Kamal Haasan to play the antagonist in Prabhas' sci-fi thriller 'Project K'

If sci-fi Bollywood film ‘Brahmastra’ had a slew of big stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Telugu star Nagarjuna along with the main characters, Nag Ashwin’s sci-film film, ‘Project K’, too seems to boast of an impressive line-up of stars.

The latest to join ‘Project K’ is south star Kamal Haasan, who has ostensibly given the nod to play an antagonist in the film that already boasts of stars like Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani.

Aswani Dutt, the film’s producer, in an interview to a Telugu channel had said last month that 70 per cent of the shooting of this ‘graphics-heavy film’ is completed. So, it is still unclear what will be the extent of Kamal Haasan’s role in the film. The plot, the characters and other details of the film have been kept tightly under wraps.

News reports said that Kamal Haasan is reportedly excited about the role and the film and he will appear in a never-before seen avatar. Kamal has played a villain before in many movies, which included the the role of a psychopath in ‘Sigappu Rojakkal’, and as an evil twin brother in ‘Allavandhan’. In Shankar’s ‘Indian’ too, he also played the negative role of the vigilante’s corrupt son.

Kamal will shoot for the film in August after completing his schedule with ‘Indian 2’. However, no official confirmation has been made about Kamal joining the cast of the film by the makers of ‘Project K’.

‘Project K’ is backed by Vyjanthi Movies with Aswani Dutt as the producer.

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Kamal allegedly charges a big fee

Even as news is filtering in about Kamal Haasan essaying a role in ‘Project K’ and that he has allotted nearly 20 days in August to shoot his portions in the film, there is lot of speculation over the actor’s fee in the film. News reports said that he has asked for a sum of more than ₹100 crore.

Meanwhile, film lovers reacted to the news calling the Prabhas vs Kamal Haasan casting as a “Clash of the decade.” One Twitter user said, “#ProjectK – Antagonist Aandavar is Back after 15 Years..Seems like It’s almost certain that He’s Gonna lock horns with #Prabhas in this Sci-fi Magnum Opus. Can’t Wait to see the Powerhouse Performer in a Villain Role again.. Gonna be a Treat for his fans for sure..Ulaganayagan #Kamalhaasan.”

On ‘Project K’

Nag Ashwin had earlier made the biopic on yesteryear actress ‘Savitri’ (the titular role was played by actress Keerty Suresh) which was received very well. ‘Project K’, will be another expensive, magnum opus from the Telugu industry which looks all set to be a pan-Indian film. It is slated for a theatrical release on January 12, 2024. Composer Santhosh Naryanan, cinematographer Djordje Stojiljkovic and editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao are part of the technical crew.

Earlier this year, the shoot of ‘Project K’ was disrupted in Hyderabad after Amitabh Bachchan suffered a rib injury while doing an action sequence in the film. He was taken to a hospital in Hyderabad for treatment after which he returned to Mumbai to recuperate. The shooting for ‘Project K’ was temporarily halted.

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Getting Anand Mahindra’s help

In March last year, the director Nag Ashwin drew attention when he had sought the help of businessman Anand Mahindra to build futuristic vehicles for the movie through a Twitter post. Stating that what they were attempting in the movie could make the nation proud, he said:

“I admire you a lot sir..we have a talented, fully Indian team of engineers and designers..but the scale of the project is such that we could use a hand..such a film has never been attempted before…it would be an honour if you can help us engineer the future.”

‘Project K’ is to be a two-part film as with the case of mega projects of late. The first part will primarily focus on setting up the immersive world and introducing the central characters, while the second part will delve deeper into the story as it unfolds. In addition to Prabhas in the lead role, ‘Project K’ will mark the Telugu film debut of Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone.

Moreover, audiences can expect cameo appearances by several esteemed stars from the South film industry, said news reports earlier.