In Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan 1&2', the Tamil actor plays Arulmozhivarman — the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I.
Tamil actor Jayam Ravi-starrer 'Ponniyin Selvan 2' is releasing on 28 April. (Supplied)
While the five-part (volume) of the classic Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy will conclude in Ponniyin Selvan 2, there are enough materials if ever a Ponniyin Selvan 3 is to be made, Jayam Ravi told South First.
The Tamil actor was in Bengaluru along with his co-stars from the movie — Vikram, Karti, and Trisha — to promote Ponniyin Selvan 2 which is hitting the screens worldwide on 28 April.
The first part of Ponniyin Selvan was more or less about the introduction of characters.
Jayam Ravi and Trisha in a still from ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. (Supplied)
“There are at least 35 main characters portrayed by talented actors all of whom, at one point, played lead roles in their acting careers. The sequel, Ponniyin Selvan 2, will reveal the real story. Kalki’s novel will conclude in the sequel,” Jayam Ravi said, in an exclusive interview.
However, he noted that there is enough material and basis based on people’s perception of what happened to the characters after Kalki’s conclusion in the novel. And this could be a good source for a probable Ponniyin Selvan 3.
“I would say that the novel will finish here (Ponniyin Selvan 2). We will have a finale here. But there are many theories and beliefs that the novel has created in the minds of people on what happened to these people (characters) after that. And, we have books, too. If at all Mani sir aims for a third part, we have enough stuff,” Jayam Ravi said.
He revealed that Mani Ratnam did hint about the third part but did not confirm it.
Jayam Ravi in a still from ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. (Supplied)
About the challenges he faced while portraying Rajaraja Chola I, Jayam Ravi said the biggest one was to be a good guy.
“Playing a bad guy or villain is quite easier. But playing a good guy is extremely hard since his character should be visible through his eyes,” he opined.
But how did he manage to do so? Well, Mani Ratnam asked him to live the personality for six months.
“I lived like Rajaraja Chola I for about six months. I just kept visualising everything the way he would have looked at, felt and expressed. Mani sir injected those emotions into me.”
“Mani sir said wherever you see, it’s yours and whatever you see, it’s your people. I started to live like a King, and now I want to get back to being normal,” Jayam Ravi quipped.
The 42-year-old actor recalled that he first visited Bengaluru way back in the early 2000s with his friends who worked in the city as IT professionals.
The cast and crew of ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’ at a promotional event in Bengaluru. (Supplied)
“I do not exactly know what my friends worked for in IT companies but Bengaluru was booming and is still the best place with every new thing available here,” he said.
He also described the people of Bengaluru as warm and welcoming.
“They treat everyone with great love and affection. It was evident during Ponniyin Selvan 1. They gave us unconditional love and support,” Jayam Ravi added.
On the challenges small-budget films are facing, especially post-Covid, the actor observed that cinema would find new ways to adapt to every situation and OTT platforms have done great things at the right time.
A poster of Sivaji Ganesan’s ‘Raja Raja Chozhan’. (Supplied)
Later, while addressing the media, Jayam Ravi disclosed that he did not watch Raja Raja Chozhan, the biographical film directed by AP Nagarajan.
Raja Raja Chozhan is based on Ramanathan’s play of the same name about the life of the Chola King Rajaraja I. It featured the legendary Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan in the title role It was the first Tamil CinemaScope film.
“If I had seen the great Sivaji sir’s Raja Raja Chozhan, I would have simply imitated his mannerism. It becomes difficult to think of anything beyond Sivaji as Rajaraja Chola. I did my best to portray the King the way Mani sir asked me to,” he sported a smile.
While the lead actors of Ponniyin Selvan 2 expressed to work in a straight film in Kannada, they all praised how great content and tremendous makings in the recent Kannada films have made everyone look towards Sandalwood and take note of their great achievements.
“I believe that Prashant Neel’s KGF broke the language barrier in Indian cinema and Kantara broke the religious barrier. I would love to work in a Kannada movie,” Jayam Ravi signed off.
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