When Queen Elizabeth II Appeared As The Chief Guest At The Launch Of Kamal Haasan’s Historic Drama Marudhanayagam – Pics Inside ( Photo Credit – Facebook ; Twitter )
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Yesterday, September 8, the world lost one of its oldest, the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II. The longest reined British monarch (70 years and 214 days) Elizabeth passed away at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire. As we remember the late royal, here’s a memory of when she visited Kamal Haasan on the sets of one of his most ambitious films in 1997.
Kamal is one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema and his every movie is a huge buzz. The same was true when he started work on the historical drama Marudhanayagam in 1997 – a film he served as the director, producer, co-writer and lead actor. Read on to know more about this film and see pictures of the late Queen present at its launch.
Touted to be one of the most expensive movies of its time, the Kamal Haasan starrer had a proposed budget of Rs 85 crore. Marudhanayagam – a film based on the life of India’s freedom struggle, not only made noise because its principal cast and crew included Vishnuvardhan, Amrish Puri and Naseeruddin Shah, but also because Queen Elizabeth II appeared as its chief guest at the official launch ceremony held at MGR Film City, Chennai in October 1997.
At the launch ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II visited the sets of Marudhanayagam and even watched a short battle scene from the movie that was being shot. Besides visiting the film’s sets, the late monarch also spent time with Kamal Haasan, his then-wife Sarika, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi while there.
Here are some pictures of late Queen Elizabeth and Haasan from the sets of Marudhanayagam
This ambitious project of Kamal Haasan saw him playing the role of 18th-century warrior Muhammed Yusuf Khan. After facing several delays in production and the international company co-funding backing out, the film was shelved and despite numerous attempts hasn’t seen the light of day. Reportedly, Kate Winslet was offered the lead female role of Marsha in the film but she refused.
Queen Elizabeth II passed yesterday at the age of 96. The news was confirmed by the Royal Family’s Twitter handle, with the official statement reading, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.” As per reports, she will be interred at Windsor Castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel, with the body of her late husband, Prince Philip, being moved to join her.
