Ponniyin Selvan-1 review: Another testament to the greatness of Mani Ratnam

Aditha Karikala, the eldest of Sundar Chola’s three children, is chosen to be the crown prince when he falls ill, but Nandhini and a Pandya associate concoct a scheme to have him killed. Younger sister Kundhavai sends a daring spy Vandhiyathevan, a friend of Aditha Karikala, to Lanka to meet her brother, Arunmozhi Varman, and bring him back to Thanjavur. Who ultimately reigns as king of the Chola Kingdom is the crux of the remaining portion of the movie.

Many renowned Tamil film directors and actors, from MG Ramachandran to Kamal Haasan, tried to make the movie adaption of Kalki’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, a five-volume novel.

Mani Ratnam has finally done so, and the result is definitely commendable. The film is well-done and the scenes that are supposed to be so, are intense. It is co written by Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel and B Jeyamohan. This must be one of the best screen adaptations of a book in Tamil.

In an otherwise realistic work, the Oomai Rani passages were dreamlike. Was looking forward to see how Mani Ratnam would treat it. He made it interesting, with a surprise (and confusing) element at the end. He has used the whole of Ponniyin Selvan-1 to establish the characters, conflicts and the atmosphere. A lot of things are kept for Ponniyin Selvan-2. Can expect a thunderous second part.

Vikram anchors the film

Ponniyin Selvan is anchored by Vikram’s absolutely fantastic performance as Aditha Karikalan. His accent, his manner of speaking, and even his sheer appearance are quite intimidating. He also has a fully-developed personality and operates under a fundamental philosophy that is real and clear.

Karthi as Vanthiyathevan is sure to please the crowd, and he cements himself as one of the finest dramatic actors of a generation in this film.

The standout is none other than Trisha Krishnan as the Kundhavai. Trisha delivers her strongest performance ever in this movie, or at least up to this point in her career. She gets the two best scenes of the movie. One, her first meeting with Nandhini, and second is the scene when she enters the small kings’ secretive meeting and destroys their plan.

As Arunmozhi Varman, Jayam Ravi is ideal. He can do a heck of a job when he is with the right director. He played the role with remarkable elan while remaining balanced and poised.

Magnificent Aishwarya

Aishwarya Rai is magnificent as the powerful and seductive Nandhini. Her best part comes when she looks at the throne with longing. We can read her. Beautifully done.

The film is stocked with many more excellent actors like Sobhita Dhulipala, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sarathkumar, Parthiepan, Rahman, and Prakash Raj. All did well in their respective roles.

This is a beautifully made film with enriching cinematography by Ravi Varman. The special effects are well done. Thotta Tharani’s production design is outstanding. The settings look realistic and opulent on the big screen.

AR Rahman’s ‘Devaraalan Aattam’ was a full-meal treat and the background score breathes life into many scenes. For instance, Karikaalan seeing Nandhini with her husband.

The problem I had with the movie is that many scenes seem rushed, especially in the beginning. Shots were too short to follow. There’s too much going on for the run-time.

Ambitious in scale

The movie is hugely ambitious, taking on more than it can completely deliver. After the rushed first half an hour or so, the flow is extremely smooth and compelling, with the major conflict and characters laid out perfectly and without any ambiguity.

Even the song ‘Ponni Nadhi’ seemed too rushed in its edit. Everything could have been a bit slower than it is now.

I have felt the same issue with movies like Mani Ratnam’s own Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Vetrimaaran’s Vada Chennai. The beauty peaked whenever it slowed down.

Take, for instance, the scene of Kundhavai and Karikaalan meeting scene, or Kundhavai and Vandhiyathevan meeting — has Mani Ratnam written all over it.

Do all the best scenes have Kundhavai (Trisha Krishnan) in it? Yes. It’s really great, a movie that struggles to bring all of its so many pieces together into a whole, and it gets awfully close.

Now, the sad part: It ended without a warning. I wanted more.

Everything about this film is impressive. That’s putting it mildly. The experience was simply mesmerising. Awe and wonder filled me as I watched this story of friendship, love, betrayal and revenge unfold on screen.

Ponniyin Selvan is another testament to Mani Ratnam’s greatness. It is a fascinating movie, with an extremely well-adapted script.