The countdown is on for the worldwide theatrical release of ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam's highly-anticipated Ponniyin Selvan: 2, which will be launched into cinemas on April 28. With only a few days for the upcoming film's release, the iconic director recently during a media interaction spoke about why he opted to adapt Kalki Krishnamurthy's novels into films and not as a web series, which would have allowed to narrate the story with many more details. "Even if I wanted to, who would’ve given me the dates? Will you get the dates of these actors?", Mani Ratnam said. Speaking further about the adaptation, the filmmaker stated, "I'm also a fan of the book and it has deeply impacted me. This is my interpretation and presentation of the story in the way it has impacted me."
Last year, during a pre-release for Ponniyin Selvan: 1, Mani Ratnam had expressed his happiness at being able to adapt Kalki's books into a two-parter film and release in theatres saying audiences are open to watching it multiple parts. The filmmaker had made a couple of attempts earlier in 1994 and 2011 to make the big-screen adaption, but the project failed to roll into production due to various reasons. Mani Ratnam had said, "The long wait has been some sort of liberation. Ponniyin Selvan is a five-part book and it’s impossible to compress it in a single film. Not sure if we could’ve done justice had we done the film back then. Today, audiences are open to the idea of watching a film in parts or as a series. Honestly, it was easier to make Ponniyin Selvan now. I'm glad Ponniyin Selvan didn't happen all these years because this is the right time."
Produced by Lyca Productions in association with the Madras Talkies banner and featuring songs and a background score composed by Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman, promotions for Ponniyin Selvan: 2 are in full swing across the country. The upcoming epic historical action adventure sequel has a majority of the cast members reprising their roles among whom include 'Chiyaan' Vikram as Aditha Karikalan, Jayam Ravi as Arunmozhi Varman, Karthi as Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyadevan, Trisha as Kundavai, Aishwarya Lekshmi as Poonguzhali, Sobhita Dhulipala as Vaanathi and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in dual roles as Nandini and Mandakini.