Vandiyathevan crosses the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan, while Kundavai attempts to establish political peace as vassals and petty chieftains plot ag... Read allVandiyathevan crosses the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan, while Kundavai attempts to establish political peace as vassals and petty chieftains plot against the throne.Vandiyathevan crosses the Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan, while Kundavai attempts to establish political peace as vassals and petty chieftains plot against the throne.
- Awards
- 15 wins & 31 nominations
- Periya Pazhuvettarayar
- (as Sarath Kumar)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Mani Ratnam and music composer A.R. Rahman did not work with lyricist Vairamuthu on this film, following the latter's #MeToo allegations and controversy. This marked the end of the longest director-composer-lyricist trio in Tamil Cinema, which began since A.R. Rahman's debut on Mani Ratnam's Roja (1992).
- GoofsThe Marwari breed of horses were used for shooting this film. A horse had died in shooting too. In history though, the fastest horses in the world were imported from Arabia for warfare in the Chozha cavalry.
- Quotes
Parthibendran Pallavan: I heard you died at Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar's hands, after getting caught
Vanthiyathevan: I think that I haven't died yet indeed
Parthibendran Pallavan: Your tongue is sharper than sword
Vanthiyathevan: One day you can try my sword's sharpness as well
- Crazy creditsVanthiyathevan was supposed to be a spy in various scenes, and depicted in ordinary garb in the novel. However, he's always in an armor.
- Alternate versionsIn Singapore, the film initially received an NC16 classification due to moments of violence occurred in the film. It is also noted that the Hindi version also received the same classification. The distributor opted to edited the moments of violence in order to lower the rating from NC16 to PG13. Both PG13 edited versions became the standard versions to release in theaters of Singapore.
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Kapil Sharma Show: Ponniyin Selvan Special (2022)
- SoundtracksPonni Nadhi (Tamil)
Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyrics by Ilango Krishnan
Vocals by A.R. Rahman, A.R. Reihana & Bamba Bakya
Set in the 10th century during the times when the Chola dynasty ruled over most of South India, Karthi stars as "Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan", commander to the crown prince Aditha Karikaalan (Vikram), and his journey to fulfill a set of tasks his liege lord sets out for him. Assigned with dismantling a seditious conspiracy brewing within the kingdom, the steadfast Vandiyadevan embarks on an arduous journey, with aid of the princess Kundavai (Trisha) as well as Karikaalan's younger brother, the titular "Ponniyin Selvan" (meaning Son of the river Ponni, played by Jayam Ravi).
Focussing more on drama elements and political machinations and in setting up the immense world detailed in the books, "Ponniyin Selvan" is devoid of the large canvas action sequences and mass moments of typical masala-period pieces like the Bahubali franchise and RRR. Case in point, one of the most enthralling sequences in the film was the confrontation between Trisha's "Kundavai" and the primary antagonist, the scheming "Nandini", played by Aishwarya Rai with each actress oozing menace and gravitas, aided by the excellent dialogues crafter by screenwriters Kumaravel and Jayamohan.
A R Rahman's music is unfortunately largely pedestrian with only the BGM composed for Trisha's character creating any real impact. The film also indulges in setting up too many things for its second part and meanders pointlessly for large portions post the interval. The climax showdown which was intended as a brutal skirmish doesn't come across convincingly, reducing the impact of the immersive politicking and mind games that led up to it. In short, PS-1 scores high in its drama elements while struggling to be convincing during its stunt sequences. Nevertheless, the painstaking worldbuilding, its clutch of ace performances and the level of political intrigue Mani Ratnam has managed to infuse into the storytelling make PS-1 a recommended watch in theatres! Cannot wait for the second part, set to release in 2023!
- nidhunmoviebuff
- Sep 29, 2022
- Permalink
- How long is Ponniyin Selvan: Part I?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- ₹5,000,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,282,000
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,018,000
- Oct 2, 2022
- Gross worldwide
- $21,888,295
- Runtime2 hours 47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1