Ahead of release, ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 2’ cast speak about camaraderie while working on the project and Mani Ratnam’s vision

The cast of Ponniyin Selvan:2 taking a selfie during a promotional event held in Chennai on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

Following whirlwind promotional tours across the country, it was only fitting that the cast of Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan:2 came together in the city on Thursday to speak about the film a day ahead of its release. Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s historical novel of the same name, the first part released last year and all eyes are now on the sequel.

Members of the film’s ensemble cast – Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sohbita Dhulipala and R. Parthiban – took turns to share their experiences of working on the films, their camaraderie and bringing to life Mr. Ratnam’s vision.

All praise for his talented co-stars and crew members, Mr. Ravi credited them for bringing dedication and positive energy to the sets. “I remember Mani sir’s first phone call, when he called and said he was planning to make this film. He told me ‘It is now or never’. This sentence had a lot of meaning and marked the start of our journey. While we faced hurdles initially due to the pandemic, he took this forward. It is no ordinary thing to shoot two films across 150 days.”

Also Read | ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1’ movie review: Epic story gets Mani Ratnam’s royal treatment

Speaking about the response the first film elicited from audiences worldwide, Mr. Ravi said he was hopeful of a similar positive reception for the second film as well. “We saw how it reached the audiences, and it went beyond being just a film, for many.”

Something that all the cast members constantly spoke about was how close they had become after working together in the films. Both Ms. Trisha and Mr. Vikram recalled how the cast members bonded on the set and in promotional tours. Mr. Vikram spoke about having made friends for life and lavished praise on the cast and crew. Ms. Lekshmi even broke down on stage, speaking about her co-stars and how inspired she was by watching all of them work.

Echoing her, Mr. Karthi said he couldn’t believe it was the end of their journey. “It has been three years of working with this cast and crew, and I don’t want to let go,” he said.

“This is a film Mani sir has been wanting to make for a while now, and he took it as a huge responsibility to tell actors like me and Ravi how to portray these characters well on-screen. I was in awe of his eye for detail, and he enjoyed so many aspects of making the film.” Stating how happy he was to be a part of the film, Mr. Karthi also said something that brought the whole team immense joy was seeing how people turned up with their parents and grandparents to watch the first part. 

“I’m overwhelmed and filled with gratitude,” said Ms. Trisha, who plays Kundavai in the film. Speaking about her co-stars and how much she loved working with them, the actor also said working on a Mani Ratnam film was something that every actor dreamt of. “I am lucky to have worked in Aayutha Ezhuthu at the start of my career and Ponniyin Selvan now, nearly twenty years later,” she said.

The first part, which was released in September last year, was critically acclaimed and struck gold at the box office. Ponniyin Selvan:2 also stars Aishwarya Rai, Sarath Kumar, Prakash Raaj and Prabhu, and has music by A.R. Rahman.