Here's why Mani Ratnam did not rope in Rajinikanth for Ponniyin Selvan

Superstar Rajinikanth revealed during the audio and trailer launch of Ponniyin Selvan that he was keen to play Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar in Mani Ratnam's magnum opus. The actor revealed that he was an ardent fan of the novel and wanted to be part of the film adaptation. It is to be noted that Mani Ratnam tried to make the adaptation earlier, but it didn't materialise. 

At that time, Mani Ratnam had revealed the idea to Rajinikanth, and the Superstar was quite kicked about it. Mani Ratnam then quizzed the Superstar if he had read the book and he had said 'no'. The director then revealed that the novel was around 2,500 pages and the actor had laughed it off saying that he won't have the time to read. He, however, read the book after a few years. "If Kalki was alive at the time I had read the book, I would have fallen on his feet," Rajinikanth said, while speaking at the audio launch.

Rajinikanth added, "When Mani Ratnam announced in 2019 that he had begun work on the film, I called him up and asked if I could play Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar. Mani Ratnam outrightly refused and asked if I wanted him to face the ire of my fans. He added that the screen presence was less and that the film was not for me. Though I was ready to do a small role, he said that I had better movies to do and I was not required for any small role or special appearance in the film. If it was anyone else, they would have heeded by request, but not Mani Ratnam. That's why he is such an excellent director.

Rajinikanth also spoke about the novel and said that the former actress and TN Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had stated in a magazine that Rajinikanth would be apt for the role of Vanthiyathevan. When I read the story, I had imagined Kamal Haasan as ArunmozhiVarman, Sridevi as Kundavai, Rekha as Nandini, Vijayakanth as Aditha Karikalan and Sathyaraj as Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar. Though Kamal and I did not get the opportunity to act in the film, I am glad to see Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Trisha in the film."