'Vishwaroopam 2' in pre-production phase: Kamal Haasan

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan Thursday said that the sequel to his magnum opus "Vishwaroopam" is likely to go on the floors soon.

" 'Vishwaroopam 2' is in its pre-production phase. I'll start shooting for it very soon," Kamal, 58, said at the screening of the film here.

The sequel will be completely shot in India. Kamal had hinted about this in the credits of "Vishwaroopam", which has hit theatres Thursday in Tamil Nadu after a lot of dilly-dallying due to the protests from Muslim organisataions.

The Rs.95 crore espionage thriller was originally scheduled to release in Tamil and Telugu Jan 25, but a day before the screenings the Tamil Nadu government imposed a two-week ban on the film after some Muslim groups complained that some scenes in the film portrayed the community in a bad light.

The ban was revoked on the film after Kamal agreed to a truce with Muslim organisations. He was asked to edit a few scenes, which he obliged humbly.

Buoyed by the support from his fans, Kamal said, "I don't know how I will repay the support and love of my fans. I'm so proud that they maintained harmony in troubled times."

"Vishwaroopam" was initially scheduled to release first on Direct-To-Home (DTH) platform before its theatrical release, but Kamal dropped the idea after theatre owners protested.

Kamal though says he would like to revisit the idea.

"The situation has changed now and I'm hoping for a positive outcome. I'm still in talks with DTH operators, so let's wait," he said.

Kamal has written, produced and directed the film, which features him in the title role. It also stars Rahul Bose, Jaideep Ahlawat, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah and Shekhar Kapur.

Its Hindi version, titled "Vishwaroop" released worldwide Feb 1.