If you are a movie aficionado, you would have realised by now that, these days, Indian cinema is looking back at India’s history, especially its epics, with a renewed interest.
It’s a victory for the audience who have now realised the need to keep alive the stories that unite us as belonging to this great civilization.
Mani Ratnam, the genius filmmaker, has tried for long to bring alive the cinematic version of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan. I have grown up watching his movies and they are all very dear to me. He is the only filmmaker whose movies I crave for and await with excitement. He is a master storyteller and his depiction of human emotions, in all its vagaries, truly stands out. Right from the announcement of his movie, I will be searching for updates on the shoot, teasers, first look, trailer and then the big day arrives. FDFS.
With PS-1, Mani Ratnam enters into unchartered territory. 1) The story is out there in the world already in the form of an absolute epic that is engrained in the minds of the majority viewers of this movie. 2) The time period of the story is another constraint to his cinematic style. 3) The sheer number of characters, the grandeur, and the need to keep pace with the constant twists and turns of the story was always going to be a humungous challenge. Well, now that the movie is out there, how does he fare? A++!
The Master has outdone himself, yet again. When the movie ends and you come home and reflect over the nearly three hours of cinematic experience, you will have no choice but to bow down to the entire team for their excellence!!Beginning with the electrifying voice of Kamal Hassan to the goosebumps inducing entry of Vikram as the heroic Aditha Karikalan, you will be transported to the magnificence of the Chola era!
The casting of the movie is near perfect. While Karthi brings in a lot of energy through his portrayal of the charming Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan, Jayaram adds humour and flavour of the times through his performance as Alwarkadiyan Nambi! Jayam Ravi in the titular role showcases an hitherto unseen elegance and screen presence that is refreshing! He will shine in PS-2, where he will be at the center of the scheme of things. Sharath Kumar as the magnificent Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar stands tall among the plethora of artists in the movie.
But, Ponniyin Selvan is all about its two leading women characters. The heart and soul of this wonderful story. Nandhini and Kundavai. Now we know why Aishwarya Rai entered movies. It was her destiny to play Nandhini. When the curtain of the palanquin unveils and you see Nandhini, your heart will skip a beat or two! What screen presence! The face-off between Nandhini and Kundavai is brilliantly shot. The aerial shot of the two women and their entourage turning to face each other will have you clapping and hooting! Trisha is truly blessed to play the elegant and wise Kundavai.
Ace cinematographer, Ravi Varman, had his challenges cut out and he delivers his most brilliant work, thus far! Editor par excellence, Sreekar Prasad would have had the most difficult task to cut down the runtime, considering the loads of brilliant shots that would have been at his disposal.
With PS-1, the stage is set for the story to really take off in PS-2! On watching PS-1, we realise why it took ages for this story to reach the silver screen. Even with this huge a budget, we still feel that the war sequences could have been better. Also, this is definitely not ARR’s best work. I also wish he would stop himself from singing his songs. He has quite literally murdered the Ponni Nadhi song. Anyways, the excitement continues as I await for the release of PS-2!
PS: Huge gratitude to Kadhai Podcast and Kavitha Jeeva for revealing to me Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan through 245 odd memorable episodes.
