Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: Aishwarya Rai-Vikram's Period Drama Trailer Out

The trailer of the much-awaited Mani Ratnam period drama Ponniyin Selvan: I is finally out. The film stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Chiyaan Vikram, Trisha, and Shobhita Dhulipala, among others. The trailer launch and audio launch of the film took place on the night of September 6, 2022 in Chennai. The film is slated to release on September 30, 2022.

With larger-than-life frames, the trailer is over three minutes long and is voiced by veteran actor Kamal Haasan. The upcoming film narrates the story of the Chola dynasty, India’s greatest empire, and introduces the characters in the trailer. Beginning with a long shot of a massive kingdom, the trailer features Prakash Raj and moves on to introduce Vikram as Aditha Karikalan, Ravi as Arunmozhi Varman, Karthi as Vanthiyathevan, Trisha as Kundavai, and Rai Bachchan as Nandini, who at the end stares at the empty throne.

Ponniyin Selvan: I is the first of the two cinematic parts based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel Ponniyin Selvan. Considered to be one of the greatest novels ever written in Tamil literature, Ponniyin Selvan came in five volumes with around 2,210 pages and tells the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I. The writer visited Sri Lanka three times to gather information about it.

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The novel was first attempted to be adapted as a film in the late 1950s by actor and filmmaker MGR (M. G. Ramachandran), followed by another unsuccessful attempt in the mid-1990s and early 2010s. Finally in 2019, Ratnam took it up, calling it his ‘dream project’, and the film went on the floors in mid-December 2019. Shooting finally wrapped up in September 2021 after halting twice due to the coronavirus pandemic. The film has been shot in India and Thailand.

The script of Ponniyin Selvan has been co-written by filmmaker Ratnam himself along with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. The film is produced by Ratnam and Allirajah Subaskaran under the banner of Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies.

The actor-director duo, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Mani Ratnam, had earlier collaborated for the 2007 biographical film Guru based on the life of businessman Dhirubhai Ambani followed by the 2010 Tamil film Raavanan.

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During the launch event on Tuesday, September 5, Rai turned out to be a show stealer for her courteous and sweet gestures. The actor touched Rajnikanth’s feet as he made his way to the stage and sought his blessings and she hugged Ratnam.