Ponniyin Selvan 1 movie review: Mani Ratnam film is a visual spectacle that is a little less magical than the book

Language: Tamil

Cast: Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Trisha, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jayaram

Director: Mani Ratnam

Star rating: 3.5/5

After many years of dreaming and visualising, Mani Ratnam’s adaptation of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan released. I must say that the film with its impressive star cast and stunning music and visuals is a landmark film for the industry. It has a lot going for it, and that includes the performance of brilliant actors such as Karthi and Vikram in their respective roles as Vandhiya Thevan and Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan. Then the women, Aishwarya Rai as Nandini, Trisha as Kunthavai and Aishwarya Lekshmi as Poonguzhali have gone above and beyond, pulled all stops to bring alive these characters that only existed in the imagination of the fans of the book.

One of the most asked questions at the moment is if Mani Ratnam has done a good job adapting the Tamil epic Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki. The short answer would be, yes. The director has managed to bring the world imagined by Kalki onto the screens. Pazhaiyaarai, Thanjavur and Lanka as imagined in the books are now on screen, however, the camera shots don’t indulge in showing us this world. From the get-go, it is the people of this world and their story that the director seems interested in shining a spotlight on. The director doesn’t exactly skim on showing us some of the cultural themes present in the book though. For instance, the Kuravai Koothu that takes place at the Kadambur Sambuvarayar palace has been retained, and beautifully so. It is captivating and vibrant, with AR Rahman’s brilliant music to accompany it. But again, it is all fleeting. So before we can really get invested in it, the moment has passed.