Several months ago, there was an announcement that MT Vasudevan Nair’s novel, Randamoozham will be made into a film directed by VA Shri Kumar Menon and the budget for the film was expected to be around Rs 1,000 crores. This would have made it the costliest Indian film to have ever been made.
However, MT Vasudevan Nair, who had written the screenplay for the film, has recently announced that he is backing off from the project and also demanded the screenplay back from the producers.
Four years ago, after discussions, it was confirmed that MT’s novel would be made into a movie and at that time, he had handed over the screenplay to the director and the producer, BR Shetty. The screenplay was handed over for a contract period of three years.
Speaking to TNM on Thursday, MT Vasudevan Nair said that he is backing off from the project because, “after four years, the film hasn’t even begun shooting and the contract for the screenplay was only for three years.”
“Even after the contract was extended for one more year, they haven’t started the making of the film,” he added.
According to reports, MT Vasudevan Nair, who is planning to move court to demand the script from the producer on Thursday, has also said that he is willing to return the money that was paid to him as an advance.
Randamoozham is a Malayalam novel penned by MT Vasudevan Nair in 1984. The story is based on the epic Mahabharata and is told from Bheema’s perspective. Appreciated and credited as a masterpiece, it won the Vayalar Award for the best literary work in Malayalam in 1985 and the Muttathu Varkey Award in 1994.
Actor Mohanlal was roped in to play the character of Bheema, and in a blog penned by the actor on April, 2017, he had said, “Like most children in India, I too grew up listening to the tales of Mahabharata and Ramayana. For most people, Bheema was a loyal brother with a huge body and a large appetite. It was after reading MT Vasudevan Nair’s novel Randamoozham, I understood the emotional side to Bheema. MT sir was the one who suggested my name for Bheema’s role and I’m thankful to him as an actor for that. But, I’m overwhelmed when I think of it now. Bheema has been part of my life for a long time now."