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Tamil filmmaking legend Mani Ratnam takes on the formidable task of adapting Indian bestseller “Ponniyin Selvan” as a two-part epic, the first of which released to excellent box office at home and abroad on Sept. 29. Streamlining the source material considerably, this impressive franchise starter — co-written by Ratnam, Jayamohan and Kumaravel — remains mostly faithful to Kalki Krishnamurthy’s five novels, first serialized in the 1950s in the Tamil magazine Kalki before being translated into multiple other languages, including English.

The books were based on the great ruler Raja Raja Chola, who expanded his empire from modern-day Tamilnadu all the way north to the Ganges. Set to the music of Oscar winner A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”), “Ponniyin Selvan: Part One” boasts great battles on land and sea. The spy-vs.-spy nature of the story suggests a 12th-century Bourne movie, interspersed with song and dance.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Southern India was ruled by the Cheras,...

Well-known voice artiste Deepa Venkat, who has lent her voice for actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in director Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus ‘Ponniyin Selvan 1’, has showered praise on Aishwarya, saying that she was literally dumbfounded by the perfect, proper Tamil the actress had spoken in the original pilot.

Taking to Instagram to pen a lengthy post on how exceptional Aishwarya’s work in the film was, Deepa said, “No one is where they are, just by chance or luck.”

“It takes years of patience, perseverance, hardwork, intelligence, smartness, passion, and a host of such qualities to hone your skills with dedication and commitment to reach excellence.

“It was a pleasant surprise to be voicing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. There were more surprises. The original pilot had her speaking perfect, proper Tamil. I was literally dumbfounded. Mind you, for most of us, who speak regular everyday Tamil, even simple sentences in chaste Tamil,...

Awards Jfw is south India’s leading magazine for women and the awards were presented to recognise women's contribution to Tamil cinema.Tnm StaffIn a night studded with stars from the south, Just for Women magazine, popularly abbreviated to Jfw held its first ever edition of Jfw movie awards in Chennai. The grand event presented by Iraivi and powered by M Auto, was dedicated to women for their work in Tamil cinema. Winners were adjudged in 14 categories for both on screen work and contribution from behind the scenes. Out of of the 14 awards, 11 were selected based on the results of an online voting system where 2.3 million votes in total were collected. The event was attended by several celebrities from the south, including Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan. A power-packed dance performance by Gouri G Kishan of 96 fame grabbed the attention of the audience. Musical duo Vivek - Merwin too added...