Flashback Friday: When Queen Elizabeth met Kamal Haasan and spent time on sets of Marudhanayagam in 1997

Kamal Haasan is one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema and his every movie is a huge buzz. One such ambitious project was Marudhanayagam in 1997, which was an Rs 85-crore historical venture based on the life of India’s freedom struggle Marudhanayagam. Back in the day, the film made the biggest noise when Queen Elizabeth II attended the launch of the movie as chief guest. 

The Queen attended the launch at MGR Film City on October 16, 1997. She visited the sets and watched a short battle scene from the movie was shot. The battle scene alone was reportedly shot at a budget of Rs 1.5 crore. Queen Elizabeth spent time with Kamal Haasan, his then wife Sarika, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the sets of the Indian film, which failed to see the light despite a lavish budget and huge buzz. 

It was an ambitious project for Kamal Haasan as he was directing, producing Marudhanayagam, and also playing the role of 18th-century warrior Muhammed Yusuf Khan. It was made on a lavish budget of ₹85 crores at that time but got shelved as an international company funding the budget backed out. Even Kate Winslet was offered the lead female role of Marsha in the film but she refused, which also made Kamal go to Europe in search of a suitable star cast.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96, on September 9. The news was confirmed by the royal family’s Twitter handle as the official statement read, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.” The statement continued, “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.