Kochi, Sep 14 (IANS): With the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple now becoming the cynosure of all eyes, a UAE-based group has begun work to produce a film on the life and times of Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the erstwhile King of Travancore.

Varma ruled the kingdom from 1729 to 1758 when he died at the age of 52.

This film is going to come at a time when the temple has been identified as the richest temple in the world with a treasure of more than Rs.one lakh crore kept in five of the six vaults that were opened recently.

The title of the film is 'Marthanda Varma' and, according to legend, it was during his reign that the last major renovation of the Padmanabhaswamy temple commenced.

According to records, Varma "surrendered" the kingdom of Travancore to Sree Padmanabhaswamy, the deity at the temple, in 1750 and pledged that he and his descendants would be vassals or agents of the deity who would serve the kingdom as Padmanabha Dasa.

Media consultant Suman Ramankutty said the film will be made in Malayalam and English.

"The movie has been produced by UAE-based Media Maps Cinevision and directed by K. Sreekumar (Srikuttan). The screenplay has been written by K. Jayakumar. The movie highlights the story of Marthanda Varma and the struggles faced by him as king," said Ramankutty in a statement.

The technical excellence of the movie would be at par with the technical excellence of Hollywood movies like 'Gladiator' and 'Troy', the statement said.

"Graphics and visual effects, the vital element and highlight of a historic film, would be a treat to watch. The pre-production is in progress and the casting of the other characters has been assigned to an international casting agency. The filming of the movie is slated for February next year," said Ramankutty.