Actress Amala Paul may be on board for Ponniyin Selvan, Mani Ratnam’s ambitious project which is in pre-production stages currently. The film is based on Kalki’s novel of the same name, and reportedly already has Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Vijay Sethupathi and Jayam Ravi in important roles.
Amala Paul’s manager told Silverscreen that a confirmation cannot be given at this point. There were also speculations that Lyca Productions may have backed out of the project, and it was reported that Mani Ratnam is in talks with Reliance Entertainment. However, Aditi Ravindranath of Lyca told Silverscreen, “We are definitely doing Ponniyin Selvan.”
Cinema Dinamalar reports that the film is being made on a 1000 crore budget, which is double that of 2.0, the most expensive Indian film till date, also produced by Lyca. A confirmation regarding this is awaited. In the past, MGR and Kamal Haasan attempted to adapt Ponniyin Selvan, but they moved on due to the size of the project. Mani Ratnam planned Ponniyin Selvan 15 years back. Reports about him reviving the project have been doing the rounds since January this year.
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Ponniyin Selvan is the story of Arulmozhivarman, who becomes Raja Raja Cholan. The story, written by Kalki Krishnamurthi, was first serialised in the weekly magazine Kalki, and later compiled into a five volume book. In the Mani Ratnam adaptation, reports say that Aishwarya Rai will play Nandhini, the character who plans the downfall of the Chola kingdom. Telugu actor Mohan Babu may be seen as Pazhuvetarayar, with Jayam Ravi as Arulmozhivarman and actor Vikram as Aditya Karikalan. The film’s big star cast also has Vijay Sethupathi in the lead. Amitabh Bachchan has reportedly been approached to play Sundara Chola in the film. Actor Karthi, who has worked with Mani Ratnam in Kaatru Veliyidai, has been approached. Simbu will play a character similar to his role in Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Amala Paul’s character is yet to be known.