Do you know which is the most expensive Bollywood movie ever made? Currently, Kalki 2898 AD is touted as the most expensive film produced by Indian cinema. But in reality, India’s most expensive film of all time was never released. Despite the filmmakers being as ambitious as offering the film to Kate Winslet, the film never saw the light of day.

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Which is India’s most expensive film?

Back in 1997, an epic historical drama was in the making – Marudhanayagam. The project was massive, both in scale and ambition. The filmmaker approached Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth for lead roles, but unfortunately, both the actors rejected the offer. Finally, Kamal Haasan signed the film. Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Amrish Puri were also brought on board, and if you think that sounds star-studded, just wait because the filmmaker offered the lead female role to Kate Winslet. Yes, Titanic had just made her a global star, and the filmmakers wanted her in their magnum opus. To make the international casting even stronger, British casting director Priscilla John was also roped in.

Everything about Marudhanayagam was extravagant – casting, costumes, makeup, and even the production teams who were sourced from abroad. It was shaping up to be one of the biggest Indian films ever made.

Why was Marudhanayagam shelved?

Marudhanayagam was a historical drama film based on the life of Marudhanayagam Pillai. He was a commandant of the British East India Company’s Madras Army. Production officially began in 1997, but the film went through a series of production issues, and eventually, the international company that was backing the film pulled out. Despite numerous attempts to revive the project, nothing ever materialised. The posters of the film were displayed at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, hinting at the film’s possible revival, but the very next year, Kamal Haasan announced he would be working on just two more films before his retirement. And sadly, none of them was Marudhanayagam.

At the time, the film had a budget of around ₹80 crore, which, adjusted for today’s inflation, would be well over ₹600 crore, making it India’s most expensive film that never was.

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