Ponniyin Selvan: Why this Mani Ratnam film could be a magnum opus like Rajamouli’s Baahubali

This is one of the biggest Indian films to be made and with acer director Mani Ratnam helming it the buzz around the film has been unbelievable. ‘ _Ponniyin Selvan_’ (The Son of Ponni) is based on writer Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel with the same title and is now being made into two parts reportedly on a budget of Rs 500 crore. The first part of the film ‘PS1’ will have its worldwide release (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi) on September 30. This period film based on the Chola emperor Arulmozhivarman, was co-written by Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. And by the looks of the trailer and the songs by A R Rahman, the movie produced by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies, looks set to be a blockbuster already.

A period drama

One of the biggest factors going for ‘Ponniyan Selvan’ is that it is a period drama which allows the director to present a larger-than-life experience on screen for the audience. Dramatic visuals, intricate costumes, exciting action sequences, elaborate sets, VFX, and the story of a renowned king are the hallmarks of this Mani Ratnam film and this has already captured the imagination of audiences. Director SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali’ too was a similar period action piece and the movie went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema. ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ too looks set to go on this trajectory and come September 30, this visual feast will definitely be relished by the people worldwide.

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Star Cast

With a stellar ensemble cast comprising of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Karthi, Jayamravi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman, Sarathkumar, Parthiepan, Prabhu, Lal, and Sobhita Dhulipala, the director has pulled off a major casting coup. All the actors he has roped in come with an excellent body of work where they have showcased their talent across various genres and roles, and ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ would be a true testament to their acting skills. All stars want to work with Mani Ratnam and eagerly look forward to his call. In fact, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is back in Tamil cinema after a decade thanks to Mani Ratnam!

The AR Rahman Factor

No one can deny that Oscar-winner AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam have a wonderful relationship and understanding of each other’s sensibilities. Right from the time of ‘Roja’, Rahman has been part of the director’s films, scoring beautiful music and outdoing himself with every film. With ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ too, Rahman has proven his unquestionable talent yet again. The ‘Mom’ music director stated that it was one of the most difficult films he has worked on as it is an epic drama which required a lot of research on periodic instruments. He has ensured that local Indian instruments are used but giving a global sound that will resonate with the audience worldwide. He roped in Chennai Strings Orchestra, Sunshine Orchestra and Budapest Scoring Orchestra for this film. Now, the song ‘Ponni Nadhi’ has become an earworm for many people since it was released. Apart from that, the album also features ‘Chola Chola’, ‘Ratchasa Maamaney’, ‘Sol’, ‘Alaikadal’ and ‘Devaralan Attam’. The album is also being released in Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi.

First Tamil IMAX film

Another unique first for this period drama is that it is the first Tamil film to be released on IMAX globally. Most Hollywood films are filmed for an IMAX experience which is unparalleled compared to a regular 2D release. And with ‘Ponniyin Selvin’ heading to IMAX screens as well, the audience will enjoy the film much more thanks to the detail, clarity and size of the screen.

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