In a career spanning 57 years that began at age four, Indian actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan has played many roles — dancer, choreographer, actor, screenwriter, director, producer, lyricist and even playback singer. He also proved to be a successful businessman, with his own film production company. Add this to the list: Man with a social mission. Haasan mobilizes his enormous fan base to perform good works — a task that has garnered him even more recognition, this time from the Indian government.

As a pioneer in the movie industry, he sees the inevitable use of digital platforms for Indian movie makers even as Netflix and YouTube make inroads into the country.…