Ponniyin Selvan made possible by tech advances alone, says director Mani Ratnam

Mani Ratnam is finally bringing Kalki Krishnamurthy's legendary novel Ponniyin Selvan to the screen. The filmmaker has tried to adapt the eponymous novel into a film twice and had to shelve the project.

Ahead of Ponniyin Selvan: I's theatre release, he said the technological advancements made the film possible. He added that in a way, he is happy that the film did not materialise back in the 1990s or the 2010s.

The filmmaker further said the technological advancements have made the team far more equipped to handle such a subject on screen. "This film is made for the big screen as it has an expansive set design, action, costumes, photography, and pretty much everything."

Ponniyin Selvan has been described as Mani Ratnam's dream project for a long time. When asked about what intrigued him to adapt the story, he said the historical fiction deals with the Chola period. "The story is told in a very adventurous way and in a space similar to Alexandre Dumas." He added that Kalki's writing is very vivid and shaped his vision about how the story should be told on the big screen.

Ponniyin Selvan is also one of the earliest books Mani Ratnam read and it was way before he ever thought of becoming a filmmaker.

Written by one of the most popular Tamil writers Kalki, Ponniyin Selvan (translated to The Son of Ponni) is stretched over five volumes. The series tells the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman who later became Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest novels in Tamil literature. Even after generations, it has a cult following due to its tightly woven plot and witty dialogues. The plot mainly deals with the power struggle within the Chola empire.

In the film, Jayam Ravi is playing the titular character Arulmozhivarman. Other main characters are Aditha Karikalan (crown prince and Arulmozhivarman's brother) played by Vikram and Kundavai (Arulmozhivarman's brother) played by Trisha. The film has brought an impressive cast together and stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Nandini (Pazhuvoor queen), Karthi as Vanthiyathevan (a warrior prince), and Aishwarya Lekshmi as Poonguzhali (who goes on to become queen).

The film is scheduled to be released worldwide on 30 September 2022.