Did you know director Sibi Malayil had to drop Kamal Haasan's 'Gunaa' due to Mohanlal starrer 'Bharatham'?

Malayalam filmmaker Sibi Malayil has recently opened up about his failed collaboration with Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Haasan. The recent Malayalam film 'Manjummel Boys' is running successfully in Tamil Nadu due to some of the references it has taken from the 1991 Kamal starrer 'Gunaa'. As both movies are stealing the spotlight, Sibi Malayil has shared why he had to drop 'Gunaa'.

In a recent interview with Indian Express, Sibi shared that Kamal and he were planning to make a Tamil film. They were planning to make a commercial movie about the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. But Kamal later turned down the project as it may create controversies coinciding with the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Kamal wanted to play an eccentric character, so they ended up discussing 'Gunaa'. But Sibi Malayil got busy with his film 'Bharatham', starring Mohanlal. Sibi roped in script writer Sab John, cinematographer Venu, and Tamil writer Balakumaran. Later, Sibi had to focus on his ongoing film 'Bharatham'. During the shoot, Kamal reached out to Sibi to inform him about a photoshoot; unfortunately, Sibi had prior commitments in Kanchipuram as the 'Bharatham' release date was approaching. Sibi reached Kamal's office after his work in Kanchipuram, but Kamal was upset. The director stated that this misunderstanding led to them parting ways.

Kamal Haasan starrer 'Gunaa' was directed by his close associate Santhana Bharathi. Venu and Sab remained in the team.
Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”