Ponniyin Selvan 1 Review and Box Office Collection: Mani Ratnam Directed Period Drama is Packed with Masterful Writing and Solid Performances

Ponniyin Selvan: 1, Tamil language period action drama is directed by the ace director Mani Ratnam and based on the classic novel of Kalki Krishnamurthy. The film adaptation of Ponniyin Selvan wasn’t easy at all. Actors like M. G. Ramachandran and Kamal Hassan already tried their luck in the past for film production. Mani Ratnam finally succeeded in making the film after all the struggle. The first part of the two-part cinema adaption finally had its theatrical release on 30^th Sep. 2022.

Ponniyin Selvan 1 Story

Aditha Karikalan (Vikram) and Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) are two sons of Sundara Chola (Prakash Raj). Aditha Karikalan, elder son of Sundara Chola (Prakash Raj) assigns the task of delivering messages between him and his father to his entrusted friend Vanthiyathevan (Karthi). In one of the messages from Aditya, ministers of the Chola dynasty are trying to bring down the Chola Empire. The ministers want to remove the crown princes of the Chola dynasty Aditha Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman and put Madurantaka Uttama Chola, the son of Sundara’s elder brother on the throne. Vanthiyathevan’s job is to find out the evil plans and who is orchestrating them, after a series of investigations it is learned that Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) is behind the plans to bring down the Chola empire. Why she wanted her revenge on the Chola dynasty is a mystery.

The first half of the film is a bit slow and it takes its time for character development but the second half and master screenplay writing make up for it. Battle scenes are not at the level of the Bahubali and another high-end action-packed movie but watching the final battle on the water is a much more unique experience.

Ponniyin Selvan 1 Direction

Mani Ratnam is a good storyteller and he impressed us again with this period drama. Unlike Bahubali Ponniyin Selvan relies on drama more than action. Mani Ratnam took time to build the character.

Writers

Another great thing about the film is the writing, Mani Ratnam and B. Jeyamohan really did a good job in writing the screenplay. Taking the main elements from the five-part novel and transforming them into a two-part impactful film adaption shows hard work.

Cinematographer

Cinematographer Ravi Verman did a remarkable job in various scenes of the film. Mani Ratnam is known for showing a strong female character in the film. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, and others were seen in strong character and screen presence.

Mani Ratnam succeeded in extracting solid performances from everyone. Karthi carries the whole film on his shoulder and keeps the film on track. Vikram as Aaditha Karikalan acted emotional and a tragic hero.

• Vikram is a fine actor he did a fantastic job this time too. Jayam Ravi as Arulmozhi Varma mainly appeared in the second half but irrespective of the screen timing, he made an impactful performance in the film.
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Nandini acted so well with her body language than the dialogues. Trisha impresses us with her mind games and support for her father King Chola battling with the politics of ministers.

Reasons to Watch

• Ambitious epic drama directed by Mani Ratnam.
• Ensemble casting.
• History of Chola dynasty
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s comeback.

Reasons to Skip

• Not fan of politics and history
• Expecting Bahubali level action sequence
• If you like fast-pacing plots

Ponniyin Selvan 1 Box Office Collection

Advance booking of Ponniyin Selvan is second highest in Tamil Nadu after Vijay Starrer Beast. It is expected to collect around 17 Cr in Tamil Nadu and the overall domestic collection will be 40 Cr.

Ponniyin Selvan also premiered in the USA at 328 locations and a 7-8 Cr. collection is expected in the USA alone. The overseas collection will be 10 Cr. Ponniyin Selvan is expected to collect around 50 Cr. with both domestic and overseas collections on opening day.

The second day continued to be stronger at the box office. The movie had a terrific second day with total two-day gross worldwide collection crossing ₹150 crore.

Let us know through comments your reviews and thoughts about the movie.