The Hindi remake rights of the critically acclaimed political thriller Hey Ram are with Shah Rukh Khan, Kamal Haasan has said.
He has confirmed this in a recent interview. Kamal told Mumbai Mirror, “Shah Rukh only got a wristwatch for acting in my film at the time because, by the end of it, I had nothing left in hand. Now, he is the brand ambassador for a watch brand. I am glad that he got the Hindi rights of Hey Ram from Bharat bhai (co-producer Bharat Shah). He should have some memory of the film as he gave his friendship and service for it.”
Hey Ram, which was released in the year 2000, starred Kamal Haasan as Saket Ram Iyengar (Hindi) / Saketharaman Iyengar (Tamil) and Shah Rukh Khan as Amjad Ali Khan. The film also had a bevy of stars in the cast including Hema Malini, Rani Mukhrejee, Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Abbhas, Vasundhara Das, etc. Hassan's daughter, Shruti Hassan, was also a part of this film though that might come as a surprise to many. She essayed the role of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's daughter in the story.
Set against the backdrop of Bengal's partition, the story revolves around the protagonist Saket Ram's journey from religious hatred to love. Apart from writing and directing the film, Kamal also produced it jointly with Bharat Shah, Charuhasan and Chandrahasan under the banners Raaj Kamal Films International and VIP Films.
The film had an impressive technical crew, including maestro Ilaiyaraja for music, Tirru for cinematography and Renu Saluja for editing.
Made on a budget of Rs. 6 crores, 18 years ago, Hey Ram went on to collect around Rs. 11 crores at the box-office. The film won several prestigious awards including the 2000 National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor – Atul Kulkarni, Best Costume Design – Sarika and Best Special Effects – Manthra. Kamal Haasan won the Filmfare Awards – Tamil - Best Actor for his performance in the film. Hey Ram did have its share of controversies, with a section protesting against the depiction of Gandhi.
(Content provided by Digital Native)