Long before Pulimurugan` was in the minds of its creators; another multicrore project of Mohanlal was in the anvil and had then hit the headlines. It was noted for its star presence, Mohanlal and Jackie Chan teaming up for the first time, film buffs was excited on hearing it. The director was Albert Antoni.

The film is based on the real life character of pre-independence era who fought against British government from Japan. His name is Ayyappan Pillai Madhavan Nair. The script was written by the director itself. The project got started in 2010 in China but came to a halt immediately when the production company withdrew from it. The first scene was about to be canned and Jackie Chan who was shooting in Mexico was about to fly to China and Mohanlal was about to start from India when the film got dropped.

The director is now in revival mode. He has registered his script in Writers Guild of America and Hollywood productions. It requires a colossal budget as it is a period movie and it can be only worked out with the help of International banners. The film requires extensive shooting in Japan, Mongolia and China.

The director says Mohanlal has given him enough courage and motivation. It is with his support that the film is now in a revival mode.