Did you know Queen Elizabeth ll had visited Kamal Haasan's 'Marudhanayagam' set in 1997?

Kamal Haasan's Marudhanayagam is a long-delayed historical drama film. The shoot of the film began in 1997 was delayed because of lack of finance and hasn't been resumed ever since. Did you know Queen Elizabeth ll in India visited Kamal Haasan's Marudhanayagam's set? They had a brief conversation for a few minutes and she spent some time watching an important unedited scene from the film that never made it to the theatres. 

Also Read | Kamal Haasan's Last Name Was Derived From THIS Sanskrit Word; Find Out!

Queen Elizabeth ll in India visited Marudhanayagam shooting location

The reigning British monarch had visited India in 1997 and went to Chennai for a couple of days. She wanted to visit a film set and decided to visit the Marudhanayagam shooting location. It was one of the most ambitious projects of Kamal as he had invested more than Rs 8 crores from his own pocket. The queen was invited as a chief guest to launch the film. On October 16, 1997, the Queen made it to the MGR film city where she spent almost 20 minutes.

Also Read | Kamal Haasan's MNM Meet Pushed To March 7; Open Applications For Tamil Nadu Poll Tickets

The production department had to do many preparations and arrange for security for the queen. When the queen arrived on the set, Kamal Haasan's wife Sarita welcomed her by performing the typical Indian ritual with an aarti and garland. Some other VIP guests who visited the sets of the film were politicians like then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, S Jaipal Reddy and Congress leader Moopanar as well as journalist Cho Ramaswamy. The guest list also included names like Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan and Amrish Puri.

Also Read | Kamal Haasan Condemns Disha Ravi's Arrest, Asks Govt To Stop Atrocities In Name Of Treason

In those 20 minutes, the queen was shown a short clip of a battle scene on which Kamal had spent almost Rs. 1.5 crore. The date of the launch, October 16, has historical significance as the Bengal Partition took place on that day because of the Viceroy of British India, Lord Curzon. The team, however, was a bit confused as to why the queen wanted to see the shoot of a film that denounced the British. Soon after that, the British company that had planned to co-produce the film backed out. The shoot of the film has been halted since then. 

Also Read | Kamal Haasan's MNM Opens Applications For Those Seeking Tickets For TN, Puducherry Polls