How Mani Ratnam conjured up the world of Ponniyin Selvan

Ponniyin Selvan 2 has already earned over Rs200 crore globally

68-Trisha-Aishwarya-Rai-Vikram-Mani-Ratnam-Jayam-Ravi-and-Karthi Casting a spell: (from left) Trisha, Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Mani Ratnam, Jayam Ravi and Karthi

My tryst with writer Kalki R. Krishnamurthy began at the age of 14, when I was waiting for my 10th standard results. A guest gave me the first volume of Kalki’s magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvan, asking me to read it instead of playing chess. Of course, if not for him, I would now be a chess player rather than a journalist.

Mani ratnam ensured that he gave importance to the female characters. His favourite was nandhini, played by aishwarya rai bachchan.

With his blend of fact and fiction, Kalki enthralled me as a reader. Friendship, love, valour, intrigue, treachery―they were all there in his story. I completed volume after volume, and at the end of the 293rd chapter, when I had finished the book, its hero Arunmozhi Varman or Raja Raja Chola―a man who believed that power alone does not bring respect―had firmly enshrined himself in my imagination. Kalki led me through every nondescript place in the Delta region, which comprised the Chola empire. His lucid writing became intertwined with the Tamil identity. And now, 70 years later, filmmaker Mani Ratnam has used the same magic to alchemise the book into a two-part film. The second part released on April 28 to wide acclaim, earning over Rs200 crore globally within five days of its release. “We have retained the heart of the book,” says Ratnam. “But for those who haven’t read it, the film will take you on a new adventure.”

Ratnam decided to adapt the book into a film in 2019. “The creative impetus came from the director,” Siva Ananth, executive producer of Ponniyin Selvan, told THE WEEK during the release of PS1. “Ratnam had been wanting to make this film for a long time. If you are from the Tamil region and have read Kalki, PS1 will be a magnificent transformation of the book.”

Before starting the shoot, Ratnam and his team researched the book extensively, visiting the places Kalki mentions, examining the sculptures in Thanjavur and other regions, grilling historians with expertise on the Cholas, and scouring history books. The best technology was used to bring alive the setting. The actors were made to study the script in detail before the shoot, which went on for 137 days. Parts of the film were shot at Krabi and other locations in Thailand, and the rest in Chennai, Puducherry and the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.

Next came the casting. The film has 15 lead characters, right from the hero Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) to Vanthiyathevan (Karthi), Kundavai (Trisha Krishnan), Nandhini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) and Aditha Karikalan (Vikram). “Getting the right cast itself was half the work done,” says Ratnam. He knew exactly who he wanted to cast in each role. “I wanted to play the role of Nandhini,” says Trisha. “I even asked Mani sir if I could do it. He said no. He said only Aishwarya can do it.” A team of historians and researchers travelled widely to finalise the costumes.

The actors’ preparation for their roles was gruelling. The men had to get training in horse riding, which was challenging as the horses in Thailand were different from the ones usually used on cinema sets. To play the role of a warrior-messenger, Karthi had to learn to run, swim and ride in heavy armour.

Ratnam’s real triumph lies in staying true to the story while making it his own. For this, he makes a few subtle departures from the book. For example, in the novel Kalki celebrates Arunmozhi Varman, but in the film Ratnam celebrates his brother―the angry and troubled prince Aditha Karikalan―who is one of Ratnam’s most nuanced creations. “Certain scenes of Karikalan were written multiple times with variations,” says the film’s co-writer Elango Kumaravel, who was one of the first to be roped in by Ratnam when he conceived the film. To mark Kalki’s 100th birth anniversary, Kumaravel had scripted a play, which was staged in Thanjavur at a cost of Rs50 lakh. He describes how Ratnam was able to visualise certain key scenes in the book, like the murder of the character Veerapandiyan. “In the book it is just said that Veerapandiyan is beheaded by Karikalan in a room. It was Mani sir’s genius that he could visualise the scene and bring it alive in such detail.”

“Each of us in the film was a hero or heroine, and all our characters were important for the film,” says Vikram, who plays Karikalan. “Mani sir made us feel and live the character while on set. He told me to emote like an angry and unpredictable person. But he wanted me to be real as well.”

Ratnam also ensured that he gave importance to the female characters like Princess Kundavai. Certain scenes, like her speaking to the chieftains about her brother’s marriage, is not there in the book, but was added to make her role more prominent and help the audience grasp her political power and manoeuvres. But more than Kundavai or Karikalan, Ratnam’s favourite character was Nandhini, the conniving princess who charts the downfall of the Cholas. “Each time I cast Aishwarya, I believed she was right for the role,” Ratnam has said earlier. “A filmmaker is a very selfish person. Absolutely heartless. The only thing he cares for is the film. However much I love her, I will ask her to play a role only if I think she is right for it.”

It is difficult to capture the essence of Ratnam’s style and skill in filmmaking, but perhaps actor Karthi puts it best when he says that the ace director knows how to put a different spin on characters than the viewer might be familiar with. “Mani sir brought in new angles to the equation between different characters,” he told THE WEEK. “There is a spark because of this. That is his specialty.”

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