T P Rajeevan and Sankar Ramakrishnan are writing the script for the Santosh Sivan film, to be produced by August Cinemas.After the Tamil remake of Malayalam blockbuster Maheshinte Prathikaram, Nimir, hit-maker Priyadarshan is all set to make a comeback to his home turf with his ambitious project Kunjali Marakkar. Speaking to Vanitha Online, Priyadarshan said that the movie would be announced in July and superstar Mohanlal is likely to be roped in to play the lead role.
Earlier, cinematographer-turned director Santosh Sivan had announced another historical drama about Kunjali Marakkar, the legendary naval chief of the Zamorins in Kerala with mega star Mammootty in the lead. Priyadarshan plans to wait till June to see whether the filming of Sivan's Kunjali Marakkar will begin by then. If not he will launch his movie in July.
"To make a movie like this, one should have a deep knowledge in history. Research on Marakkar is being done. The movie will portray real incidents with an equal dose of fiction as well. Much information about this particular time in history is not available, so it is definitely going to be a challenge to recreate it," said Priyadarshan.
Meanwhile, the screenplay of Santosh Sivan's Kunhali Marakkar starring Mammootty is penned jointly by T P Rajeevan and Sankar Ramakrishnan. This big budget movie will be bankrolled by August Cinemas.
Priyadarshan had decided to proceed with his project as there has been no confirmation about the filming of Sivan's project though the first look poster of the movie had come out months ago to the great excitement of the Mammootty fans.
Priyadarshan said that he would cancel his project if the shooting of Mammootty's Kunjali Marakkar begins before July.
His exceptional bravery and expertise in naval warfare earned him a permanent position in history of Northern Kerala. Legendary actor Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair had essayed the role of Marakkar in the movie Kunjali Marakkar released in 1967.
