Mohanlal and Priyadarshan to work together again in Marakkar Arabikadalinte SimhamA large ship is currently being built for director Priyadarshan’s ambitious project Marakkar – Arabikadalinte Simham. The construction of the set is led by award-winning production designer Sabu Cyril at Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City. Priyadarshan’s daughter Kalyani tweeted the pictures of the under-construction ship while sharing her excitement to be part of the project.
“#Marrakar ships under construction. Excited to see what @sabucyril Sir has managed to do this time! Can’t wait to start shoot soon with @priyadarshandir. @Mohanlal @impranavlal and @KeerthyOfficial (sic),” she wrote on her Twitter page.
Marakkar – Arabikadalinte Simham will be made on a lavish budget, and it is touted to become the most expensive film ever made in Malayalam film industry. A source close to the production revealed that the filmmakers will be erecting about a dozen different sets for the movie.
“We are building a Portuguese-era ship. A lot of action will take place at sea in the movie. We have also made a huge water tank to shoot war sequences. We’re working on 12 other set pieces,” a source told Indianexpress.com.
The regular shooting of the film is expected to start in the second or third week of December this year. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal will be playing the titular role of Kunjali Marakkar IV, the Muslim naval chief of the Zamorin (Samoothiri), during the 16th century in Kerala.
#Marrakar ships under construction 🚧 🏗 🔨.
Excited to see what @sabucyril Sir has managed to do this time!
Can’t wait to start shoot soon with @priyadarshandir. @Mohanlal @impranavlal and @KeerthyOfficial 😁 pic.twitter.com/2xU1W8OmvG— Kalyani Priyadarshan (@kalyanipriyan) November 29, 2018
It is worth noting that Santosh Sivan has also expressed his desire to make the film on the battle exploits of Kunjali Marakkar IV with Mammootty in the lead.
There were four Kunjali Marakkars who served in the Zamorin’s navy. However, the fourth naval chieftain has caught the imagination of the ace filmmakers because he was the one who led the open rebellion against his feudal master.
Marakkar- Arabikadalinte Simham will also star Mohanlal’s son Pranav, who will be making a special appearance in the film. Keerthy Suresh has also been roped in for the project.
Priyadarshan has reportedly offered other pivotal roles to seasoned Tamil actor Prabhu, Telugu star Nagarjuna and Bollywood actors Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal. However, a confirmation on the same is awaited.
Producers Antony Perumbavoor, Santhosh T. Kuruvilla and C.J. Roy are bankrolling the big-ticket film.
