To bring a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan, Vandiyathevan sets out to traverse the Chola territory. As vassals and minor chieftains conspire to assassinate the crown, Kundavai tries to bring about political harmony. A long-tailed comet enters the sky, heralding a period of unrest, and unrest soon sweeps the nation.
There are several well-known stars in Ponniyin Selvan. In one of the key characters, Adithya Karikaalan, Vikram makes an appearance. He is a Chola prince who breath life to the part. Even though Vikram is in full form and plays his part with a wild style, he only gets a small amount of screen time in the movie.
Karthi gets to spend the most time in front of the camera. The actor has a natural skill and is aware of what is expected of him. His duty is to show bravery when necessary and humor when there is a void, and he does a good job at it. Since his entrance, Jayam Ravi has elevated the proceedings and stolen the show. He displayed his emotions and sentiments in a way that left a lasting impression.
Aishwarya Rai and Trisha seem lovely on television and both performed admirably in their parts. Despite the complexity of her character, Aishwarya Rai handled it gracefully. Aishwarya Lekshmi and Shobhita Dhulipala left an impression on the screen. The rest of the cast, which includes Sarath Kumar, Prabhu, Parthiban, Prakash Raj, Vikram Prabhu, Kishore, and Lal among others, does their best with the short screen time given the breadth of the story.
The screenplay was co-written by Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel, and Jeyamohan. By blending traditional and contemporary Tamil, they were able to make it as appealing as possible for today’s audience. How to fit a 2,000 page epic novel into a 2.5 hour movie is the most challenging part of turning Ponniyin Selvan into a movie. What to keep and what to throw away is a difficult decision.
The narrative of the movie is intriguing, but there is a lot more drama than is necessary for the average spectator to understand what is happening. The first half moves slowly but intriguingly, introducing a number of significant characters. As the second part picks up speed and tension rises as various forces—including Pandyas, Sri Lankans, and a few internal Chola enemies—seek to undermine the Chola Kingdom and topple its government.
There are some excellent sights, but overall, the film is not a visual marvel. Ponniyin Selvan serves as a good example of how Mani Ratnam’s commercial movies vary from the competition. His characters are just rulers, not demi-gods. It is claimed that PS-1 was made on a huge scale and with excellent production values.
This epic story is made better by Thota Tharrani’s production design. Ravi Varman’s camerawork is clean, and he has captured the Cholas era in all its grandeur. The icing on the cake is the music by A.R. Rahman. The story’s tempo is established by the frantic and enticing background music.
Maniratnam has ensured that the soul of Kalki’s book is skillfully kept in PS 1, which has very strong substance and a superb star cast. For a general audience, one would think that there is more drama than what was anticipated. However, the combination of politics, romance, and intrigue makes this movie worth seeing 3.5/5.