Actor Kamal Haasan launched the trailer of his latest film ‘Indian 2’ in Mumbai on Wednesday, June 26. He talked about making political films, taking risks and questioning the government. The Tamil superstar reprises his role of a veteran freedom fighter turned vigilante in the S Shankar-directed film.

Haasan said making political films is nothing new. The actor called it a trend that producers have been following since before Independence. He also spoke about being fearless in asking questions. “This has been a problem since the British era. People used to make films even then. We will continue to make such films no matter who is at the helm of power. It is not just a filmmaker’s right, it is citizens’ right to ask questions,” Haasan said.

Kamal Haasan, known to his fans as Ulaganayagan, thanked the people of the country for accepting him as a pan-India artiste. He said it was his job to represent people’s issues and he would continue to do so through his films. “As artistes we represent many of you. Thank you for the thunderous applause, we believe we are your representatives, so we speak boldly, without thinking of the guillotine,” he said, admitting the ‘risk’ of angering the government.

He said, “Yes, there is a risk, the government may get angry, but your applause extinguishes that fire, so make your voice louder.”

‘Indian 2’ is a sequel to the 1996 hit Tamil film ‘Indian’, in which Haasan played a vigilante named Senapathy. The second film is expected to begin from where the first film ended, with Senapathy leaving India and vowing to come back when his help is needed against the growing corruption in the country. As shown in the trailer, the actor will be seen doing action in the film and has promised to deliver a big-scale thriller.

At the trailer launch event on Wednesday, he also spoke about how ‘Indian’ gave him recognition across the country and established him as a people’s actor. An emotional Kamal Haasan said, “First of all I want to thank you for teaching me a lesson. I used to think I am from Tamil Nadu and this is my place. You taught me 35 or more years ago that I am an Indian. I was just a South Indian actor, you made me an Indian actor. I am very grateful to you. When I was doing my first film, I didn’t know a single word of Hindi. I was exactly like the hero of ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ and without your support and applause, I wouldn’t have been able to get back to this level.”

Haasan debuted in the Hindi film industry in 1981 with the film ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ opposite Rati Agnihotri. It was a remake of his Telugu film ‘Maro Charitra’ directed by K. Balachander.

‘Indian 2’, which also stars Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Priya Bhavani and Brahmanandam, is scheduled to release on July 12.