India, June 19 -- Veteran actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan on Wednesday extended warm birthday greetings to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, lauding him as a leader who continues to inspire with "compassion and magnanimity." (Also read: Even as SC allows release of Kamal Haasan's Thug Life in Karnataka, distributor says it 'makes no business sense')

On 19 June, Kamal took to his X (formerly Twitter) account and wrote, "Wishing my friend @RahulGandhi a very happy birthday. May you continue on the path of unity, compassion, and courage - with the same quiet resolve and steel that have defined you."

The two leaders have appeared together in the past, including during Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra, where Kamal joined him ...