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Ponniyin Selvan: I
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Ponniyin Selvan: I
| image = Ponniyin Selvan I.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Mani Ratnam
| screenplay =
| based_on =
| producer =
| starring =
| narrator =
| cinematography = Ravi Varman
| music = A. R. Rahman
| editing = A. Sreekar Prasad
| studio =
| distributor =
| runtime = 170 minutes
| released =
| country = India
| language = Tamil
| budget = See production
| gross =
}}
'Ponniyin Selvan: I' is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language epic period action film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote it with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. Produced by Ratnam and Allirajah Subaskaran under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, it is the first of two cinematic parts based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel 'Ponniyin Selvan'. The film stars an ensemble cast of Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban. The music is composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography handled by Ravi Varman, editing done by A. Sreekar Prasad and production design by Thota Tharani. The film tells the story of early days of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I (947 CE 1014 CE).
The adaptation of the novel into a feature film was proposed by several filmmakers in Tamil cinema ever since the novel gained popularity, but did not materialize mostly due to financial constraints. After last attempted by M. G. Ramachandran in late-1950s, Mani Ratnam tried to adapt the novel in the mid-1990s and early-2010s, which became unsuccessful. Stating it as his "dream project", Ratnam revived the adaptation in January 2019, with Lyca Productions being brought on board for funding the project. After several changes in the cast and crew, the film began production in mid-December and was completed by September 2021, despite production being halted twice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was shot in various places across India, with few sequences being shot in Thailand.
'Ponniyin Selvan' was originally intended to be a stand-alone film but it was later split into two parts. The first part is scheduled to be have a worldwide theatrical release on 30 September 2022 in both standard and IMAX format.
Cast
Production
Origin
In 1958, M. G. Ramachandran announced 'Ponniyin Selvan', a film adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy's historical novel of the same name. Ramachandran bought the film rights to the novel for , and would produce, direct and star in the adaptation, which would feature an ensemble cast including Vyjayanthimala, Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Savitri, B. Saroja Devi, M. N. Rajam, T. S. Balaiah, M. N. Nambiar, O. A. K. Thevar and V. Nagaiah. Before shooting could begin, Ramachandran met with an accident, and the wound took six months to heal; Ramachandran was unable to continue with the film even after renewing the rights four years later.In a January 1994 interview with 'Filmfare', Mani Ratnam stated that adapting the novel was one of his "dream projects" that he had hoped to work on during his career. Ratnam revealed that he worked on a first draft of the film alongside actor-director Kamal Haasan, who had bought the rights of the novel, but the pair shelved their plan as the project did not make financial sense at the time.
In late 2010, Ratnam renewed his interest in the project and worked alongside writer Jeyamohan to finalise the script for the film adaptation of 'Ponniyin Selvan'. Expected to be made in the Tamil at a cost of 100 crores, Ratnam planned to produce the film himself initially, with the intention of teaming up with a bigger production house later on in the film-making process. Technicians including composer A. R. Rahman, cinematographer Santosh Sivan, editor A. Sreekar Prasad and art director Sabu Cyril were soon after attached to the project.
Ratnam cast Vijay in the leading role of Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan. After signing the film, Vijay called it a "privilege" and a "dream come true" to be working with Ratnam for the second time after 'Nerrukku Ner' (1997). Mahesh Babu was cast as Arulmozhi Varman, who later becomes the Chola emperor Rajaraja I in the project, and also expressed his delight at being selected by Ratnam. Arya also joined the project to play a third leading male role after the script was narrated to him. Meanwhile, Sathyaraj was signed to play a supporting role in the film. During the course of the casting process, Ratnam had also considered other actors including Vikram, Suriya and Vishal but they eventually did not make the final cast. For the leading female roles, after considering Jyothika, the team finalised Anushka Shetty for a role and held discussions with Priyanka Chopra in regard to other characters.
Seven days before the scheduled start of the shoot, a photoshoot for the film was held in Chennai featuring Vijay and Mahesh Babu. For the shoot, the team sought permission from the officials of Mysore Palace and Lalitha Mahal to film sequences. However, their requests were denied with palace officials keen to keep film crews away from the historic locations. The film was later shelved before the start of the filming stage, as the expected cost of production escalated. Jeyamohan stated that the film did not materialise as the team struggled to find available locations to shoot the film. He revealed that temple officials in Tamil Nadu refused to allow the team to film scenes on the premises and that the expensive cost of producing replica sets meant that it would not be a viable solution.
Development
In January 2019, Ratnam decided to revive 'Ponniyin Selvan' after Lyca Productions, who earlier collaborated with him in 'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam' (2018), agreed to fund the film. While Vikram, Vijay Sethupathi and Jayam Ravi decided to play the lead roles, along with Silambarasan in a crucial role, Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan too assigned the project; the former playing the role of Sundara Chola in the film. Composer A. R. Rahman, screenwriter Jeyamohan and editor Sreekar Prasad, were retained in the new version. In April 2019, a major change in the film's cast took place, with Sethupathi opting out of the project due to schedule conflicts, thus being replaced by Karthi, and Anushka Shetty was included in the film's cast, working with Ratnam for the first time. Aishwarya Rai, later herself confirmed her inclusion in the project, at the Cannes Film Festival. Anushka Shetty, who has been part of the film's old version, officially signed the project. Actress Amala Paul, too confirmed being a part of the film. Vikram, who is one of the principal characters in the film, too confirmed his part. Veteran actors R. Parthiban and Jayaram were also reported to join the film's cast.In June 2019, Elango Kumaravel announced that he will co-write the screenplay for this version with Ratnam and Jeyamohan. Ratnam decided to retain cinematographer Santhosh Sivan for this project. However, his unavailability made the director to sign on Ravi Varman. Varman, was working for 'Indian 2', directed by S. Shankar, before signing the film's project. But the latter's delay made Varman to quit the film, making him available for 'Ponniyin Selvan'. In September 2019, Ratnam confirmed that he will be working with the composer and lyricist duo Rahman and Vairamuthu, who were a part of Ratnam's frequent collaborations since 'Roja' (1992). However, it received huge displeasure from netizens, as the latter was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment by several women singers and artists from the Tamil film industry. This also resulted in Anushka Shetty opting out of the project. Art director Thota Tharani signed the new version of the project, thus replacing Sabu Cyril, who worked in the old version. Costume designer Eka Lakhani travelled to Thanjavur temples to study sculptures, meet weavers, and understand the heritage before starting the process of designing.
Ratnam announced that the film's shoot will take place across Tamil Nadu and Thailand, and as per his advice, several actors from the film including Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi grew their hair long for their roles in the film. In October 2019, Ashwin Kakumanu announced his inclusion in the project. Actor Lal, shared a picture of him along with Ratnam, raising expectations about the film. He further confirmed his inclusion, stating that he will play the role of an aged warrior in the film. Prior to the film's shoot, Ratnam went on a location recce across Thailand, and a few reports stated on choosing Thailand as the primary spot, since its rich forests and the temples there resemble the 10th-century feel in which the story is set. Another major change in the film's cast happened, with Amala Paul and Keerthy Suresh opting out of the film. While the former, stated call sheet issues as the reason, the latter cited the she was roped in for 'Annaatthe'. However, a few addition in the film's cast took place, with Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Vikram Prabhu were reportedly signed in the film.
Characters
The story thread of 'Ponniyin Selvan' spans years and more than 50 characters, with 15 principal roles. The older version of Ratnam's film adaptation had Vijay playing Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan one of the two protagonists and Mahesh Babu playing the other protagonist role of Arulmozhivarman alias Rajaraja I alias Ponniyin Selvan, after whom the novel is named. After the project was revived, the roles went to Karthi and Jayam Ravi respectively. It was later reported that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play dual roles in the film, as Nandini, the main antagonist of the novel, and her mute mother, queen Mandakini Devi. For his role as Azhwarkadiyan Nambi, Jayaram was sported a bald look in the film. Trisha would essay the role of Kundavai alias Illaiya Piratti. For the role of Poonguzhali, Aishwarya Lekshmi learnt rowing, as the character Poonguzhali is a boat woman in the novel. Post shooting being suspended due to lockdown, Trisha trained in horseriding at the Madras School of Equitation, where she was enrolled for a special course on 26 October 2020, and completed within 14 November 2020. Both Jayam Ravi and Karthi, confirmed their characters playing in the film.
Filming
'Ponniyin Selvan' began as a stand-alone film with a budget of 500 crore. Later, it was split into two parts that were to be shot back-to-back, with some sources reporting that budget of 500 crore is spread across two parts.Principal photography began on 11 December 2019 at Krabi, Kanchanaburi and other places in Thailand, where the crew planned its shooting schedule for 40 days. After completing the first schedule in January 2020, the team planned to shoot the second schedule in Chennai, but later moved to Puducherry. The second schedule of shooting took place on 3 February 2020 in Puducherry, and completed within six days. Then the team moved to Hyderabad for the next schedule, on 10 February, where the entire team planned to shoot at Ramoji Film City. The second schedule was wrapped up on 26 February 2020. It was reported that, Karthi faced an accident while he was shooting in Hyderabad, where he was thrown up in the air, while riding a horse, however he faced only minor injuries. As of March 2020, the makers shot the major portion of the film for 90 days before shooting being interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2020, it was reported that the film would be split into two parts, which was confirmed by Mani Ratnam in April 2020.
In September 2020, Ratnam eventually planned to resume the shooting at Sri Lanka, but due to restrictions on international travel, it was difficult for the team to get permission from the officials to resume filming, thereby decided to shoot major portions of the film in India. Ratnam wanted to shoot at major portions in Hyderabad, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Madhya Pradesh and many prominent locations across India. Although the team eventually planned for filming in mid-November, he decided against doing so, lamenting that despite government allowing permission for film shootings, it was advised that the film's shooting must have minimal crew members, with not more than 75 people working on the film. Mani Ratnam stated that since 500 people will be featured in the film's shoot, it is difficult for shooting in mid-2020. On 10 December 2020, a minor schedule of the film took place in Pollachi, featuring the lead actors. The team stated that the major schedule of the film will take place in January 2021, and was touted to be the biggest schedule, which will be wrapped up within a single stretch. Vikram was reported to be present in the schedule, after completing the shoot for 'Cobra'. After a nine-month long hiatus, the shooting for the film resumed on 6 January 2021 at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. The major schedule featured the attendance of Sarathkumar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Rahman, Prakash Raj, Parthiban and Mohan Raman.
On 3 February 2021, the makers shot for a special number featuring Trisha and 250 other artists at a huge set constructed at Ramoji Film City. The art direction team, supervised by Thotta Tharani, had constructed five huge sets in the shooting location. According to the executive producer Siva Ananth, the lead cast members began shooting for the portions in Hyderabad, excluding Vikram, who earlier shot for the portions in January, and was reported to join the sets in between a brief break during the schedule. After filming for a schedule ended in March, the next schedule was to start in May; by 23 April, it was delayed to June due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. Plans to shoot in North Indian states during that time was changed to instead shoot in Chennai and Hyderabad. In mid-June 2021, it was announced that shooting would only resume once there were fewer COVID-19 cases.
Filming resumed in July 2021 at Puducherry. In August, the team went to Madhya Pradesh for location scouting, so that they can shoot the pending portions, and later resumed the shoot in Orchha and Gwalior. Within late-August 2021, Jayam Ravi and Vikram had completed his portions for both the parts in the film. The team later moved to Maheshwar for another schedule which majorly focuses on Karthi and Trisha. On 4 September 2021, Rahman confirmed that he completed his portions. The team had begun shooting in Pollachi for a song sequence, in the middle of the month. The team moved to Pollachi and then to Mysore to shoot some sequences. It was reported that Karthi joined shooting in Pollachi and Ashwin Kakamanu joined shooting in Mysore. Karthi finished shooting for his portions on 16 September 2021. On 18 September, Mani Ratnam confirmed that the entire shooting of the first part has been wrapped, except for few sequences in the second part. However, in March 2022 Jayam Ravi, Karthi and Aishwarya Rai Bacchhan wrapped up a small patchwork left which was fully completed in 7 days.
Post-Production
The dubbing for the film started on 27 September 2021. Trisha and Aishwarya Lekshmi lent their own voices for the roles of Kundavai and Poonguzhali respectively for the film's original Tamil version. Vikram has dubbed for himself for five languages for the film, in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Both Jayam Ravi and Karthi dubbed for the Tamil and the Telugu versions of the film.Lawsuits
In September 2021, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) filed a lawsuit against Mani Ratnam in connection with the death of a horse allegedly during the film's shooting in Hyderabad in August 2021. An official from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, complained to the local officials against Ratnam, his production house Madras Talkies and the owner of the horse under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC), saying that several horses were continuously used for hours at the film set due to which the animals were tired and dehydrated. Khushboo Gupta, the Indian Chief Advocatory Officer from PETA raised objections against Mani Ratnam saying that "In the age of computer-generated imagery (CGI), production companies have no excuse for forcing exhausted horses to play at war until one of them drops dead" and felt that "Compassionate, forward-thinking filmmakers would never dream of hauling sensitive animals to a chaotic movie set and forcing them to 'act'".Music
The film score and soundtrack were composed by Mani Ratnam's norm composer A. R. Rahman. The audio rights of the film were purchased by Tips.
The soundtrack consists of six original songs composed by A.R.Rahman, namely, "Ponni Nadhi", "Chola Chola", "Ratchasa Maamaney", "Sol", "Alaikadal" and "Devaralan Aattam". Lyrics were written by Ilango Krishnan, Kabilan, Krithika Nelson and Siva Ananth in the tamil version and Mehboob Kotwal, Ananta Sriram, Rafeeq Ahamed and Jayanth Kaikini wrote the song lyrics in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada respectively.
Marketing
Promotional campaign for the film was supposed to begin in July 2022, with the film's teaser trailer planned to be launched at the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur, the city which served as the capital for the Chola dynasty. Following the launch event, the team also planned a promotional tour for the film. However, in mid-June 2022, the film's teaser launch was cancelled due to security reasons and post-production delays. The movie team later on decided to have a grand teaser trailer launch event in Chennai as per their previous schedule on 8 July 2022. The film's teaser trailer was released on 8 July 2022 in Tamil and dubbed versions of Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages.
The film's Trailer and songs were released by the chief guests Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan on 6 September 2022 at the Nehru indoor stadium in Tamil and dubbed versions of Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. The trailer featured Kamal Hassan voice-over in the Tamil version and Anil Kapoor, Rana Daggubati, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Jayanth Kaikini voice-overs in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada version of the trailer respectively. Posters featuring Sarathkumar, Parthiban, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, Jayachithra, Rahman, Vikram Prabhu, Prabhu, Lal and Jayaram were released before the trailer launch event.
Release
Theatrical
'Ponniyin Selvan: I' is scheduled to be released on 30 September 2022. It is scheduled to release in Tamil along with the dubbed versions of Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam languages. It was previously scheduled to release on summer (MayJuly) 2022, but was postponed due to production works. It will be the first Tamil film to release in IMAX format.Distribution
The distribution rights of the film in Tamil Nadu has been acquired byRed Giant Movies. The Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights were bagged by Sri Venkateswara Creations and Dil Raju. The Kerala distribution rights of the film was bagged by Gokulam Gopalan's Sree Gokulam Movies. The overseas theatrical rights of the film were acquired by TentKotta. The North India distribution rights were acquired by Pen India Limited.
Home media
The digital streaming rights for the film were purchased by Amazon Prime Video for . Similarly, the satellite rights have been sold to Sun TV.Sequel
On 17 September 2022, Mani Ratnam in a press meet, has confirmed that 'Ponniyin Selvan: II' ('PS2') will be released in six to nine months after the theatrical release of Ponniyin Selvan 1.
References
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