Kamal Haasan and his Viswaroopam ..

Padmasree Dr. Kamal Haasan’s grand venture went through some decisive moments today and we at Behindwoods are proud to be the first to be bringing you these exciting revelations about Viswaroopam.

The most important decision made today was that the responsibility of directing this magnum opus will no longer rest on the shoulders of Selvaraghavan. It will be instead taken up by Kamal Haasan himself. He will be directing the film in addition to handling the story, screenplay, dialogue and lyrics. So, we will be getting to see a complete Kamal film; script, dialogues, and all, after a gap of 7 years. The last time Kamal directed a film was in 2004, Virumaandi. And after listening to his lines in Manmadhan Ambu, who wouldn’t want more such poetic songs!

The decision to transfer the reins of Viswaroopam, a mutual one, came after it became impossible to defer the shooting of Viswaroopam until Selvaraghavan completed his current project, Irandam Ulagam. News is that Irandaam Ulagam will take at least another couple of months to get wrapped up and the producer of Viswaroopam, Telephoto Films, feels that it will be too long a wait. That is not without reason because the producer has planned a November 7 release for this opus.

Yes, that is November 7, 2011, not 2012. Less than 6 months from now. And, this is not going to be a simple romantic comedy or drama that can be wrapped up in double quick time within a limited budget. It is in fact the costliest film that has been planned in Tamil to date; the initial estimate running up to 150 crores. And, it will also be released simultaneously in 3 languages, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

A 150 crore trilingual in 6 months! Going by industry trends, that is akin to climbing Mt. Everest in a matter of minutes. But, the team seems confident of meeting the stiff target they have set for themselves. And, their confidence is not without reason because the work has already begun. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have been entrusted with the music of the film and the first song has been recorded. So, as you can see, the team is wasting no time in getting things underway. And, for those of you who feel disappointed at not being able to see the Kamal-Selva combination, there is good news. The producer has expressed optimism that the trio will come together for another film.

There are not too many other details available at this moment except for the fact that Bollywood ‘Dabbang’ sensation Sonakshi Sinha will be seen opposite Kamal Haasan. Well, the young actress really does seem to have many cosmic forces favoring her at the moment; debut opposite Salman Khan that broke all box office records and now her first film in Tamil is opposite one of the finest actors in the country, in one of the biggest ever productions. It does not get better for a one film old actress.

And, what is Viswaroopam about? Well, trust Kamal Haasan! Whatever news comes out about the movie, we are sure to be kept in the dark about the premise until the day it hits screens. And, we know it will be worth the wait. Going by the initial indications, this Viswaroopam is all set to dwarf the benchmarks set by Dasavatharam.

With Superstar recuperating well in hospital, we also hope that Rana will be up and running soon. With that Tamil cinema will have two giant productions getting ready in its wings at the same time. And, who is going to have the best of it all; we, the audience of course.