Queen Elizabeth visited the filming locations of Kamal Haasan’s Marudhanayagam

Kamal Haasan is returned to complete work on his next film Indian 2, months after an accident that killed three crew members halted production. Few people are aware that the actor was previously slated to make the most expensive film in Indian history and was able to secure the presence of Queen Elizabeth at the film’s debut in 1997. The film was titled Marudhanayagam, which sadly never saw the light of day.

Kamal Haasan directed, produced, and acted in Marudhanayagam as the 18th-century fighter Muhammed Yusuf Khan. It was predicted that it could be made with a budget of 85 crores at the time, but it was unable to be made since the multinational firm paying the budget withdrew its support. Even Kate Winslet was offered the lead female role of Marsha in the film, but she declined, forcing Kamal to look for a suitable star cast in Europe.

A Reddit member has now revealed a photo of Queen Elizabeth from her 1997 appearance at the film’s premiere. On 16 October 1997, she attended the launch at MGR Film City. She spent 20 minutes on the set, during which the then-chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, joined her. Sarika, the then-wife of actor Kamal and shown in the photo wearing a beige saree, was the costume designer for the film. During the event, a teaser featuring a battle scene that cost Kamal Haasan almost 1 crore was screened by Queen Elizabeth.

A Reddit commenter responded, “I want Marudhanayagam to return, but not Kamal as the main character.” If the film is remade, another person mentioned that Vikram would be a good choice for the lead part. The comment stated that other than Vikram, no one else was qualified for that role, and that he had a high reputation. No one else is as competent as Vikram to hold that position, as one commenter put it.

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