<p>Not many would know the story of an Indian warrior who infuriated the British so much during their reign in India that after hanging him, they had his body dismembered and his body parts displayed on the principal gateways of the city of Madura for a while before despatching it to various other places as a warning to others who might harbour thoughts of rebellion against them.<br /><br /></p>.<p>This rebel commander’s tale is so fascinating and his courage and skills so brilliant that even his enemies confess finding it difficult not to admire him. No wonder then that actor Kamal Haasan has an insatiable urge to tell the story of this hero called Marudhanayagam to the world.<br /><br />A forgotten warrior<br /><br />“The mutiny in Meerut, which many claim as India’s first war of Independence, took place in 1857. However, almost a 100 years before that rebellion broke out, Marudhanayagam took on the British. To stop him, the British had to spend an amount that is almost on par with the amount that the US had to spend to vanquish Saddam Hussian in recent times,” says Kamal, giving an insight into the price the British had to pay to quell the rebellion by Marudhanayagam. The actor has been working on his film, named after the hero, for several years now, and has an intention to release it on a global scale.<br /><br />“I not only need the money, but also a wide distribution network from the West to take hold of my film Marudhanayagam and release it properly because this is an English, French and Tamil film. It is not a project that I can sell and walk away,” he says.<br /><br />Although Kamal doesn’t disclose any more details of this film, a peek into history reveals that there are different accounts and versions on Marudhanayagam, but one of the most extensively researched accounts happens to be by an Englishman called S Charles Hill.<br />Hill, in his book on Marudhanayagam tilted Yusuf Khan, The Rebel Commandant, says Marudhanayagam was born a Hindu at Pannaiyur in Ramnad district and that he ran away from home as a boy. Later, he converted to Islam and took the name Muhammad Yusuf after which he seems to have entered the services of a couple of Europeans. <br /><br />Retelling ‘his’tory<br /><br />Yusuf seems to have rendered yeoman service, both as a military general and as an administrator. From the time he provided security to the convoys bringing supplies to the forts at Tirunelveli to the countless victories he won for the British, his services were ubiquitous. As a result, he was appointed Governor of Madurai and Tinnevelly.<br />Yusuf reached Madurai on May 20, 1759, only to find the place in total chaos. He is believed to have restored order swiftly and was able to remit his rent regularly. More importantly, he was never guilty of tyranny or oppression, and people loved him for that. This, Hill says, was evident from the manner in which people stood by him till the end. Also, their constant prayer to the Nawab and the English was for a return to his methods of governance.<br /><br />Hill also points out that apart from remitting his rent regularly, he managed to create and equip a force with which he could take on the combined forces of the Nawab and the British. After being declared a rebel, Marudanayagam beat back the British twice when they tried to lay siege to the fort at Madurai. Finally, he fell only because of backstabbing by certain leaders from his own camp. Records show that the British tried to hang Marudhanayagam thrice and twice the rope broke.<br /><br />The book sums up his life with this quote: “Of Yusuf Khan, there now remains only a little white mosque, a street in Madura known to the people by his name though officially it bears another designation and a fast fading memory of one who, though he died a rebel, had been a gallant and skilful soldier...”<br /><br />Having laboured to get these details, it is hard not to ask Kamal how much of the film is done. “I have 30 minutes of it ready. I need to do another two hours. I want to get a release platform in the US and in the west. I want that kind of people to come for it for this is fantastic stuff,” he signs off.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Not many would know the story of an Indian warrior who infuriated the British so much during their reign in India that after hanging him, they had his body dismembered and his body parts displayed on the principal gateways of the city of Madura for a while before despatching it to various other places as a warning to others who might harbour thoughts of rebellion against them.<br /><br /></p>.<p>This rebel commander’s tale is so fascinating and his courage and skills so brilliant that even his enemies confess finding it difficult not to admire him. No wonder then that actor Kamal Haasan has an insatiable urge to tell the story of this hero called Marudhanayagam to the world.<br /><br />A forgotten warrior<br /><br />“The mutiny in Meerut, which many claim as India’s first war of Independence, took place in 1857. However, almost a 100 years before that rebellion broke out, Marudhanayagam took on the British. To stop him, the British had to spend an amount that is almost on par with the amount that the US had to spend to vanquish Saddam Hussian in recent times,” says Kamal, giving an insight into the price the British had to pay to quell the rebellion by Marudhanayagam. The actor has been working on his film, named after the hero, for several years now, and has an intention to release it on a global scale.<br /><br />“I not only need the money, but also a wide distribution network from the West to take hold of my film Marudhanayagam and release it properly because this is an English, French and Tamil film. It is not a project that I can sell and walk away,” he says.<br /><br />Although Kamal doesn’t disclose any more details of this film, a peek into history reveals that there are different accounts and versions on Marudhanayagam, but one of the most extensively researched accounts happens to be by an Englishman called S Charles Hill.<br />Hill, in his book on Marudhanayagam tilted Yusuf Khan, The Rebel Commandant, says Marudhanayagam was born a Hindu at Pannaiyur in Ramnad district and that he ran away from home as a boy. Later, he converted to Islam and took the name Muhammad Yusuf after which he seems to have entered the services of a couple of Europeans. <br /><br />Retelling ‘his’tory<br /><br />Yusuf seems to have rendered yeoman service, both as a military general and as an administrator. From the time he provided security to the convoys bringing supplies to the forts at Tirunelveli to the countless victories he won for the British, his services were ubiquitous. As a result, he was appointed Governor of Madurai and Tinnevelly.<br />Yusuf reached Madurai on May 20, 1759, only to find the place in total chaos. He is believed to have restored order swiftly and was able to remit his rent regularly. More importantly, he was never guilty of tyranny or oppression, and people loved him for that. This, Hill says, was evident from the manner in which people stood by him till the end. Also, their constant prayer to the Nawab and the English was for a return to his methods of governance.<br /><br />Hill also points out that apart from remitting his rent regularly, he managed to create and equip a force with which he could take on the combined forces of the Nawab and the British. After being declared a rebel, Marudanayagam beat back the British twice when they tried to lay siege to the fort at Madurai. Finally, he fell only because of backstabbing by certain leaders from his own camp. Records show that the British tried to hang Marudhanayagam thrice and twice the rope broke.<br /><br />The book sums up his life with this quote: “Of Yusuf Khan, there now remains only a little white mosque, a street in Madura known to the people by his name though officially it bears another designation and a fast fading memory of one who, though he died a rebel, had been a gallant and skilful soldier...”<br /><br />Having laboured to get these details, it is hard not to ask Kamal how much of the film is done. “I have 30 minutes of it ready. I need to do another two hours. I want to get a release platform in the US and in the west. I want that kind of people to come for it for this is fantastic stuff,” he signs off.<br /><br /></p>
