Marudhanayagam
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''Marudhanayagam'' () is an unfinished Indian
historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...
film directed and produced by
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
under his
Raaj Kamal Films International Raaj Kamal Films International is an Indian film production and distribution company founded and headed by Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker ...
banner. The script was co-written by Haasan, along with novelist Sujatha, and the pair started work on the project in late 1991. Following a test shoot in mid-1997, the film was officially launched at a ceremony held at MGR Film City,
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
during October 1997. Touted to be the most expensive film to be produced in India during that period, the film had a proposed budget of 80 crores. The film had originally pulled together several prominent names across Indian cinema as its principal cast and crew. The music for the film was composed by
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
with cinematography handled by Ravi K. Chandran. Despite beginning its shoot in 1997, the film went through various production troubles and eventually an international company, that had been co-producing the film, backed out. After becoming delayed in 1999, the film has not continued production despite numerous attempts at reviving the project.


Cast


Production


Development

Following the release of '' Gunaa'' (1991),
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
had considered directing a historical film and contemplated doing a period musical on the lines of '' Ambikapathy'' (1937), with the idea of making a film which had only verses for dialogue. Writer Sujatha then suggested Haasan to look at ''Khan Saibu Sandai'' (The War of Khan Sahib), a folk ballad edited by Tamil scholar Vanamamalai, which introduced them to the historical figure of Muhammed Yusuf Khan, an 18th-century warrior. Haasan agreed to the prospect and felt that the story had the potential to make a good historical film, with the appeal of depicting the rise from the nadir to the top of Khan's life. Sujatha revealed that nearly 80% of the film would be adapted from Samuel Charles Hill's biography of Khan, also known as ''Marudha Nayagam'', and to only use imagination where no solid or substantial information was available, such as on matters concerning his conversion to Islam. The team continued their research and developed the script of the film for four years. For the first time in India, the team planned to use a computer for screenplay writing, using a particular software called the
Movie Magic Screenwriter Movie Magic Screenwriter is a word processing program sold by Write Brothers to format screenplays, teleplays and novels. History Stephen Greenfield and Chris Huntley created Scriptor, one of the earliest screenplay writing programs, that w ...
with Sujatha working as a screenplay doctor. French screenwriter
Jean-Claude Carrière Jean-Claude Carrière (; 17 September 1931 – 8 February 2021) was a French novelist, screenwriter and actor. He received an Academy Award for best short film for co-writing '' Heureux Anniversaire'' (1963), and was later conferred an Honorar ...
and Haasan's mentor Ananthu were also involved in readying the screenplay for the film, as were historian S. Muthiah and poets Puviarasu and Gnanakoothan. In April 1997, Kamal Haasan confirmed that he had begun finalising work on ''Marudhanayagam'', suggesting it would be the most expensive Indian film ever made. To widen the potential business of the film into the Hindi-speaking regions of India, Kamal Haasan chose to spend most of mid-1997 directing the Hindi film ''
Chachi 420 ''Chachi 420'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language comedy film, co-written, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan. The film is an official remake of the 1996 Tamil film '' Avvai Shanmughi''., which itself was an adaptation of 1993 film '' Mrs. Dou ...
'' (1997), his first straight Hindi film in twelve years. Through discussion with the British Deputy High Commission in Chennai, the producers brought in
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Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
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 Queen spent 20 minutes on the sets of the film, with
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief mini ...
M. Karunanidhi, politicians S. Jaipal Reddy and
G. K. Moopanar Govindaswamy Karuppiah Moopanar (19 August 1931 – 30 August 2001), known as G. K. Moopanar, was a Tamil Nadu Congress Committee leader, parliamentarian, and social worker. He served as Member of the Rajya Sabha, president of Tamil Nadu Congr ...
, journalist and veteran actor
Cho Ramaswamy Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, better known as Cho Ramaswamy (5 October 1934 – 7 December 2016), was an Indian actor, comedian, editor, political commentator, satirist, playwright, film director and lawyer from Tamil Nadu. He was a popular comedi ...
and veteran actors
Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...
and
Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Cinema of India, Indian cinema and Theatre of India, theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himsel ...
also in attendance. A teaser was shown at the launch, with a pilot video consisting of a battle scene which would feature for a few minutes in the film, with the production of the particular scene costing Kamal Hassan 1.5 crores alone. In November 1997, it was reported that the film would cost almost 85 crores to make and would subsequently become the most expensive Indian film production till then. The music for the trailer of the film was composed by Karthik Raja in late 1997, when Kamal Haasan and he were working together in '' Kaathala Kaathala''.


Casting

The original cast included veteran Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan playing the role of Wajid Khan, with supporting actors Nassar, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and
Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Cinema of India, Indian cinema and Theatre of India, theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himsel ...
also given pivotal roles. Om Puri pulled out of the film in mid-1998 due to prior commitments and Sathyaraj replaced him in the film. When the film was postponed, the team were still waiting to hear back from actors
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...
and Rajinikanth who were approached to play guest roles. The latter was approached to portray the Maratha ruler, Pratap Singh of Thanjavur. The team approached
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
to play a role in the film, but his unavailability led to actor Pasupathy being cast in his first film role. The actor, who has since gone on to appear in successful films, was set to feature in the role of an antagonist and had shot for five days. Babu, an actor who became paralysed after a stunt accident in the early 1990s, was cast in the role of a disabled nobleman. Furthermore, actor Pasupathy Raj and actor-director R. C. Sakthi were signed on to essay other supporting roles.
Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...
was offered the lead female role of Marsha, but her rejection led to the makers considering other options. British casting director Priscilla John joined the team to assist with European casting. Haasan and his brother Chandrahasan visited France to audition European actors and were able to shortlist individuals to portray the lead actress and the main antagonist. Screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière accompanied Haasan to further auditions in London, where actors were selected to play characters including that of Stringer Lawrence. To physically prepare for his own role, Haasan went on a diet by eating only eggs, fruits and vegetables. The technical team included costume designer Sarika, Kamal Haasan's wife at the time of production. The make-up duties for the film were shared between Michael Westmore and his apprentice Barry Cooper, with the pair training several Indian make-up artistes during the film's pre-production stages. The graphics of the film were produced by Pentafour Software, whose work had been critically acclaimed in Shankar's ''
Jeans Jeans are a type of trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and patented by ...
'' (1998). Sabu Cyril was appointed head of art direction, with Prabhaharan and GK being two of his assistants, while director Sundar K. Vijayan, R. S. Shivaji, and G. N. R. Kumaravelan were signed on as second unit directors. Actor Daniel Balaji briefly also worked on the sets as a
unit production manager In the cinema of the United States, a unit production manager (UPM) is the Directors Guild of America–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non-D ...
, having initially set out to work as a second unit director. Vikram Dharma worked on the stunt choreography for the film, alongside an English stunt technician Jerry Crompton. Ravi K. Chandran was signed on ahead of
P. C. Sriram P. C. Sreeram (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinema Technologies, Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the M.G. ...
and
Santosh Sivan Santosh Sivan ISC (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and has, to ...
as cinematographer for the film, heading a team including apprentices Ravi Varman and Keshav Prakash, while dancer Birju Maharaj was announced as the choreographer. Photographer Sruthi Ramakrishnan partook in the film's early promotional shoots, and was brought to Chennai from Bangalore, while S. Muthukumar served as the film's still photographer during the filming process. Karate expert Shihan Hussaini helped provide security for Kamal Haasan during the making of the project. It was announced that music composing would be a collaborative effort between
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
and
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
with prominent Carnatic singer, M. S. Subbalakshmi also singing for the film. Classical violinist L. Subramaniam had turned down the opportunity to compose the background score for the film, with Ilaiyaraaja subsequently replacing him. Prominent percussionist Zakir Hussain had also discussed working on the film with Kamal Haasan, but eventually did not sign the project.


Pre-production and design

Costume designer Sarika had begun researching accessories for the film from the early 1990s, soon after the project's inception. With the assistance of V. S. Chandralekha, the Commissioner of Tamil Nadu Archives and Historical Research, she began to put together outfits, uniforms, shoes and headgear of soldiers of the 1700s. Sarika and art director Sabu Cyril travelled to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to learn about English and French outfits from the period, and collaborate with
French historians This is a list of French historians limited to those with a biographical entry in either English or French Wikipedia. Other major French chroniclers, annalists, philosophers, or other writers are included if they have important historical output. ...
on the project. The pair visited war museums in London, photocopied books and collected archived material written by historical figures such as
Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first governor-gener ...
, one of the founders of the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. For the preparation of jewellery props, Sarika used metal dyes on silver, copying 18th century designs and original photographs of South Indian Nawabs. For a test shoot in
Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
,
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
during mid-1997, Sarika arranged up to 7,400 costumes and accessories to be ready, and the filming took place at the cost of 1 crore. Sarika arranged costumes to reflect British and French army officials, as well as Hindu and Muslim fighters. For the artwork in the film, Sabu Cyril attempted to gather as many cannons, guns and shields available from the period as possible. Chandran later noted that, in the absence of easy access to
computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in Digital art, art, Publishing, printed media, Training simulation, simulators, videos and video games. These images ...
in the late 1990s, the sheer number of extras cast during the test shoot created logistical difficulties for maintaining crowd control and getting individuals ready for shoot. During the test shoot, palmyra trees and other vegetation were used to recreate the fauna of the
Ramanathapuram district Ramanathapuram District, also known as Ramnad District, is one of the 38 administrative districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The old Ramanathapuram District consists of Present day Virudhunagar and Sivagangai districts, it touches th ...
. The team also booked out over 200 acres of land near Irungattukottai and Sriperumbudur to potentially use for battle scenes. To train the cinematography team, Chandran recruited staff members who had worked on international films such as ''
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...
'' (1981) and '' A Passage to India'' (1984). Remote-control cameras were also used, with the technology available being the most prolific in Indian films to date.


Filming

At the launch ceremony, the inaugural shot was filmed 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. The first schedule lasted until October 1998 and involved over a thousand extras, while actors such as Pasupathy also partook in the shoot. The film ran into production trouble in November 1998, when a sector of the Tamil community alleged that the film would contain historical misinterpretations of one of the community's historical icons. Furthermore, another section argued that the film is a distortion of history and that the central character would be portrayed as a hero of the struggle against the British instead of the traitor they felt he was. The allegations prompted Kamal Haasan to abandon extensive sets erected in
Karaikudi Karaikudi is the largest city of Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the centre of the Karaikudi Metropolitan Area, the 21st largest urban Agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of the area ...
, in interior
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, and shift to
Chalakudy Chalakudy () is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls ...
, in
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, to continue work on the project. Action sequences showing Kamal Haasan moving a large rock and battling rivals, were shot in and around
Athirappilly Falls Athirapilly Falls () is situated in Athirappilly Panchayat in Chalakudy Taluk of Thrissur District in Kerala, India on the Chalakudy River, which originates from the upper reaches of the Western Ghats at the entrance to the Sholayar ranges. ...
. Further scenes featuring Indian classical musicians and dancers were shot in Chromepet in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
. By the end of the initial shoot phase, 23 days of shoot had been finished, with 30 minutes of running time completed.


Delay

Works on ''Marudhanayagam'' suddenly ceased in late 1998, after a British company that had planned to co-produce the film, backed out on account of India's
Pokhran-II Pokhran-II (''Operation Shakti'') was a series of five nuclear weapon tests conducted by India in May 1998. The bombs were detonated at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. It was the second instance of nuclear testing conducted ...
nuclear bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...
test explosions. 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. In a turn of events, Haasan announced in November 1999 that shooting will resume in six months after contracts of the technicians and actors were sorted, adding that a French version of the film will also be released, though work eventually did not restart. Haasan met American producers during his visit to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in June 2006 to try to find a financier for the film, but talks were unfruitful. In June 2008, Haasan suggested that the film would be revived after the completion of his directorial venture, '' Marmayogi'', but within months, ''Marmayogi'' was shelved after pre-production. A two-minute soundless trailer of the film surfaced on the internet in January 2008, with ''IndiaGlitz'' claiming that there are "scenes which have the grandeur that stuns you instantly" and that "the visuals are astonishing." Haasan announced that he intended on restarting work on the film in 2012, mentioning that the film could be made within a budget of 150 crores, and may feature contemporary leading actor Rajinikanth in another role. Reports again suggested in 2013 that Haasan would resume the film in 2014 following the completion of his directorial venture, but reports were once again baseless. In 2014, filmmaker
Keyaar Kothanda Ramaiah (also known as K. R. and Keyaar) is an Indian film director, producer, distributor and exhibitor. He has held various leading positions in different film industry organizations. Career KR studied film processing at the M.G.R. ...
made a public call to
Fox Star Studios Star Studios (formerly known as Fox Star Studios) is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney Star (via Disney Entertainment), part of the Disney International Operations segment of ...
and other large production companies to consider reviving the project. Kamal Haasan revealed that Allirajah Subaskaran of Lyca Productions had expressed interest in financing the project during late 2015, but restarting the venture would involve extensive pre-production works and he would collaborate with Lyca Productions on a different venture first. The posters of the film were displayed at the
2017 Cannes Film Festival The 70th Cannes Film Festival took place from 17 to 28 May 2017, in Cannes, France. Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar was the president of the jury for the main competition. Italian actress Monica Bellucci hosted the opening and closing cerem ...
, signalling the film's possible revival. However, in February 2018, Haasan revealed that he would only work on two more films before his proposed retirement from acting, '' Vishwaroopam II'' and '' Indian 2''. In 2020, Haasan stated that he envisaged the title character would be in his 40s, but was by now too old to play the role, "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."


Music

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
was signed on to score music for the film's soundtrack, while his son Karthik Raja composed the background music for the film's promotional trailer in late 1997. Initially Kamal Haasan planned to bring in prominent British film composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
to compose the background music, while Ilaiyaraaja took in charge of composing the songs, suggesting that it will be a collaborative effort between the two composers. Later classical violinist L. Subramaniam was also brought to compose the film score, but he turned down the opportunity which made Ilaiyaraaja to take charge of composing the background score and the soundtrack. Despite the project being shelved, Ilaiyaraaja finished composing two songs for the film in late 1998. One of the songs were sung by prominent M. S. Subbulakshmi, and another song was titled "Poranthathu Panaiyur Mannu" which was composed and sung by Ilaiyaraaja. At an award ceremony held in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, both Kamal Haasan and Ilaiyaraaja sang few lines from this song, which prompted fans requesting to release the full song online. The song was released directly in YouTube (as both audio and video formats). The video song featured some footages of the sequences which were filmed during the initial phase of the production and few scenes from the film's trailer as well.


Legacy

The delay of the film has been subject to references in media and film. In '' Saroja'' (2008), the character played by Premgi Amaren stumbles upon a supposed DVD of ''Marudhanayagam''. In '' Siva Manasula Sakthi'' (2009), Santhanam's character mockingly asks for a song from the shelved film to be played on the radio. In '' Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan'' (2017), a poster of the film appears in the background of a scene, alongside other prominent shelved Tamil films such as ''Manmadhan 2'' and ''Karikalan''. Director A. L. Vijay revealed that ''Marudhanayagam'' was the inspiration behind his successful 2009 film, '' Madrasapattinam'', which was based on India's independence movement in 1947.


References

{{Raaj Kamal Films International 1990s unfinished films Films directed by Kamal Haasan Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja Films shot in Chalakudy Films shot in Chennai Films shot in Jaipur Films shot in Kerala Films shot in Rajasthan Films shot in Tamil Nadu Films shot in Thrissur Tamil-language Indian films Unreleased Tamil-language films