With the release of South India's biggest ever historic film Pazhassi Raja the king of Kerala is back on the 70 mm, Mammootty in and as Pazhassi Raja. This period film is said to be the costliest movie ever made in Malayalam.

It took two-and-a-half years of shooting in thick forests and with it's release this Friday the long wait for fans is finally over.

Says Rafiq, a fan, "Thousands of fans have been waiting for this movie. It will surely go to the Oscars. Mammootty will surely be nominated. Atleast this is our belief."

The Rs 27 crore film is the costliest Malayalam movie to be made in India. It is about the Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of the Kottayam royal family who fought the British in the 18th century.

Says Hariharan, the director of the film, "It is a film which all generations should watch and would enjoy."

Mammootty is currently shooting for his next film in Palani in Tamil Nadu. He says though Pazhassi Raja is his biggest film, he is hardly nervous because the biggest names of the South are associated with the film, namely Tamil's Sharat Kumar, Malayalam's Thilagan, Telugu's Suman, music by Illayaraja and sound by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty.

The movie is also being dubbed in Hindi and Tamil with commentary by Shah Rukh Khan and Kamal Haasan. Mohanlal lends his voice for the Malayalam version. It doesn't get bigger than this.

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