The Queen spent 20 minutes in the MGR film city on October 16, 1997, during which a short battle scene from the movie was shown to her.
Superstar Kamal Haasan is back on the sets to shoot his upcoming film 'Indian 2', months after the shoot was stopped due to an accident that left three crew members dead. The actor is known for adding novelty to Tamil Cinema and this is the reason why when Queen Elizabeth II reached the set of his 1997 'Marudhanayagam', which unfortunately could never see the light of the day, it became the talk of the town.
In 2020, Haasan has stated, "I envisaged that the titular character would be around 40 years of age, but I’m too old to play him now. So the only option - if we get the money to bankroll it - would be either to change the storyline or cast some other younger actor to play the role."
The ambitious project was an Rs 85-crore historical venture based on the life of Marudhanayagam, who had contributed to India's freedom struggle. Kamal Haasan was directing and producing Marudhanayagam while also playing the role of 18th-century warrior Muhammed Yusuf Khan. However, the movie is fresh in the minds of people for the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II as the chief guest.
The Queen spent 20 minutes in the MGR film city on October 16, 1997, during which a short battle scene from the movie was shown to her. The battle scene alone was reportedly shot at a budget of Rs 1.5 crore.
The launch event, however, created a controversy later with questions being raised on why the Queen visited the sets of a movie that attempted to denounce the British. However, the Queen maintained silence on the issue.
At the launch ceremony, the inaugural shot was filmed with Kamal Haasan as Marudhanayagam, who was seen reacting to an imperial announcement read out by a character played by veteran actor Nassar. Apart from the Queen, other guests who were part of the event then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Congress leader Moopanar, journalist Cho Ramaswamy, Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan, Bollywood actor Amrish Puri.
Many fans are still hoping that the project will be revived.