Kamal Hassan has added another feather to his cap. He is all set to share screen space with Japanese superstar Tadanobu Asano in an Indo-Japanese film produced and directed by Bharatbala.
The film will trace back the origins of the martial art form of Kerala, Kalarippayattu. The film is slated to be made on a 50-million dollar budget. According to our source the industry, "Kamal is very excited about this film with Bharatbala. Asano has been finalised for the role after a lot of deliberation. The film deals with Kalarippayattu, the martial arts form from Kerala and will trace it back its roots to the ninth century." So how did Asano step into the picture? The buzz is that after Kamal's brush with Jackie Chan, during the music release of his magnum opus Dasavtaram, he was keen to work with a Japanese actor. Currently, research is underway to fine-tune the factual elements of this age-old art. The objective of the film is to showcase that the origins of this martial art form are in India and Japan, contrary to the popular belief. The film, which is expected to go on the floors sometime next year, will be made in Hindi, Tamil and Japanese. Our source added, "A R Rahman has been finalised for the music score but the leading lady is yet to be finalised. We are looking for a heroine with an athletic built. The film will be produced and directed by Bharatbala and co-produced by Walt Disney." When contacted Bharatbala said, "It's too early to disclose anything. Currently we are in the midst of negotiations." Nikhil Murugan, the official spokesperson of Kamal Hassan said, "It is not confirmed as yet as Kamalji is abroad." Tadanobu Asano is one of the superstars in Japan right now and has acted in over 50 films. His recent film Mongol broke all box-office records. He has acted in several blockbusters like Vital, Zatochi, Last Life in the Universe, One Step on a Mine: It's all over and Wind-Up Type, among others. What is Kalarippayattu? Kalarippayattu is as old as the great Indian philosophy and the Vedas. It is the martial arts form of Kerala and it has its roots deep in the Vedic culture of India. Kalarippayattu is considered by many as the most comprehensive of all the martial traditions. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article§id=30&contentid=2008080920080809025606438f94b183e
