As reported earlier, Kamal Hassan was felicitated by the Kerala government on August 21. On the occasion,a glaring absence was that of Kollywood director K Balachander, who is the mentor of Kamal in Tamil cinema. The director compensated for his absence on August 21 st by sending a hearty letter that was read out at the function. In his letter he sought apologies to the government and the audience for his absence which was primarily due to age related ailments. Besides this, he devoted a huge part of his speech explaining how Kamal made him into an active director. "I have stopped travelling because my bones protest. I have stopped attending film related functions, s I am not in sync with the content and character of current day cinema and so feel out dated and even out of place. Thank you Kamal for ruling my heart! Thank you God for giving us Kamal", the director wrote.

KB also expressed his gratitude to the Kerala government for honouring such a great actor.