Ponniyin Selvan I Trailer Talk: A Spectacle Of Power And Revenge

Tamil Cinema’s most awaited trailer and audio of Ponniyin Selvan 1 got a grand launch by Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in the presence of scores of admirers and celebrities on the night of September 6. While the teaser offered fleeting glimpses of the characters, the trailer, accompanied by Kamal Haasan’s powerful voiceover, lets us in on Mani Ratnam’s aesthetic universe of Ponniyin Selvan. 

Setting the mood for the magnum opus, Haasan narrates, “1000 years ago, the oracles foretold that the comet demanded the sacrifice of royal Chola blood.” And thus begins an age-old story of rivalry and treachery.

The trailer that spans close to 3 and a half minutes further introduces us to its main characters. At the centre of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan are three siblings in the Chola Kingdom, all whom get dynamic introduction scenes in the trailer — Aditya Karikalan (Vikram), Kundavai (Trisha), and Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi). Karthi plays Vanthiyathevan, the trusted comrade of Aditya Karikalan, who is entrusted with a secret mission.  Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who plays the gorgeous princess of Pazhuvoor Nandini, has a few tricks up her sleeve. “We should make sure Arulmozhi and Karikalan do not join forces,” she says with a tone of caution.

This AR Rahman musical follows the various power struggles during the Chola reign between ADs 900 and 950. This story is set to be released as a two-part duology, with the first instalment Ponniyin Selvan 1 releasing on September 30. It also stars Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Jayaram, Parthiban R, and Sobhita Dhulipala in important roles.

The film has been lensed by Ravi Varman and edited by Sreekar Prasad. The film is produced under the banner of Lyca Productions and Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies. It will be releasing in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages.

Ponniyin Selvan – A brief history about the novel

Ratnam’s duology is based on the 5-part novel of the same title penned by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Set in the 10th century, Kalki’s work of historical fiction is about the early days of Arulmozhi Varman who went on to become emperor Rajaraja Chola I.

It was initially published in Kalki magazine from October 1950 to May 1954, and many in Tamil Nadu still have bound copies of these episodes collected over the years. Even today, this series sells over 1,00,000 copies every year and has a crazy fandom across the state. Though it is a historical fiction, the places mentioned in the story are real. Several trips are organised by private groups to tour the places mentioned in the story. With the making of the film adding more buzz, the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) has now organised special tour to take a trip down the historical trail.