Ponniyin Selvan i

While books and movies are different media — oranges to apples — the ultimate aim is to engage the reader or audience, and give them a unique experience.

Alfred Cuaron’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was truly a work of art that was equal to or even better than the book itself; no mean feat to pull a better one off J.K. No doubt in this avatar, the film becomes its own work of art — aligned to — but not encumbered by the book it is based on. Either in terms of plots, characterisations, tweaks varying the pacing, or backstories, there is an effort to ensure that the medium is exploited entirely by the message, and perhaps, vice versa. That’s what film makers and even authors aim at, ultimately; dropping a hook to draw their audience in, holding them in awe or enchantment, rapture or shock, and allowing them to feel the catharsis that art offers. and if you are not happy, there is always the book to go back home to. Not that the kernel of film — as a medium by itself — does not hold within it immense possibilities; particularly of spectacle, offering the ability to see, rather than just imagine, it does. While a couple of attempts were made in the past to render the epic on screen — [notably by MGR](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/mgr-wanted-to-make-ponniyin-selvan-with-kamal-haasan-and-sridevi/article30673309.ece) — none worked out until [Mani Ratnam picked up the gauntlet](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/ponniyin-selvan-audio-launch-rajinikanth-and-kamal-haasans-camaraderie-steals-the-show/article65860770.ece). [the author’s seductive narrative style](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/the-real-and-fiction-in-ponniyin-selvan/article65838424.ece), the cliffhangers, the twists in plot, and the intrigue served perfectly to whet the appetite of its first readers. After all, as Paulo Coelho said, “ A book is a movie running in the mind of the reader”. What a movie does is to flesh that out without leaving much to the imagination, readers find. That happens to be just what Mani Ratnam is recommending too. The novel dwells extensively on the conspiracy to assassinate the crown princes of Sundara Cholan, the events that followed, and the eventual succession of the second son Arulmozhi Varman, who was to achieve everlasting fame as Raja Raja Chola 1.

Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 stars Jayam Ravi, Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha and Karthi in key roles.

PS-I will be the first Tamil film to debut in IMAX. Depicting the reign of the mighty Cholas, the visuals of PS-I are full of grandeur and opulence. Mani Ratnam has pulled off a coup of sorts in the assortment of actors who will bring Ponniyin Selvan to life. If the trailers are any indication, this Mani Ratnam directorial is going to be a visual extravaganza like no other. He has undertaken the task of narrating the story of the mighty Chola reign, and any slip would incur the wrath of the Tamil populace. Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 (PS-I) is the film we are waiting for with bated breath on September 30 and the reasons are many.

The novel itself claimed to be based upon some actual historical figures, events, and some being added by Kalki to make the story more engaging for his ...

• The assassination of prince Aditha Karikalan is reported to be an act of revenge for killing King Veerapandiyan, but it is not clearly known who and all had a role in the death. However, in real life, Sembiyan Mahadevi was a titlle conferred to queens of Chola kings -- prominent of them being the wife of Gandaraditya Chola (popularly known as the mother of Uttama Chola) who built several Saivite temples in and around the delta region, including Sri Kailasanathaswamy temple in Nagapattinam district. Not only Nandhini, all the other women characters in the novel are known for one or another ardent trait that they possess like the courageous Poonkuzhali (Aishwarya Lekshmi), the intelligent Kundavai, or the innocent Manimegalai. As Arulmozhi failed to capture the hearts of people as much as Vanthiyathevan did (for readers of the weekly edition) that’s when Kalki decided to up his weightage. • The description of Sambuvarayars is played around by Kalki as they didn't appear in the novel during Sundara Chola's (Prakash Raj) period. • In the Brihadisvara temple's inscription at Thanjavur, Vanthiyathevan is referred to as the husband of Kundavai Nachiyar.

Vikram stars as Aditha Karikalan, the crown prince and the commander of northern troops during Sundara Chola's reign. (Lyca Productions pic).

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