The critically acclaimed Tamil film “Moondram Pirai” (Sadma in Hindi) may have earned him a national award and his colleagues a lot of fame, but the team was “ridiculed” when the movie was being produced, actor Kamal Hassan revealed today. However, post the release of the movie, which deals with the love story of Kamal Hassan with a mentally ill Sridevi, made “all those involved in the film heroes”.

“During the making of the film Moondram Pirai, (it was) ridiculed. But all those involved in the film became heroes including producer G Thiagarajan,” the actor, accompanied by the producer himself, said while explaining the need for a strong script for a film like “Moondram Pirai“. Talking to reporters here about the forthcoming Media and Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC)-2012, organised by the entertainment division of industry body FICCI, he said the two-day event among others will have workshops on screenwriting.

Directed by the veteran cinematographer-director Balu Mahendra, Moondram Pirai (The Crescent) went on to catapult Hassan, his co-artiste Sridevi and Mahendra to fame even as the songs by Ilayaraja became chart-busters. The movie with a tragic end earned Kamal Hassan and Mahendra national awards even as Sridevi’s performance as a mentally ill woman earned her a lot of accolades. The actor, Chairman of FICCI-MEBC, said noted filmmakers including Singeetam Srinvasa Rao, Rohan Sippy, Anurag Kashyap and Saurabh Shukla beside himself will be involved in screenwriting workshops at the conclave scheduled on October 16 and 17 here.

Oscar-winning producer Barrie Osborne of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy will also address a session on producing a film, he said adding scores of national actors and media professionals including Mohanlal, Mammooty, Dileep, Jairam and Shobana will be part of the two-day event which will also commemorate 100 Years of Indian cinema. Various sessions on modern film-making will also be held during the two days, he said.