Kamal Haasan meets Queen Elizabeth Stills

Actor Kamal Hasaan, who attended the reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace, recollected his Marudhanayagam shooting days when she had visited his film’s sets back in October 1997, during her brief stay in India.

Malayalam and Tamil actor Suresh Gopi was also present at the gathering. He was appreciated by The Queen for choosing a vibrant attire for the occasion. As per reports, when she came to know that Suresh is a member of parliament, she went on to ask him about the constituency he represented. It was only later that she learnt that Suresh is a member of Rajya Sabha.

“The exchange was brief as there were too many people. You might remember during Her Majesty’s visit to India, she visited my film set. Probably the only film shooting she had attended in her whole life,” he added.

The event flagged the beginning of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017 in which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley represented the Indian side along with a delegation.

The photo of the Tamil cinema veteran shaking hands with has been doing great rounds in social media. “The Queen seemed in good health and remembered her visit to India fondly. The Duke of Edinburgh was in great shape and health as well. The exchange was brief as there were too many people. You might remember during Her Majesty’s visit to India, she visited my film set. Probably the only film shooting she had attended in her whole life,” posted Kamal Haasan on his social networking page.