The event started with typical ‘Molam’ beats by drummers who adorned traditional Mundus (Dhotis). Speaker Bharathi Bhaskar was then called on to the stage to give a prelude to the grandeur of Ponniyin Selvan. While speaking about Mani Ratnam’s style of filmmaking she said that the director has a unique way of portraying his women. So Ponniyin Selvan is going to the ultimatum to see the way Mani Ratnam represents women.
Then, author Jeyamohan, who is also the scriptwriter of the film went onto the stage to speak about the novel and his experience working with Mani Ratnam. Then, Karthi, Trisha, and all the other actor were extremely happy to go on stage and share how honoured they were to be a part of this massive film and project.
Jayam Ravi who plays Arunmozhi Varman explained how he was handed the role. “Mani sir called me to the office and told me that he was going to make Ponniyin Selvan as a film. He then asked me why I was not happy. When I told him that I was extremely happy for him, he said I was going to play ‘Ponniyin Selvan’.”
Then Mani Ratnam went on to first thank Kalki for the novel. He then said, “This film should have been done by MGR after Naadodi Mannan. But, somehow it did not work out. Maybe it didn’t work out because we have to do it in the present. I tried this film in different periods, 1980s, 2000s, 2010s. It has worked out only now,” he concluded.
AR Rahman also shared the stage with the other actors and said that his journey with Mani Ratnam has been a long one. And he appreciated the entire team for risking their lives and shooting for the film throughout the pandemic.
Ponniyin Selvan is all set to release in theatres on 30th September. ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is one of the big films of the year 2022 as it is directed by a veteran director and has a star cast. The movie is adapted from the novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ which speaks about the Chola dynasty and empire. It is a historic novel and the movie stars Jayam Ravi, Vikram, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Nassar, Parthiban, Vikram Prabhu, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Jayaram among others. The music for the movie is composed by AR Rahman.