Kamal Haasan on reviving ‘Marudhanayagam’: The script needs to be changed

Kamal Haasan is arguably one of the biggest and most respected names in Tamil cinema. He enjoys a strong fan following due to his impressive body of work. During a recent Twitter chat with Vijay Sethupathi, ‘Ulaga Nayagan’ revealed that he plans to revive his dream project Marudhanayagam once he is able to work out the financial side of things. The Sadma actor added that the script needs to be rewritten as he can no longer play a 40-year-old on the big screen. Kamal also hinted that he will not hesitate to rope in a younger star to play the protagonist if it’s not possible to revise the script.

Marudhanayagam was launched amid much fanfare in 1997 and went on the floors almost immediately. The shoot was, however, soon put on hold due to financial issues. Even though the Hey Ram hero has attempted to revive the magnum opus on several occasions, it still remains in cold storage. The original cast included legends such as Vishnuvardhan, Om Puri and Amrish Puri.

Ace music composer Ilaiyaraaja, in 2016, released the Poranthathu Panaiyur Mannu song from Marudhanayagam and this created the great deal of buzz among fans.

Coming back to Kamal, he was last seen in the spy-thriller Vishwaroopam 2 (Vishwaroop 2 in Hindi) that failed to live up to expectations. The film, directed by the ace actor himself, never clicked with critics and this proved to be its downfall. The cast included Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar and Rahul Bose. He will next be seen in the Shankar-helmed Indian 2, a sequel to the 1996 cult classic Indian/ Hindustani. The film features the veteran in the role of an aged freedom fighter and reportedly has a strong message. The biggie stars Kajal Aggarwal as the leading lady and marks her first collaboration with Kamal. The cast includes Rakul Preet and Siddharth.

Also read: Chiranjeevi says he felt ‘dejected’ after watching this Kamal Haasan movie