004. From 2005 to 2016, Haasan was in a publicly known relationship with actress Gautami, with whom he co-starred in several films.
Daughters Shruti and Akshara Haasan
| Daughter | Born | Work |
|---|---|---|
| Shruti Haasan | 1986 | Singer and actress |
| Akshara Haasan | 1991 | Assistant director and actress |
Both daughters are from his marriage with Sarika, and both followed their parents into the film world.
Parents and Siblings
He was born to criminal defence lawyer D. Srinivasan and homemaker Rajalakshmi. His parents first named him Parthasarathy, and his mother kept calling him by that name. He is the youngest of four children: brothers Charuhasan (a National Film Award-winning actor) and Chandrahasan (who produced several of his films and died in 2017), and sister Nalini Raghu, a dance teacher. His niece is the actress Suhasini, who is married to director Mani Ratnam.
Awards and Honours
- Padma Shri (1990) and Padma Bhushan (2014) from the Government of India
- Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France (2016)
- Kalaimamani (1978), MGR Award (1989) and Sivaji Ganesan Award (1999) from Tamil Nadu
- Multiple National Film Awards, including Best Actor for Nayakan
- Several of his films, including Nayakan and Thevar Magan, were India’s official entries for the foreign-language Oscar
Beyond Acting: Social Work and Politics
Haasan was the first Tamil actor to turn his fan clubs into welfare associations, known as Kamal Narpani Iyakkam, which organise blood- and eye-donation drives and donate study materials to students. In 2007 the United Nations appointed him an ambassador for a joint campaign with the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society to protect the rights of people living with HIV. He formally entered politics in 2018 with his own party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (People’s Justice Centre).
👉 Plan your day: All Observances on November 7
Frequently Asked Questions
Kamal Haasan was born on 7 November 1954, so he is 72 years old.
He was married to dancer Vani Ganapathy from 1978 until their divorce about ten years later, and then to actress Sarika; their divorce became final in 2004.
He has two daughters, Shruti Haasan (born 1986) and Akshara Haasan (born 1991), both with Sarika.
His first film was Kalathur Kannamma (1960), which won him the President’s gold medal at age six.
Yes. He founded Makkal Needhi Maiam in 2018 and became a Rajya Sabha member for Tamil Nadu in July 2025.
Celebrate more on November 7: Kamal Haasan shares a birthday with National Bison Day, National Cancer Awareness Day, National Notary Public Day, National Play Outside Day. See everything celebrated on November 7 →
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