The teaser for Mani Ratnam’s next Ponniyin Selvan 1 was released on 8 July during a launch in Chennai. During the event, music composer AR Rahman and the film’s cast including Jayam Ravi, Vikram Prabhu, Sarath Kumar, Trisha, and Karthi, talked about the film and even Mani Ratnam as a filmmaker.
Rahman said that he learned ‘humility, patience, and hard work’ from Ratnam and Karthi said, “He who does not know history, cannot make history. Director Mani Ratnam has created Ponniyin Selvan for the next generation.”
Ratnam revealed, “This film was supposed to star M. G. Ramachandran (MGR). I guess it didn't get made then, for us to do it now.” Even before Mani Ratnam, there were several attempts to adapt Kalki Krishnamoorthy’s novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. In 2011, The Hindu had reported that MGR had first announced a production of Ponniyin Selvan in 1958 but the project never materialised.
Filmmaker Bharathiraja had also told the publication that MGR had said to him, “You should direct it (‘Ponniyin Selvan’) for me and Kamal Haasan and Sridevi should act in it.”
There has also been an increase in popularity for pan-Indian and multi-starrer films in the past few years. At the launch, Vikram Prabhu and Trisha hail Mani Ratnam as a pioneer of sorts in both those aspects.
“Starring 2 or 3 actors is not a multistarrer. Ponniyin Selvan is the real multi-starrer. We had 30 stars working together on the sets. The entire industry has come together for Mani Ratnam sir's vision."Vikram Prabhu
Trisha said, “Ratnam sir began the pan-Indian trend with Roja. And Ponniyin Selvan will be one of the finest pan-Indian films.”
Actor Jayam Ravi also revealed that when Ratnam first called him to tell him that he’s making Ponniyin Selvan, the actor was excited ‘as a fan,’ “Then, he (Mani Ratnam) surprised me by saying that I was playing the titular role.”
In Ponniyin Selvan 1, Jayam Ravi is playing the role of Arulmozhivarman, Karthi stars as Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, and Vikram plays Aditya Karikalan- the three siblings the film is based on. The film also stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Nandini and Trisha as Kundavai Pirattiyar. Ponniyin Selvan 1 also features Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Prakash Raj.
The film is scheduled to release on 30 September.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)