Ponniyin Selvan, the magnum opus of renowned director Mani Ratnam, has already generated a great deal of excitement among viewers. Today, we'd like to share with you an amusing anecdote about this eagerly anticipated project. While Mani Ratnam is credited with bringing the film to the big screen, not many know that Ponniyin Selvan was first planned by Kamal Haasan in 1989.
On social media, a screenshot of an interview Kamal Haasan gave to a weekly magazine in 1989 is trending. In the cited interview, Kamal Haasan disclosed that Ponniyin Selvan's production was initially considered by Mani Ratnam in the 1980s. These two were discussing turning this five-volume novel into a movie, and they even discussed the settings, budget, and screenplay. The actor Vikram had Ilaiyaraaja and PC Sreeram lined up to work as the film's cinematographer and composer, respectively. The movie's budget of about Rs 2 crores was decided upon, and the project's early production also started in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the movie could not be made at that time.
Almost three decades later, Mani Ratnam has finally succeeded in bringing the film to theaters. Lyca Productions and Allirajah Subaskaranunder Madras Talkies are the producers of this period action drama in Tamil. The first installment of Ponniyin Selvan, which will be split into two parts, is scheduled to release on September 30 of this year.
The same-named book by Kalki Krishnamurthy served as the basis for the Ponniyin Selvan narrative. It will cover Rajaraja Chola I of the Chola dynasty's life. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plays Nandini, Vikram plays Aditya Karikalan, Karthi plays Vanthiyathevan, Trisha plays Kundavai, and Jayam Ravi plays Arunmozhi Varman in the project. Additionally, PS 1 will have significant roles for Sarathkumar, Prabhu, Lal, Kishore, Ashwin Kakumanu, and Aishwarya Lekshmi.
