Rajinikanth’s incomplete Malayalam film was shelved due to Gulf War after seven days of shoot, he was ready to do it for free

Must Read | Mohanlal once considered becoming a monk and travelling to Himalayas on foot after losing lakhs producing flop movies: ‘What is this cinema?’

Rajinikanth’s unrealised dream

Unfortunately, Garjanai/Garjanam remains his final Malayalam film to date. However, that wouldn’t have been the case had blockbuster screenwriter Dennis Joseph completed a movie he began shooting soon after the thunderous success of Joshiy’s Mammootty-starrer New Delhi (1987). It would have actually marked Rajinikanth’s return to the industry after many years. In fact, it would have even been the first film ever to feature Rajinikanth and Mammootty together, before Mani Ratnam achieved this in Thalapathi (1991). But fate had other plans. Not only did Rajinikanth never appear in a Malayalam film after that, but Dennis’ project was shelved forever after seven days of shooting due to the Gulf war.

Interestingly, Rajinikanth was open to even doing the film for free, simply because he was elated at the opportunity to work with the writer (Dennis) and producer (Joy Thomas of Jubilee Productions) who made New Delhi, a film the Tamil superstar loved. In fact, that’s how Dennis’ friendship with Rajinikanth began, as the latter wished to remake New Delhi in Hindi. Although Rajinikanth reached out to Dennis soon after watching the Mammootty-starrer, they had already sold the remake rights for New Delhi by then. Thus, Rajinikanth’s dream of doing it in Hindi got nipped in the bud. Nonetheless, he wished to collaborate with Dennis someday.

Also Read | From Mohanlal’s ‘henchman’ to Union Minister: The extraordinary rise, fall, and political rebirth of this Kerala actor

Dennis Joseph’s unrealised directorial debut

Although he was soaring high at the time as an unparalleled screenwriter, delivering blockbusters one after the other, Dennis kept his longstanding dream of directing a movie close to his heart. After the massive success of New Delhi, Joy, who knew this well, decided to give wings to Dennis’ dream. When Dennis finally got the opportunity to don the director’s hat, he kept the promise he had made to his longtime associate, Shibu Chakravarthy — who later became a noted lyricist and screenwriter — and asked him to write the script. Based on Dennis’ story, Shibu developed a screenplay.

Mammootty and Rajinikanth in Thalapathi. (Express archive photo)

Titled Venmegha Hamsangal and marking Dennis’ directorial debut, the movie’s songs were recorded even before it went on floors. Featuring Mammootty, Sumalatha, Suhasini Maniratnam, Suresh Gopi, and Thiagarajan in key roles, Venmegha Hamsangal’s narrative featured a Tamil superstar character. The actor who plays it would have to give Dennis 10 days for the shoot. “I immediately thought of asking Rajinikanth. Although others were sceptical, I called him, and he asked me to come meet him. At his home, Rajinikanth received Joy and me very warmly. I told him about the role, and he agreed immediately without a second thought,” Dennis shared during an episode of Safari TV’s “Charithram Enniloode” programme.

ICYMI | Why Mohanlal replaced Mammootty in this cult classic: The ‘mischievous rogue’ role Sivaji Ganesan refused to touch

Although elated, Joy was worried about the Tamil superstar’s fee. “But Rajinikanth laughed and said it was his tribute to New Delhi’s writer and producer. He said he’d even do it for free. I was amazed,” Dennis added.

“We had to shoot in Chennai, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Al Ain. Back then, shooting in the Gulf was rare. After the song recording, we went to fix the locations. Once back, we began the shoot with the Chennai schedule, during which we filmed certain scenes featuring Mammootty, Sumalatha, and Maniyanpilla Raju. We hadn’t shot Rajinikanth’s portions yet. We were supposed to do that after the Gulf schedule,” he added.

Don’t Miss | No one except Mammootty believed in film as it ‘looked like Tamil masala’; it earned 10x its budget, dethroned Mohanlal’s box office record

Why was Dennis Joseph’s Venmegha Hamsangal shelved?

However, things took a sudden turn, and the production of Venmegha Hamsangal came to a grinding halt. “By the time we completed about seven days of shooting, the Gulf war reached a critical stage, and the authorities there stopped giving permission for outdoor shooting. About 70 per cent of our film was set in the Gulf, and it was primarily outdoors. It was a thriller, and there was no way we could eliminate the outdoor scenes set in the Gulf. Thus, we had to stop the project after seven days of shooting.”

By that time, news of Rajinikanth acting in a Malayalam film after a long hiatus had already spread and made big headlines across Kerala and Tamil Nadu. However, Dennis and Joy never got to complete the film after that; nor did Rajinikanth appear in a Malayalam film again. Dennis, nonetheless, eventually made his directorial debut with the Mammootty-starrer Manu Uncle (1988).