KOCHI: Mollywood is all set to create a record. For the first time in the history of the Malayalam film industry, a Malayalam film will simultaneously hit the screens of 525 cinemas around the world on the Ramzan day. M T Vasudevan Nair, Hariharan and Mammootty, the trio behind the epoch-making film `Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha’, once again join hands to transplant the epic of Pazhassi Raja to the celluloid.
The Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions of the movie, filming of which took more than two years, also will be released simultaneously, with 115 centres in Kerala.
“We had initially planned an English version for release outside the country.
But considering the request by the World Malayali Council, we decided to release the Malayalam version abroad,” said Sree Harilal, general manager, Gokulam Movies, the producer of the film.
“We are yet to finalise the overseas countries where the movie is to be released. However, we will definitely include Major cities, including Singapore, Dubai and London, where Malayalis live in large numbers,” Harilal said.
Made with a budget of about Rs 26 crore, Pazhassi Raja is the most expensive movie the Malayalam film industry has ever seen. It took almost two-and-half years to complete the shooting of the film. The sound mixing of the film has been done by Oscar winner Resul Pookkutty, while the background score is set by Ilayaraja.
“It took 90 days to complete the re-recording.
For the first time in Indian cinema, Hungarian symphony was used for re-recording,” said Hariharan, the director of the film.
He said that the film would portray the different aspects of the life of Pazhassi Raja - a true patriot, a brave warrior and a loving husband - rolled into one. “The `Sepoy Mutiny’ of 1857 is considered the first organised revolt against the British rule. But how many of us are aware of the fact that more than halfa- century prior to that, Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of the Padinjare Kovilakom in Kottayam, irked by the unpopular revenue policy followed by the East India Company in Malabar, had unleashed a revolt against the English,” said Hariharan.
“M T Vasudevan Nair has done the script for the movie with the help of several history books. The main book he referred is William Logan’s Malabar Manual,” Hariharan added.
The fabulous cast of the film, most of whom from South India, include Mammootty as Pazhassi Raja, Sharath Kumar as Idachena Kunkan Nair, Manoj K Jayan as Thalakkal Chanthu, Kaniha as Kaitheri Makkam and Padmapriya as Neeli. The film also has a number of supporting actors from the Hollywood in notable roles.