Widely regarded as a visionary actor-filmmaker, Kamal Haasan’s repertoire proves there are no limits to what you can dream. His unconventional, out-of-the-box creative choices, despite his status as a massive star, have helped cement his status as a trailblazer in Indian cinema.

However, like anyone else, Kamal Haasan too hasn’t managed to realise all his dreams. From Marudhanayagam, Robot, and Thalaivan Irukkiraan to Sabaash Naidu and Thevar Magan 2, many of his movies have been shelved at different stages of production.

Cinema Anatomy | Toxic: Yash, Geetu Mohandas’ crime thriller becomes the very monster it set out to destroy

Story continues below this ad

Among Kamal Haasan’s unrealised projects is an ambitious film based on the martial art of Kalaripayattu, which originated in Kerala. In fact, it could be described as one of the most ambitious films of his career and was supposed to bring together several cinematic heavyweights.

A stellar ensemble

Helmed by Bharat Bala — known for his work in the Dhanush-Parvathy Thiruvothu starrer Maryan (2013) — the historical film, titled The 19th Step, was penned by legendary screenwriter-director and Jnanpith Award-winning author MT Vasudevan Nair. Walt Disney Company India was set to bankroll it, with Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano and Indian actor Asin Thottumkal in the lead, while Kamal Haasan was to play a notable role as an Indian martial arts guru.

The 19th Step’s story follows a Japanese samurai who travels to Kerala to meet a Kalaripayattu master and join him to learn the martial art’s secrets. Initial reports about the project first surfaced in the late 2000s, with Asin herself confirming that the movie would go on the floor in the second half of 2009. Since then, Bharat Bala has discussed this ambitious project several times, but it remains shelved even after 18 years.

Kamal Haasan is known as a trailblazer in Indian cinema.

“The film is being produced by Walt Disney, and a good portion will be shot in Kerala. Kamal Haasan plays an important role in the film, which also has popular Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano. This is going to be made in Tamil, Japanese and English and would commence in the second half of this year,” a 2009 IANS report quoted her as saying. “For The 19th Step, I am soon going to learn martial arts because the storyline demands that,” she added.

Story continues below this ad

Why The 19th Step stalled 20 days before shooting

However, the movie’s production stalled about 20 days before filming was supposed to begin. Director Bharat Bala himself confirmed that the project has been delayed. “Three years ago, I was supposed to make the first Indo-Japanese Tamil film with the best actors from Japan and India. It was to be marketed internationally. Kamal Haasan and Asin were to act in the film. It was a martial arts story,” he told Rediff in a March 2013 interview.

He added, “We had some difficulties 20 days before we were to start shooting. So I had to momentarily shelve the film. But the story is still exciting for me. Maybe after Maryan, I will look at it, but with a fresh cast.”

Cinema Anatomy | Toxic: Yash, Geetu Mohandas’ crime thriller becomes the very monster it set out to destroy

Bharat also revealed why the movie has been named The 19th Step. “In Kalaripayattu, you have to take 18 steps to master the art, and the 19th step is when you go beyond that, and that is realisation or moksha.”

Story continues below this ad

Discussing the project further, the director told a national daily in a July 2013 interview, “MT sir has penned the script and has finished writing it. The movie will have both action and romance in it. The film will also delve into the ‘guru-shishya bandhan‘ between the Samurai and the Kalaripayattu master.” He had also expressed hope that The 19th Step would hit the screens towards the end of 2014.

The foreign collaboration that couldn’t save Kamal Haasan’s film

In 2016, Philip Lee — the executive producer of movies such as The Revenant (2015), Cloud Atlas (2012), and Assassin’s Creed (2016) — confirmed he had joined the project and was developing it as an Indo-Chinese collaboration. “It is a historical fiction project and is based on an original story,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that the project is still at the planning stage.

Asin had once confirmed that The 19th Step would go on the floor in the second half of 2009.

However, his involvement also didn’t help Bharat Bala launch the project. Regardless, the director never abandoned it. During a 2019 interview with Scroll, the director revealed what actually happened to The 19th Step. “That film could have been something. But Kamal Haasan walked out for another project. Tadanobu Asano came down and trained for the film. It was Disney’s attempt at getting a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) from India. Maybe, someday, I will return to it,” he said.

Following MT Vasudevan Nair’s death on December 25, 2024, Bharat took to social media to share a photo of himself with the legendary writer, recalling their collaboration that never happened. “An inspiring mentor who bonded as a friend and proudly shared his art. Honoured to have the privilege of ‘The 19th Step’ screenplay written by the one and only MT sir,” he wrote.

Story continues below this ad

While Kamal Haasan was most recently seen in director Mani Ratnam’s critical and commercial disaster Thug Life (2025), Umesh Shukla’s All Is Well (2015) marked Asin’s final film appearance, as she retired from acting after that.