Marudanaayagam History in the making
A thunderous ovation followed. Long after the lights were switched back on, the audience was still gushing about the promos. And the stiff British upper lip, notwithstanding, Queen Elizabeth herself congratulated Kamal Haasan who stood anxiously by, much like a debutant director at the premiere of his first film. For Kamal Haasan, it was a dream come true.

Very little is known of Marudanaayagam, the historical character who inspired Kamal Haasan’s magnum opus. He is seldom mentioned in history books or popular literature. But for Haasan, it was just the subject he had been waiting for. As writer Sujatha Rangarajan puts it, “Whenever we planned to write the script for a historical, we’d either get a chapter which wasn’t substantial enough for cinema or, if it was, someone was already working on it. It was then that we laid our hands on the ballad, Khan Sahib’s Chandai (Khan Sahib’s War), published by Tamil scholar Naa Vanamalai and realised it had all it takes to make good cinema.” Excited by the possibilities in the story, Kamal Haasan readily gave the nod. Four years of work by the main players in the project finally led to the test shoot in Rajasthan, which alone cost a whopping Rs One crore.

The next step was the film’s launch. As if the project were blessed by divine force, the Queen evinced interest in seeing a film shoot during her visit to India. The British High Commission in Chennai knew about Kamal’s project since he and his team had been making regular trips abroad for research. Could the Queen be witness to the shooting of the film? Kamal Haasan’s answer was an obvious yes. At short notice, Kamal’s team got their act together. Ravi K Chandran canned a shot. Sarika and Saboo Cyril collaborated on the costumes and sets. And Marudanaayagam got off to a splendid start. Reproduced here are the views of the key people on the project:

KAMAL HAASAN (producer-director and lead player) : The story is more fact than fiction. It could have easily been made into a three-part film. But with the main story intact the historic episode has evolved like the main character himself. With the market for films expanding speedily, the project became even more of a reality. After Guna I wanted to do a different film from the kind I’d been doing. When I heard this ballad and delved into it, I realised the magnitude of the character who lived 275 years ago.

The character of Marudanaayagam has sunk deep into me. In the last four years, I have evolved with it to the extent that I can empathize with him and draw parallels with his life. It is not ironical that he too hails from the same district, Ramanathapuram, as I. As an actor, I have been working on myself. I have gone on a strict diet control, only fruits, eggs and vegetables for me now! As a producer, I feel I am making the film at the right time. You do audience research and you get into a muddle. The best way to judge is make a film that you’d like to watch. After all, you’re a part of the audience too. The film will cost us Rs 20 crores. We want a film which will measure upto international standards. Details like special effects, participation of European actors and music, which plays an important part, have yet to be finalised. I hope to get MS Subbalaxmi to render a song, while Birju Maharaj will choreograph for the film. We will have horse-trainers from Australia, and assistants of Sir Richard Attenborough. We have some of the latest remote-control cameras which are fast and sensitive and can capture split-second action.

Marudanaayagam is the story of a warrior who spearheaded the first mutiny against the British. Though he was born a Hindu, he converted to Islam when he was ostracised for his reformist views. He married a Christian girl. He fell foul with the British when he criticised them for the money they collected for local charity. Thus, both the British and his own people gave up on him. He was hanged to death outside his own fort. His body was cut to pieces so that nobody remembered him, but the ballads immortalized him.

Marudanaayagam has all the elements of drama: love, bravery, courage and betrayal. (Kamal attended a workshop on screenplay-writing in Hollywood before getting down to the script.)

SARIKA KAMAL HAASAN (costume director) : Kamal is a fearless director. He believes in dreaming. And I believe in dreamers. The canvas of Marudanaayagam is so large that for the test shoot alone, we needed about 7,400 items like outfits, uniforms, shoes and headgear. We have tried to maintain authenticity even to the buttons on the sepoys’ uniforms. We had begun research seven years ago. Chandralekha, then commissioner of archives, was a great help. First we got hold of Hill’s book on Marudanaayagam. Art director Saboo and I travelled to London and Paris to look for English and French outfits and other material. We met Jeane Marie, a French historian, who filled us in on the French army. She gave us letters of introduction to various people.

At the War Museum in London, I went through thousands of books, and xeroxed information about costumes and sets. We document all relevant details. I have some interesting letters from history like the one written by Warren Hastings 200 years ago. We wanted to take no chances with the historical details.

I picked up 200-year-old metal dyes to recreate the jewellery of the time. In fact every piece of jewellery to be used in the film is being made out of silver, copied from 18th century designs and original photographs of South Indian Nawabs. We will recreate the era of Marudanaayagam as authentically as possible.

SABOO CYRIL (art director) : Working on Marudanaayagam is more difficult than working on Kaalapani. Forty per cent of the stuff needed for Kaalapani was readily available. For Marudanaayagam, whatever is available is too rusted to be of any use! We have to look for stuff centuries old. Cannons, guns and shields. Why, we even made palmyara trees that were later tested for their authenticity - they seemed so real that people would be tempted to lean on them, not realising they were dummies!

Even history can be made interesting and this film can be stupendous if we are able to achieve what we are visualising. If it turns out the way Kamalji has visualised it, the film will have international stature. One can make money anytime, but how often does one get to support a person with a vision? It’s only inspiring to work with Kamal. His passion for films is enviable. He is a superb and dedicated artiste. I know, tomorrow when I look back, I will be proud of being associated with this project.

RAVI CHANDRAN (cinematographer) : Those who worked on A Passage To India and Gandhi are working with us to ensure quality. We will utilise the most modern cameras and lighting equipment to enhance the visual quality of the film. I never work with a preconceived notion on how to go about a scene. It takes away the spontaneity and the sparkle. Neither do I draw inspiration from paintings from the old masters. Kamal Haasan has prepared a powerful script. We will see to it that nothing takes away the impact.