Mani Ratnam wraps ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ shoot

PTI, Sep 19, 2021, 9:20 AM IST

The first part of acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s Tamil-language historical drama film Ponniyin Selvan has finished its production, the makers announced on Saturday.

The star-studded magnum opus, which started filming in December 2019, features actors Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Jayam Ravi and Aishwarya Lekshmi among others.

Ponniyin Selvan is backed by Ratnam’s production house Madras Talkies and Allirajah Subaskaran’s banner Lyca Productions.

The film’s production wrap announcement was made on the official Instagram page of Madras Talkies.

“Filming complete. PS-1 coming soon!” the post read.

The movie is based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 Tamil novel “Ponniyin Selvan”.

The book chronicles the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman, one of the most powerful kings in the south, who went on to become the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I.

Ratnam has co-written the film’s screenplay with Elango Kumaravel. B Jeyamohan has been credited as the dialogue writer on the movie.

The film’s music has been scored by Ratnam’s frequent collaborator and Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman. Cinematographer Ravi Varman has shot the film.

Ponniyin Selvan is set to be released theatrically in 2022.