Mani Ratnam's highly anticipated historical epic Ponniyin Selvan I is getting ready for a significant theatrical premiere. The film will be released in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, among other languages. Karthi, who plays one of the main characters in Ponniyin Selvan, has spoken sincerely about his experiences working on the monumental work. The well-known actor, who began his career as Mani Ratnam's assistant director in Ayutha Ezuthu, admitted that he is scared of the veteran director.
Karthi shared in an interview: “I’m a little less scared now. Less scared, but still scared. With this film, I think Mani sir actually opened up a lot, unlike when I was an AD. Even in 2017, he was very glued to what he was doing. But this time, he was chatting with us, he was cracking jokes, sometimes when we were on a boat, he was smiling – that’s very rare. He was pulling our legs; he was having fun. It didn’t feel like Mani sir actually. He was really enjoying the sets.”
Later, Karthi explained why he doesn't work with the same filmmakers too often. “It just didn’t happen. Because I do two films or one film a year. So, if a director has to work with me again, then he will have to wait for a very long time. Muthaiah waited for me, that’s why it (his latest outing Viruman) happened. Otherwise, it is very difficult to get the dates at the same time. That’s why I think I’ve been missing it. But let’s see. With Lokesh (director of Kaithi) I’m working soon. I would love to work with my directors again”, he added.
In Ponniyin Selvan, Karthi plays the orphaned prince of the Vana tribe named Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan. Vanthiyathevan is a popular character in Kalki Krishnamurthy's epic novel. The iconic superstar MG Ramachandran and established actor Kamal Haasan were both interested in playing the character of Vanthiyathevan in the Ponniyin Selvan movie adaptation. However, the movie was shelved and delayed several times over the years, and Karthi eventually took on the role.
