“Here in Lloyds Road, there is this Eshwari Lending Library. That’s where I picked up Ponniyin Selvan‘s all five parts with the illustrations of Maniam. I read it all in one stretch. I was reading all through it with a smile. Those landscapes… horses… characters… Pazhuvettaraya with two mustaches. Those images never left my mind,” says Mani Ratnam with an infectious smile in the new behind-the-scenes video of Ponniyin Selvan 1.
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Unveiled by Madras Talkies, the brief clip has the filmmaker talking about the challenges of turning such a lengthy novel into a two-part film. He says, “This story was written in five parts… to make it in two films, we had to make some sacrifices. But things that were taken out shouldn’t be noticeable and the flow should be organic and so we had to build some bridges at a few places.”
Ponniyin Selvan 1 has already earned more than Rs 420 crore at the box office, and trade analysts are predicting that the film will soon touch the Rs 450 crore mark at the box office. It has become the biggest box office grosser in Tamil now. The film has also satiated the critics as most of the reviews have been in favour of the film.
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Starring Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai, and Trisha in lead roles, the film tells the fictitious story of the Chola kingdom and how Arulmozhi Varman aka Raja Raja Cholan became the king of one of the greatest empires in India. AR Rahman composed the music for the film, while Sreekar Prasad has taken care of the cuts.
The second part of the film is expected to be released in seven months in 2023.
