Before Aishwarya Rai, Mani Ratnam wanted Rekha to play Nandini in Ponniyin Selvan

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam has finally fulfilled his long-time dream of adapting Kalki’s literary masterpiece Ponniyin Selvan into a film after two failed attempts. He has revealed that when he had planned to make the film for the first time in the 1990s with Kamal Haasan, he had plans of roping in veteran actor Rekha for the character of Nandini from the novel, which is now being played by Aishwarya Rai in Ponniyin Selvan I. The film will be released in cinemas worldwide on September 30. Also read: Aishwarya Rai’s poster from Ponniyin Selvan leaves fans speechless

In 1994 and 2011, Mani Ratnam attempted to make Ponniyin Selvan but both times the project did not take off as planned. In a media interaction ahead of the release of the first part of the epic, Mani Ratnam opened up about casting for the project. When he was asked if he had anyone in mind for the role played by Aishwarya Rai, the filmmaker revealed that the only other actor he had wanted to work with for the same character in the past was Rekha. “Before Aishwarya, I wanted to work with Rekha for the same character. Didn’t have any other actors in mind for this role,” he said.

In Ponniyin Selvan 1, Aishwarya will be seen playing dual roles – Nandini and her mute mother Mandakini Devi. Earlier in July, the first look poster of Aishwarya’s character Nandini was unveiled. The poster was released with the caption, ‘Vengeance has a beautiful face.” She plays the queen of Pazhuvoor in the movie.

Last year, the film’s title poster was unveiled. In 2020, the film went on the floors in Thailand, where a major portion, including war sequences, was shot. The title poster features a sword with a golden hilt and it bears the emblem of the Chola kingdom along with the words ‘Beginning of the Golden Era’. Produced by Madras Talkies, the film also features Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala, among others.

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