Language : Tamil
Release date: 30 September 2022
Starring: Vikram,Aishwarya rai, Jayam ravi, karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya lekshmi, Sobhita dhulipala
Directed by: Mani Ratnam
Produced by: Mani ratnam, Subaskaran
Music by: AR Rahman
Cinematography :Ravi varaman
Edited by :Sreekar prasad
Ponniyin Selvan: I is aTamil-language epic period action film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote it with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. Produced by Ratnam and Subaskaran Allirajah under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, it is the first of two cinematic parts based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel Ponniyin Selvan. The film stars an ensemble cast of Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban. The music is composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography handled by Ravi Varman, editing done by A. Sreekar Prasad and production design by Thota Tharani. The film tells the story of early days of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I (947 CE ā 1014 CE).
Expectations
What works
Ponniyin Selvan is a good piece of art done by Mani Ratnam within the constraints of making a 5-volume classic novel into a film. Mani Ratnam and Writers have found success by including important themes in the novel and pretending that the events unfold through dialogue.
Mani Ratnam has adopted a realistic approach, choosing mostly real locations to set a great story in ancient times. Thota Dharani‘s art work and Ravi Varman‘s frames were the backbone of those realistic works. The costume design team also brings the audience to the Chola Empire by making the costumes of the dynasties very good. AR Rahman‘s mesmerizing music was the pulse of the film. The life of many scenes dependent on that music.
Karthi‘s Vanthiya Devan was the backbone of the story driven movie. Positioned throughout the story, Karthi‘s performance was excellent. Aishwarya Rai mesmerized the audience with her mesmerizing beauty and Mani Ratnam’s trademark visualization. The limited screen presence of Vikram-Trisha-Ravi was also good. Moving towards their goals, they can expect the second part to get better screen space.
What not works
Mani Ratnam‘s realistic approach was not suited to a big budget period action film. Slow narration and 3 hour running time is not digestible for common audience. The film was also affected by the limitations of making a film based on important parts of a larger body of literature. Due to such limitations, the main characters were deprived of screen time. The history and characterization of many characters are not revealed, leaving the audience in further confusion.
The fact that the film lacked the goose bump moments and emotional connection that a period action film needs.. It can be said that the action scenes and war sequences that lasted throughout the film passed without creating any impact. Despite getting the actors who do the action scenes well, the best opportunity was missed without paying attention to the action scenes. Even when the thread for the second part is put, the audience leaves the theater without any exciting factor.
Bottomline
Decent period drama!!!!
