PONNIYIN SELVAN is a Tamil literary novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy that has been adapted into a film at long last. Initiated by the renowned director Mani Ratnam, each shot vividly depicts the Chola Kingdom by being precisely planned, artfully positioned, and performed. Mani Ratnam plays around with crucial events to increase the cinematic speed while mostly remaining true to the original subject matter.
The crown prince Aditya Karikalan (Vikram), his brother Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi), and the emperor Sundara Cholar are parted by circumstances, therefore it is up to a messenger to safeguard the protection of the kingdom as it is threatened by both internal and external forces.
Let me tell you something: if you come into the theatre expecting a movie in the manner of Bahubali, you will be let down. It’s best to watch this movie with no expectations at all and that’s the way for you to be able to appreciate Mani Ratnam’s narrative and make the entire experience an engaging viewing.
This movie’s casting was excellent. Vikram, who fully commits to the part of Aditya Karikalan, bravely paces the screen while riding his horse and shocks you with one of the movie’s most expertly produced moments. Karthi, who plays Vallavaeayan Vanthiyathevan, simply steals the spotlight and exceeds all expectations.
He is a valiant fighter who also manages to inject some humour and his deft flirting methods. Ponniyan Selvan, played by Jayam Ravi, is a gem in this film. After all, he is portraying a figure who influenced Tamil history, left a lasting legacy in the form of the beautiful buildings he constructed, and was well respected.
Many were unsure if he would be able to portray this character when the cast for this movie was originally revealed, but he proved us all wrong by being the finest of all. His outstanding acting abilities astounded me.
Aishwarya Rai gives her finest performance of her career as Nandini, a character who harbours an emotion of anger, yearns for vengeance, and controls every male in her vicinity with one glance. Her incredible facial expressions convey every pain, anger, pretence of love, and flirting. Only the queen herself can portray Nandini, in my opinion. Trisha excelled in the powerful part of Kundhavai, which was given to her. It’s good to watch Tamil movies with female characters playing the shrewd parts. Yes, it was quite satisfying.
As always, the wonderful background music by AR Rahman jumps out and enhances each and every scene. Ponniyan Selvan: I (a Part 2 is planned) offers an excellent cinematic experience because to the cinematography and production design.
A very strong supporting cast is also making their mark in this film. Since there were so many characters introduced in the movie with so little screen time, I must admit that I felt a little overwhelmed. However, I feel that their roles will be fully explored in the second part.
I had a hard time remembering all the names. I was able to handle the specifics as the narrative went on, though. Additionally, I observed that the first half of the movie had a lot of slow-moving action, and certain sequences that were much too long, but the second part made up for it.
Naturally, some viewers have expressed dissatisfaction with the changes between the book and the film, which is understandable. This is undoubtedly an excellent movie, but since I’ve never read the original book, I wasn’t really sure what was going on and could only fully comprehend some scenes after watching it a second time.
Regardless matter whether you enjoy historical films or not, you should watch this one. The narrative make it a must-see film. A fresh journey with many surprises for all the characters is promised at the movie’s ending.
DIRECTOR: Mani Ratnam
CAST: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha Krishnan, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, Jayaram and Sarath Kumar
E-VALUE: 8
ACTING: 8
PLOT: 9
