Kamal Haasan's Unrealized Projects

During his long career, Indian film actor-director Kamal Haasan has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his acting commitments or direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell or were officially cancelled.

1960s

''Mangala Mangai''

''Mangala Mangai'', starring Kamal Haasan as a child actor, has not been released.

1980s

''Chamayam''

''Chamayam'' is a 1981 Malayalam-language movie directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by John Paul Puthusery. Kamal Haasan and Ambika were meant to star in the film, but the project was later shelved. The project was abandoned because of the death of producer Majendran, who has co-produced the 1981 film '' Sambhavam''.

''Raja Ennai Mannithuvidu''

In 1982, C. Rudhraiya began a venture titled ''Raja Ennai Mannithuvidu'', with Kamal Haasan playing younger brother to Chandrahasan. Sujatha was cast as the latter's wife and Sumalatha was to play Kamal's heroine. The story dealt with the conflict between the peacenik older brother and the Naxal leanings of the Kamal character. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu language. After 15 days shoot, this movie was shelved. One song recorded for the film by Ilaiyaraaja were later used in Mohan starrer ''Anbin Mugavari'' (1985).

''Top Tucker''

Directed by Bharathiraja, ''Top Tucker'' was to have starred Kamal Haasan and Radha. The project began in 1982 after the release of '' Tik Tik Tik'' (1981), and was briefly also referred to under the title of ''Sivappu Sattai''. After was canned, the film was shelved as Bharathiraja felt it was becoming too similar to his and Kamal's earlier film ''Sigappu Rojakkal'' (1978), and decided to collaborate with Kamal on a different film, which eventually became ''Oru Kaidhiyin Diary'' (1985).

''Do Deewane Pyar Ke''

Dev Anand and Kamal Haasan signed on to work together on a Hindi film titled ''Do Diwane Pyar Ke'' in the early 1980s. The film was also set to feature Smita Patil, Reena Roy and Padmini Kolhapure in further lead roles, and was set to be made by producer-director Prakash Verma, who had earlier written the story of Dev Anand's ''Lootmaar'' (1980). The film was later dropped owing to creative differences between Dev Anand and Verma.

''Jigar''

Kamal Haasan worked on I. V. Sasi's Hindi film ''Jigar'' in 1983, featuring in scenes alongside actress Vijayta Pandit. Production on the film stalled in the mid-1980s, and the film re-emerged with a new title in 1985 as ''Mera Khoon'', with Govinda taking Kamal Haasan's role. However, the film eventually did not have a theatrical release.

''Khabardar''

Director T. Rama Rao started working on the film in 1984, which was a social drama centred upon a terminally ill patient and a doctor, produced by Poornachandra Rao. Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi and Jaya Prada worked on the film which revolved around the notion of euthanasia. However, after shooting a substantial portion of the film, it was suddenly shelved.

In 1996, referring to the film under the working title of ''Kanoon Ke Kathere Mein'', Kamal Haasan revealed that he had completed most of his work on the film in a 25-day period. He was then told by the producers that they were unhappy with the output, and he mutually agreed to stop working on the project after receiving half his remuneration. In the early 1990s, the makers approached Kamal Haasan to finish the film but he refused citing other commitments. In 2020, K. Bhagyaraj stated that the film was stalled because Amitabh Bachchan had felt that the audiences would praise Kamal Haasan's portrayal rather than his, and subsequently asked to cancel the project.

Untitled adaptation of ''The Godfather''

In the mid-1980s, Muktha Srinivasan planned to direct a film based on the American film ''The Godfather'' (1972) with Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan and Amala. He paid them an advance and confirmed their dates; however the project was dropped after Kamal Haasan's then associate Ananthu felt that it would be a Ganesan-focused film and not a Kamal film.

''Ponniyin Selvan''

In the late 1980s, Kamal Haasan and director Mani Ratnam worked together on adopting Kalki Krishnamurthy's historical novel ''Ponniyin Selvan'' into a film. Composer Ilaiyaraaja and cinematographer P. C. Sreeram became attached to the project, with Sridevi, Rekha, Sathyaraj and Prabhu cast in pivotal roles. Ratnam revealed that he worked on a first draft of the film alongside Kamal Haasan, who had bought the rights of the novel from M. G. Ramachandran, but the pair shelved their plan as the project did not make financial sense at the time.

In an interview with ''Filmfare'' in January 1994, director Mani Ratnam stated that it remained one of his "dream projects" and that he had hoped to work on during his career. Kamal Haasan then attempted to make the story into a forty-part television series, and worked with writer Ra. Ki. Rangarajan on the screenplay, but the project was later stalled.

Ratnam later made the film and split it into 2 parts which were released in 2022 and 2023 respectively, with Kamal Haasan working on the film as a narrator. The film featured an ensemble cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi and Trisha.

1990s

''Athi Veerapandiyan''

In the early 1990s, Gangai Amaran agreed terms to direct a film titled ''Athi Veerapandiyan'' starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role. The film was based on jallikattu and Aishwaryaa Bhaskaran was signed to portray the leading female role. However Kamal Haasan later opted out of the film and instead began work on another rural drama, ''Thevar Magan'' (1992), directed by Bharathan. He later credited Gangai Amaran for the idea of the song "Sandhu Pottu" from the film, which was initially meant for ''Athi Veerapandiyan''.

In 2016, Gangai Amaran alleged that his brother Ilaiyaraaja had effectively told Kamal Haasan to stop working on the project, during an ego clash between the two brothers.

''Kanden Seethaiyai''

Balachandra Menon wanted to remake his Malayalam film ''Ammayane Sathyam'' (1993) into Tamil, and turned down remake offers from other directors. Producer Raveendran signed on Kamal Haasan to do the film and recruited S. P. Balasubrahmanyam to take another role. The team initially approached Annie, who starred in the original to reprise her role as the lead female character, though her reluctance meant that the team picked newcomer Ruchita Prasad, who adopted a stage name of Jayasandhya.

The makers abandoned the project due to creative differences. It was later alleged that Kamal Haasan had wanted his role to be more prominent than the character from the original version. Kamal Haasan subsequently moved on to begin work on '' Avvai Shanmugi'' (1996).

''Ladies Only''

A remake of the Tamil film '' Magalir Mattum'' (1994) which itself was inspired by the 1980 American film ''9 to 5'' , the film is yet to have a theatrical release for unknown reasons. Produced by Kamal Haasan, ''Ladies Only'' is the story of three women, Seema Biswas, Shilpa Shirodkar and Heera Rajagopal working in the same office. They are constantly harassed by their lecherous boss Randhir Kapoor. The three decide to gang up against him to teach a lesson, but a strange accident complicates things when the boss lands in a hospital and the three women end up with the dead body of a terrorist, played by Kamal Haasan.

''Amaara Kaaviyam''

In the mid-1990s, Kamal Haasan worked on the script of a film titled ''Amaara Kaaviyam'', while working on ''Ladies Only'' and '' Avvai Shanmughi'' (1996). His wife at the time, Sarika, was expected to direct the film, while Nagma and Shilpa Shetty were reported to be a part of the cast. Kamal Haasan took a trip to the United States to learn about more filmmaking technology during the pre-production process. The film was subsequently never made.

''Marudhanayagam''

Kamal Haasan had been pondering directing a historical film for a period of four to five years, when writer Sujatha suggested that Kamal Haasan looked at a folk ballad edited by Tamil scholar Vanamamalai, which introduced them to the historical figure of Muhammed Yusuf Khan, an 18th-century warrior. Kamal Haasan immediately agreed at the prospect and felt that the story had all the potential of a good historical film, being appealed to by the elevation from the nadir to the top of Khan's life. Sujatha revealed that nearly 80% of the film would faithfully adapt Samuel Charles Hill's biography of Khan, also known as Marudhanayagam, and to only use imagination where no solid or substantial information is available.

The producers and Kamal Haasan managed to rope in Queen Elizabeth II to appear as the chief guest at the launch of the project which took place in the MGR Film City on 16 October 1997. The launch also saw the inaugural shot canned with Kamal Haasan, in the persona of Marudhanayagam, hearing and reacting to an imperial announcement read out by the character played by Nassar, with Om Puri's character looking on. Official filming began several months later in Velangudi on 10 August 1998 with a scene of where a companion of the lead character, played by Kamal Haasan, is hanged prompting a brief altercation.

Works on ''Marudhanayagam'' suddenly ceased after a British company that had planned to co-produce the film backed out and the film has been indefinitely postponed since. Haasan had invested 8 crores of his own wealth into the project through and has since revealed that the film would be revived at a future date. Since 1999, Kamal Haasan has consistently spoken of plans to revive the film.

''Markandeyan''

In the late 1990s, film producer K. T. Kunjumon was keen to make a pan-Indian film with Kamal Haasan in the lead role, and approached a series of directors to pitch a script for the production. Among the ideas was a script titled ''Markandeyan'' by A. M. Nandakumar, who had been collaborating in the period with Kunjumon on ''Kodiesvaran'', one of the most expensive Tamil film productions at the time. Kunjumon subsequently ran into financial troubles from a number of his joint ventures, including on a significant deal with businessman Ramoji Rao, and subsequently the project with Kamal Haasan, as well as ''Kodiesvaran'', was stalled.

''Londonil Kameshwaran''

Kamal Haasan had written the script of ''Londonil Kameshwaran'' and wanted to play the lead role in the late 1990s, but never got down to making it because he felt it would not have been cost-effective. Through the project, he had aimed to reprise his character of the Palakkad Brahmin cook Kameshwaran from ''Michael Madana Kama Rajan'' (1990) and place him in funny situations when he visits London. He had briefly considered making the film in early 1999 after ''Marudhanayagam'' had run into production troubles, but instead chose to prioritise his commitments for ''Hey Ram'' (2000). After the profitable '' Pammal K. Sambandam'' (2002), Mouli asked Haasan to re-collaborate with this particular script but Haasan was uninterested. Madhavan was selected by Haasan to replace him, after the pair had shot for ''Anbe Sivam'' together in the period, and the project was made under Haasan's production house with the title of '' Nala Damayanthi'' (2003).

2000s

''Robot''

Following the completion of his first directorial venture in Hindi, '' Nayak'' (2001), S. Shankar announced his next project, ''Robot'', which was to feature Kamal Haasan and Preity Zinta. The film was to be produced by the now-defunct company Media Dreams, a division of Pentamedia Graphics. The film was reported to be a futuristic techno-thriller set in Chennai in around 2200 or 3000  AD. Despite the completion of a photoshoot featuring Haasan and Zinta, the project was shelved as a result of scheduling conflicts with Haasan. Shankar consequently started work on ''Boys'' (2003). The film was eventually revived and released in 2010 as ''Enthiran'' starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai.

''Naran''

After completing the shoot of '' Pammal K. Sambandam'' (2002), Kamal Haasan signed on to appear in ''Naran'' directed by K. S. Ravikumar. Produced by Ravikumar's manager P. L. Thenappan and featuring music by A. R. Rahman, the film was launched with a small ceremony in November 2001. Kamal Haasan was reported to play the lead role of a character named Narayanan, abbreviated to "Naran". Reported to be a tale about a man and a beast, the team had also been in talks with Amitabh Bachchan to be a part of the film. Ravikumar noted the "get-up itself would be different one" and that the team were contemplating to make it simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. The film was later put on hold due to budget issues and Kamal Haasan moved ahead to work on '' Panchathanthiram'' (2002) with Ravikumar and Thenappan.

''Panchatanthiram 2''

During the making of '' Panchatanthiram'' (2002), Kamal Haasan and K. S. Ravikumar contemplated making a sequel of the film, where the lead actors would be aboard a cruise liner. The project did not materialise owing to the actor's commitments, with the duo later setting '' Manmadan Ambu'' (2010) on a cruise liner instead.

Reports in May 2012 suggested that Aascar Ravichandran would produce a sequel to the film, which would begin production by October 2012, though it did not materialise. In August 2015, reports suggested that Moulee would make a sequel to the film. In August 2016, Ravikumar revealed that he had held discussions with Kamal Haasan about a potential sequel, where five women would take revenge on their mischievous husbands.

''Moo''

In late 2002, Kamal Haasan discussed plans of making a project titled ''Moo'', which would be co-directed by Mani Ratnam and Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. The screenplay of the film was set to be inspired by the Rashomon effect, with three different interpretations of the same incident. However, Mani Ratnam did not accept terms to work on the project citing that he had begun work on ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' (2004), which would have a similar plot device. Inspired to continue ahead with the idea, Kamal Haasan proceeded to make a different film, ''Virumaandi'' (2004), which focused on the interview of two prison inmates.

In late 2012, Hollywood producer Barrie Osborne expressed his interest in making ''Moo'' as an English film in association with Kamal Haasan, who would direct the project and feature in the lead role. The actor subsequently announced the a project in February 2013, which was said to be about three lives. A potential English title of ''Triple Impact'' was speculated, while other sources titled the film as ''Yaavarum Kelir'', with an English title of ''All Are Kin''. The project later failed to develop. In 2017, sources suggested that the film was still under consideration.

''Krishna Leela''

In February 2004, Kamal Haasan and Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao began pre-production works on a project titled ''Krishna Leela''. The film was set to narrate the story of an individual called Krishna Das, played by Kamal Haasan, and the women in his life. The project was described as a comedy entertainer, much like the actor and director's previous collaborations in the 1990s. Abhirami and Gautami were reported to feature alongside him in a leading role, while actresses Rohini and Vinodhini were also cast in roles. Comedians including Goundamani, Vadivelu, Senthil

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