In picture on left Gauthami and Kamalhaasan at the Siri Fort event

Kamalhaasan was left blushing on Friday during the inauguration of a retrospective of his films when his companion, actress Gauthami, was referred to as “Mrs Kamalhaasan” on stage.

The 55-year-old actor and director was accompanied by the south Indian actress and her daughter Subbalakshmi at the event that also had among the guests Union information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni.

S.M. Khan, the director of the government-run Directorate of Film Festivals that organised the event, thanked “Mr Kamalhaasan and Mrs Kamalhaasan” for attending the event.

“They are not married and have always been very open about the nature of their relationship. The mistake rarely happens because everybody knows that they are not married,” said a source close to the actor.

Kamalhaasan later took the microphone to wish Gauthami on her birthday and thanked her for accompanying him to the event.

Soni also congratulated the actress on her birthday.

Kamalhaasan and Gauthami have been together for the past three years after the actor split with his wife Sarika in 2002.

The actor’s two daughters with Sarika — Shruti and Akshara — often make public appearances with Gauthami.