Ponniyin Selvan Movie Review: The novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which was written in five volumes and considered the best book ever written in Tamil, was adapted into the movie Ponniyin Selvan. Ponniyin Selvan was a film directed by Maniratnam, who took inspiration from novels and had famous Kollywood actors as the primary leads. While the film has generated a lot of hype in Tamil, Telugu producers have entirely failed to market it.
Even if there was some excitement about the movie due to the presence of well-known stars, it has finally been released, so without further ado, let’s find out if it’s worth seeing.
Story
A letter from Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan is sent by Vandiyathevan (Karthi) across Chola territory in the first episode of Ponniyin Selvan, which is set 1000 years ago (Vikram). Kundavai (Trisha) strives to bring about political stability in a nation where there looks to be a civil war prepared by vassals and lesser chieftains. How can the Chola Kingdom be saved by Jayam Ravi’s Arunmozhi Varma, the guardian of the Chola dynasty? You must see the film to learn more about Nandini (Aishwarya Rai).
Cast & Crew
The cast of the movie includes Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Prabhu, R Sarathkumar, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman, and Radhakrishnan Parthiban. The movie is directed by Maniratnam, with cinematography by Ravi Varman, and music by AR. Rehman.
Movie Name | Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 |
Director | Maniratnam |
Music Director | AR. Rehman |
Producer | Lyca Productions & Madras Talkies |
Genre | Historical Drama |
Cast | Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Prabhu, R Sarathkumar, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman and Radhakrishnan Parthiban |
Cinematography | Ravi Varman |
Movie Verdict
There is no denying that Bahubali has broken storytelling’s barriers, and as a result, many filmmakers are producing movies with universal themes. Unfortunately, most of these movies are struggling at the box office, but the master storyteller Maniratnam, who made a historical drama for the first time and featured many great actors in this movie, excite many moviegoers. However, in terms of the movie itself, I believe it to be pure Tamil cinema because aside from Tamil people.
Once the major characters are established, the movie loses interest in interesting drama. However, once Vandiyathevan (Karthi) enters, the interest and curiosity are kept until the intermission, and the second half of the movie is driven by strong emotions that keep the audience’s attention. Ponniyin Selvan, on the other hand, has it all, but while we watch, we sense that something is lacking. I later discovered that this missing piece is lack of historical context.
Undoubtedly, the movie is a visual treat to watch on screens, but non-Tamil speakers may have a difficult time following the storyline due to non-sinc dubbing and the nativity. However, if you are familiar with the history of the Chola dynasty, there is a chance that you will find the movie to be interesting.
such a weighty subject Casting becomes vital, especially in a movie like this when the actor or actress must carry off a historical look and act as the face and physical presence of the character. In addition, Karhi as Vandiyathevan is cool because the character’s comic body language is similar to Yuganiki Okkadu, Jayam Ravi as Arunmozhi Varma has a limited screen presence but his character is written so well, and Trisha as Kundavi, Aishwarya as Nandhini, and all the characters did their parts well. Vikram also portrays Aditha Karikalan brilliantly.
Ponniyiin Selavan has a lot of drama, but Mani Ratnam, who is a master at drawing strong drama from the characters, failed to make an intense drama out of it. This is not a Mani Ratnam sort of movie.
The major strength of Ponniyin Selvan, technically speaking—with the exception of a few VFX shots—is AR. The film is elevated by Rehman’s songs and background score, Ravi Varman’s excellent photography, and the rest of the technical crew’s efforts.
In general, Ponniyin Selavn is a pleasure to watch on screens, but only if you are familiar with Chola Kingdom’s history.
Plus Points:
- Cast
- Performances
- Music
Minus Points:
- Nativity