For well over a decade now it has been very clear that Kamal Haasan has a dream project in mind and that is 'Maruthanayagam'. The project was started way back and about thirty minutes of the film was canned. According to sources, several Crores of Rupees were spent for the thirty minutes and the thought of canning the rest of the film scared away the producers. 'Maruthanayagam' then came to a screeching halt.
It can be recalled that when the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, was in Chennai, certain shots were filmed having her as an audience and later the filmmakers showed her some of the already canned scenes.
'Maruthanayagam' as revealed then is supposedly the story of a man who single handedly revolted against the exploits of the mighty British Empire and because of which was hanged to death. But then he had made a mark. The stamp of righteousness and the will to fight for what he knew was right.
The character of Maruthanayagam is much like the life of the legendary Spartacus – the man brushed away to obscurity for being born a slave and yet had the gumption to lead a slave army against the mighty Roman Republic. Spartacus is a character in history who won hearts by perishing the way he did. Rome won on the day it killed Spartacus, but as time the weary traveler plodded on, that victory had become a pathetic failure in terms to how Spartacus had changed the way Rome functioned in the years to come. Spartacus's real intent had reached the world and today he is hailed as a man who stood for the rights of the oppressed. Spartacus had become the real winner.
The story of Spartacus was made in Hollywood in the year 1960 with a terrific cast that included Kirk Douglas, Lawrence Olivier and Jean Simmons. It went on to win four academy awards.
Kamal Haasan's 'Maruthanayagam' has Spartacus's soul in it and in order to recreate the magnificence of the character, huge sums of money were needed.
What makes big news at this juncture is that there is a whiff in the air as to what the connection between 'Maruthanayagam' and 'Marmayogi' could be. Owing to the fact that 'Maruthanayagam' met with protests by a section of the public when it was being filmed and the fact that 'Marmayogi' requires about 120 Crores of Rupees to materialize has brought about the question – Is 'Marmayogi' really 'Maruthanayagam' in disguise? Moreover, it has been officially declared that 'Marmayogi' is a period film set in the sixth century AD.
Has Kamal Haasan started disguising his stories when they are under production much like he disguises himself on screen?
The real truth will surface soon.