Kamal Haasan's Indian 2 shoot to begin by 14 December; will Mammootty have a pivotal role in the film?

Almost a year after announcing Indian 2 at the finale of Bigg Boss Tamil, the much-awaited period magnum-opus is all set to start rolling from 14 December. The film marks the reunion of Shankar and Kamal Haasan 22 years after their 1996 blockbuster Indian. The project will be bankrolled by Lyca Productions and marks their second consecutive film with Shankar after 2.0.  The makeup test and first look photoshoot for Kamal Haasan was held in Chennai on 19 and 20 November, under the supervision of ace lensman Ravi Varman in AVM Studios. Indian 2 also marks Ravi Varman’s reunion with Shankar after the 2005 psychological thriller Anniyan and his third film with Kamal Haasan after Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and Dasavatharam. [caption id=“attachment_5145521” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Makkal Neethi Kamal Haasan. PTI[/caption] Earlier, the makers were keen on roping in ‘Lady Superstar’ Nayanthara for the primary female lead. Now, she has opted out of the film due to prior commitments, and Kajal Aggarwal has come on board . Kajal confirmed starring in the movie at the audio launch of Kavacham a few days back in Hyderabad. Kajal Aggarwal is expected to undergo a special makeover for the film, and her look test has already happened. In a recent interaction with Thanthi TV, Kamal Haasan said, “Indian 2 will be a sequel to Indian. But the ideology of the film belongs to Shankar. It’s not necessary that I have to subscribe to it. It’s the expression of a filmmaker. Maybe I would recommend a few dialogues that are useful to me if he agrees (smiles).” Talking about the film, director Shankar said, “When I was seeking admission for my polytechnic college, I was forced to bribe to avail community certificate and income certificate. That’s the anger behind Indian. It was the collective angst of a lot of youngsters then. That was the thought process and inspiration behind Indian. Although another sci-fi film as my next project could be a proper follow-up to 2.0, I’m doing Indian 2 to register the thoughts and feelings of the people surrounding me in today’s world. The things that affect me today when I look around form the basis of Indian 2’s story.” Shankar gushed about Kamal Haasan’s dedication and commitment stating how he prepared himself for the photoshoot. “When we did the makeup test, the costume department had already given him a pen to place inside his shirt pocket. But, he brought three more pens which resembled the exact period of the storyline from his home for the photoshoot. Even, I didn’t think about it. That’s the kind of enthusiasm he shows for work. When he wore the Indian Thatha prosthetic makeup, I was in awe of his energy.” Art director Muthuraj, who worked in 2.0, started the set work for the film on 12 November. He has completed the set work for the principle schedule now. “When he gave different poses for the photo shoot, I got goosebumps. It took nearly six hours for the makeup. The entire crew was spellbound when he returned as Senapathy,” Muthuraj told FirstPost.  Ajay Devgn, who was earlier reported to be part of the film, has opted out of the project for unknown reasons. Although speculations are rife that Akshay Kumar is in talks for the project now, a source close to the unit has denied it to Firstpost. “We have not finalised anyone for the villain role yet. Shankar sir is still mulling over a lot of options. Since the first schedule doesn’t feature the villain character, we have time to lock someone properly for the role,” the source added. Rumour has it Malayalam star Mammootty has been approached for the role. Two weeks back, reports surfaced that Dulquer Salmaan was approached for a pivotal character in the film. Our sources say Dulquer is currently busy with a string of projects in hand which he had already agreed to and wouldn’t be able to do the movie. Shankar has assembled a formidable writing team in Kabilan Vairamuthu, Jayamohan, and Lakshmi Saravanakumar for the film, which will have music composed by Anirudh Ravichander.