Kamal Haasan recalls fond memories of his meetings with Queen Elizabeth II

Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan mourned the demise of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of England by sharing fond memories of his meetings with the Queen. The queen passed away at her Balmoral Castle in Scotland yesterday. She was 96. She had sat on the throne for seven decades. Kamal Haasan had met the Queen twice, first, on the set of his film Marudhanayagam (1997) and during his visit to Buckingham Palace (2017).

Sharing a picture of himself with the Queen, the Ulaganayagan expressed his grief and condolences to the family and people of England. His tweets in Tamil translate to, " I was saddened to hear the news of the demise of Queen Elizabeth II of England. She was loved not only by the British, but also by the entire world. 25 years ago, she had accepted our invitation and attended the inaugural ceremony of Marudhanayagam. It was probably the only film shoot she had attended.”

Queen Elizabeth II had visited the sets of Marudhanayagam in Chennai, which was considered as one of the biggest films in the Tamil film industry. The film was directed and bankrolled by Kamal Haasan as well. Also present at the event was the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK patriarch Kalaignar M Karunanidhi. Kamal Haasan had given a glimpse of a battle scene from the film, which had cost a lump sum.  The film was eventually shelved after an international firm which was supposed to fund the film, backed out of the deal. Marudhanayagam was based on the life of 18th-century freedom fighter Maruthanayagam Pillai.

Kamal had later visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace two decades later at a cultural meet. "I  vividly remember meeting her at the Palace five years ago at a cultural event in London. My deepest condolences to the people of England and the Royal Family on the loss of their beloved Queen (sic)."