I owe the success of Ponniyin Selvan to Amarar Kalki: Mani Ratnam

Ponniyin Selvan-1 is still playing in theatres and streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Mani Ratnam at the thanks-giving meet of PS-1

Team Ponniyin Selvan organised a gathering to thank the press for the huge popularity of their film. Speaking at the event, Mani Ratnam stated Kalki Krishnamurthy deserves all the credit for Ponniyin Selvan 1's success.

Ponniyin Selvan is a fictitious work that borrows from genuine historical events and characters. It was serialised between 1950 and 1954 in the Tamil weekly magazine Kalki and released in book form in 1955.

Ponniyin Selvan, as a film, is a greedy idea, said Mani Ratnam, as the project must fulfil every single wish of its devoted followers. “I had been dragging it about with me for a while, and now it's a reality. I owe everything to Amarar Kalki.”

The way that Ponniyin Selvan-1 connected with today's youth and children, according to Vikram, who played Aditha Karikalan, was its greatest accomplishment. “I came across numerous youngsters who were fascinated by our film. Creating historical fiction that appeals to the current generation is difficult.”

Vikram asserted that until Ponniyin Selvan-1, he had never devoted as much time to researching audience responses and reviews. “It was difficult to get past the extremely good feedback. My family had to tell me to put Ponniyin Selvan out of my thoughts and focus on my next projects,” he said, with a burst of laughter.

The lead actor of Ponniyin Selvan-1, Jayam Ravi, expressed the desire to recognise and honour Mani Ratnam more for his contributions to Tamil cinema. “Balachander sir should have been honoured more when he was among us. I don't want to look back on Mani sir with such regret. He is deserving of this success and much more.”

Karthi, who played Vandhiyathevan, remarked that he would always remember the experiences he had filming and promoting Mani Ratnam's directorial. “I had never filmed for a multi-starrer until Ponniyin Selvan-1. Therefore, it was memorable. The fact that reviewers referred to even the most minute aspects was incredibly encouraging!”

Parthiban, who played Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar, said, “Horses are known to move quickly. But this movie, which stars hundreds of horses, is having a huge success at the box office. I'm pleased to have a small role in it.”

In addition, Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions gave the Kalki Krishnamurthy Memorial Trust Rs 1 crore. In the presence of Seetha Ravi, the trust manager, Mani Ratnam and Lyca CEO Subaskaran met with Kalki Krishnamurthy's son Rajendran and gave him the cheque.

Despite being available on Amazon Prime Video, Ponniyin Selvan-1 is currently in theatres. What happened to the Chola dynasty is revealed in the story, which is set in the tenth century. Ponniyin Selvan includes romance, adventure, and a struggle for power over the king's succession. Two parts make up Ratnam's adaptation, which he co-wrote with Elango Kumaravel and B Jeyamohan.

Ponniyin Selvan-1 was released on September 30 in Tamil and was dubbed into Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam. One of the highest-grossing films in Tamil cinema of 2022, it made nearly Rs 500 crore globally. Ponniyin Selvan-2 is expected to release in April next year.

During the teaser launch in Chennai, Mani Ratnam acknowledged the challenges of recreating a cult classic, calling the task of directing Ponniyin Selvan a “huge responsibility.”

The 66-year-old director pointed out that MG Ramachandran, Kamal Haasan and others had attempted to adapt the book for the screen.

Everyone who has read Ponniyin Selvan adores it; they possess it and are fiercely protective of it, according to Ratnam. “I'm the same way; I own it, I'm possessive, and I'll handle things the way I want to,” he was quoted, as saying.

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