Ponniyin Selvan 1 Movie Review: Mani Ratnam’s Dream Project Comes True
‘PS 1 (Ponniyin Selvan 1)’, Mani Ratnam’s dream project, is a period action film which is currently the talk of the town. The film is based on the popular novel of the Tamil state with the same name. The film deals with the Chola Empire as known to us all. ‘Ponniyin Selvan 1’ has a very huge star cast, was made on a huge budget. Mani Ratnam made the epic story of the Chola Empire into two parts, and the first part, PS 1, is released theatres worldwide in multiple languages. The trailer showcases visual feast and creates interest on the film. Let’s check out how it fares at box-office.
Story
Vandiyadevudu(Karthi) goes on a mission to the entire Chola Kingdom, as instructed by his friend and king, Aditya Karikaaludu(Vikram). On his trip, Vandiyadevudu finds out about the conspiracy running internally to put an end to Arunmozhi Varma(Jayam Ravi) and the rest of the Chola dynasty. How Vandiyadevudu, with the help of others, fights this and saves Arunmozhi Varma is the rest of the narrative of PS 1. The story continues in the sequel.
Analysis
Mani Ratnam sets up the very beginning of the film with an intense and realistic war episode. The audience are introduced to the world of the Chola empire with the voice over of Chiranjeevi. This narration is really interesting. The entire first half of the film is really a well-scripted drama where Karthi takes the driving seat. Chiyaan Vikram, in a few but impactful sequences, holds the key in the first half. Mani Ratnam chose to take the same path, even for the second half of the film. The second half of PS 1 is mostly similar to the first half, beginning with a war episode, driving into drama, a bit of action here and there, but the only change is that Jayam Ravi runs the show this time. Overall, PS 1 is a beautifully written and filmed, fascinating drama that is unlike any other war action film.
The main drawback of the film is the narration will be a bit boring and audience needs to be very patient as there were no highs in the film. On a final note, ‘PS 1’ is a fascinating drama narrating an epic historical story. Mani Ratnam brought the best of everything on screen for his dream project. The casting and AR Rahman’s background score stand as the main highlights of the film. PS 1 is more about drama and less about action.
Performances
Vikram as Aditya Karikaaludu is a dream role for the actor, and he completely makes use of every bit of opportunity given by his idol, Mani Ratnam. Vikram always thought of playing this kind of role in a historical film, and the audience can feel the excitement and energy he brings on screen in playing Aditya Karikaaludu.
Karthi as Vandiyadevudu plays the role of Aditya Karikaala’s close and trusted friend. Karthi is the sole runner of the film and explores the major portion of the first half on a mission. The special highlight of Karthi’s performance is his looks and actions in the song Raachasa Maavaya.
Jayam Ravi as Arunmozhi Varma, aka Ponniyin Selvan, gets his part in the second half in a few interesting scenes. Well, he is super cool in them and justifies the titular role completely. More from him is expected in the sequel.
Aishwarya Rai and Trisha (as Nandini and Kundavai, respectively) are the two beautiful, powerful, and delightful ladies of the film. Their looks, appearance, body language, and what not, every bit of their screen presence and performance looks elegant and royal. An ultimate face-off between the two actresses in a major sequence in the second half of the film just lit the screen.
Aishwarya Lekshmi and Sobhita Dhulipala are good and decent in their roles. Both the actresses justified their roles. Prakash Raj, Sarathkumar, Jayaram, and all the other actors get small but important roles. They are all well suited to their respective roles.
Technicalities
Mani Ratnam is a name well known to Indian film lovers, mostly for his dramas. Action is never his cup of tea, as is known from his filmography. The story of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, as adapted from the original novel, is a perfect pick by Mani Ratnam. Just like his tastes and choices, the story of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is also more of a drama than action. Mani Ratnam perfectly made use of all the beautiful historical characters and the events between them. Thus, ‘PS 1’ comes out as a well-narrated drama. Credit goes to the legendary director here for consuming the entire five volumes of the original story and delivering it to the audience in just two chapters with a clean and clear narration. He should be appreciated for such an amazing and impactful visual wonder he had created Mani Ratnam.
AR Rahman is the true magician of the film. The audience experienced a lot of what the duo of Rahman and Mani Ratnam can do together, from their filmography. The duo repeats the magic here. AR Rahman’s choice of instruments for the background score to bring the original flavours of the history. The Telugu audience has a special gift here from AR Rahman in PS 1. After a long gap, AR Rahman gives his mesmerising vocals in Telugu for the song ‘Ponge Nadhi’. All the technical aspects of the film tick all the right boxes and are exceptional. Special credit goes to the departments of production design, camera, and costumes.
Advantages
Story
Casting
BGM
Disadvantages
Boring Narrative
Nativity Issues
No Highs