Marakkar is not a film for the intellectuals, it is made for the common audience: Priyadarshan
Last day, a grand six-film event was organized by Mohanlal’s Aashirvad Cinemas at the Gokulam Park Hotel in Kochi. The success celebration of ‘Odiyan’, ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Ittymaani Made In China’, along with the teaser launch of ‘Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham’ and the formal launch of ‘Barroz’ and ‘Empuraan’ were all held together at one stage.
Representing the ‘Marakkar’ team, ace filmmaker Priyadarshan attended the event and spoke about the challenges in making such an epic film and how it is shaping up now. Though the movie was shot on floors only for three months, it has been in the post-production for nearly seven months now and still works are only half way. Such is the scale of the project that it requires almost a year to complete the VFX and CG works.
According to Priyadarshan, ‘Marakkar’ is neither a completely realistic film nor a historical film. Instead, it is a mix of both; more like the director’s interpretation of some historical events. At the event, Priyadarshan made it clear that ‘Marakkar’ is not a film for the intellectuals of Kerala, it is for Mohanlal fans and the common audience. The veteran filmmaker’s comment comes at a point when his films are subjected to political auditing and nitpicking at social media platforms.
‘Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham’ is based on the life of Kunjali Marakkar IV. Kunjali Marakkar was the title given to the naval chief of Zamorin of Calicut in the 16th century, whose duty was to protect the coast against the invading Portuguese army. Mohanlal plays the lead role of Kunjali Marakkar IV, while his son Pranav plays the younger part.
The cast also includes several other big stars from across the country. Suniel Shetty, Arjun Sarja, Keerthy Suresh, Ashok Selvan, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Prabhu, Mukesh, Suhasini Maniratnam, Fazil, Siddique, Manju Warrier, Baburaj, Nedumudi Venu, Hareesh Perady, Nandu, Innocent, Ganesh Kumar, Suresh Kumar and many others are part of the film.
‘Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham’ is said to be made on a budget of over Rs 100 crores. Aashirvad Cinemas, Confident Group and Moonshot Entertainment are jointly producing the film.
