Ponniyin Selvan 2: Jayaram on his biggest disappointment about starring in Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan film

Jayaram recounts how his mother used to narrate him stories from Ponniyin Selvan when he was young

Karthi and Jayaram as Vandiyathevan and Azhwarkadiyan Nambi in Ponniyin Selvan

Amid all the excitement of being part of renowned filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, Malayalam star Jayaram also carries a disappointment. It doesn’t have anything to do with his experience working in the movie, but more to do with his mother, who was a die-hard fan of the book by Kalki Krishnamurthy.

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, Jayaram, who plays Azhwarkkadiyan Nambi in the films, said, “My mother was from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur. She used to read Ponniyin Selvan, and would religiously wait every week for Kalki magazine. So, I have heard these stories from her, from my childhood. She would tell me about what happens to each character.”

Also read: Ponniyin Selvan 2: Jayaram on how Mani Ratnam canned the ‘stunning’ Aditha Karikalan, Nandini meeting scene

The actor recounted how a newspaper agent named Kathiresan, who would bring the major Tamil publications to Perumbavoor during his younger days. “He would come to our house and give my mother all these magazines – from Ananda Vikatan, Kumudham, Kalki to Pesum Padam and Bommai. But she would most eagerly be waiting for Kalki’s magazine, which carried Ponniyin Selvan,” he recounts.

Also read: Ponniyin Selvan 2 star Jayaram: I don’t think for any other director, the entire team would have been on the same page

The veteran actor, who is also part of Shankar and Ram Charan’s Game Changer, says that he would keep “asking her every week about what happened next”. “So, I am familiar with Ponniyin Selvan’s story from my childhood, but I never expected that one day it would be made into movies. My mother, who knew Ponniyin Selvan’s story through and through, didn’t have the fortune to see me play Azhwarkkadiyan Nambi in the films and that saddens me.”

Ponniyin Selvan 2, which is set to hit theatres on April 28, also has Karthi, Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhitha Dhulipala and Jayam Ravi as part of its cast.

“The first movie ends with Ponniyin Selvan falling into the sea. My character is responsible for him and also for ensuring the news of what happens to him reaches every corner of the kingdom. The movie will also focus on if Ponniyin Selvan returns with Vandiyathevan, if he and Aditha Karikalan would meet and what Nandini’s plans are. All of these crucial sequences will make Ponniyin Selvan: II even more engaging,” Jayaram concludes.

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