From Nehru to Kamal Haasan: A rare glimpse at Queen Elizabeth's India visits (Pictures)

Did You Know Queen Elizabeth Launched Kamal Haasan's Unfinished Marudhanayagam?

One of the most ambitious projects of the Vikram star, Queen Elizabeth II attended the launch of the movie as chief guest in 1997 at MGR Film City in Chennai. Made with a whopping budget of Rs 85 crore, the film was based on the life of freedom fighter Marudhanayagam.

It is said that she visited the sets of the film and watched a short battle scene. She also spent time with Kamal, his ex-wife Sarika, Amrish Puri, Sivaji Ganeshan and the TN Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. Unfortunately, the film never saw the light and was shelved midway.

Interestingly, 20 years later, Kamal Haasan met Queen for the second time at Buckingham Place in 2017 when the Queen invited a delegation of distinguished artists from the country to celebrate the UK-India year of culture.

Interestingly, Elizabeth II was the first monarch to accede to the throne after India got independence from colonial rule. She has visited India three times -- in 1961, 1983 and 1997. The Queen and her husband, the late Prince Phillip — Duke of Edinburgh, first toured Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata in 1961.

During their visits, they visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in New Delhi. Then Indian President Rajendra Prasad, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Vice-President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan received the royal couple. They were the guest of honours for the Republic Day Parade and also addressed the crowd at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi.

During her 1983 visit, she famously presented Mother Teresa with an honorary Order of the Merit. And her final visit was in 1997 to mark the 50th-anniversary celebrations of India's Independence.

Over the years, three Indian presidents have hosted the Queen — Dr Radhakrishnan in 1963, R. Venkataraman in 1990 and Pratibha Patil in 2009.