Mani Ratnam is currently in the process of making his dream project come alive. Yes! We are talking about Ponniyin Selvan which will be Mani Ratnam’s next directorial venture. This historical epic features a stellar cast that includes Chiyaan Vikram (Aditya Karikalan), Jayam Ravi (Arul Mozhi Varman/Ponniyin Selvan), Karthi (Vandiyathevan), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha (Kundhavai), Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Ashwin Kakamanu, Jayaram, Sarath Kumar, Rahman, Mohan Raman, ‘Aadukalam’ Kishore, Riyaz Khan, Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Chidambaram and others.

It has now been revealed that popular director turned actor Balaji Sakthivel will be seen playing an important role in the film. Rumours are that he has replaced Prabhu’s character, but an official word is awaited. Balaji Sakthivel has already worked in Mani Ratnam’s production, Vaanam Kottattum and now, Ponniyin Selvan will be his second association with Madras Talkies. Balaji Sakthivel is a strong performer that we know of and his addition to the already star studded cast of Ponniyin Selvan makes the proceedings exciting. Recently, veteran actor Nizhalgal Ravi confirmed that he’d be acting in this historical epic, adding that he plays the character of Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar.

As far as the shooting is concerned, there are reports that the production might resume next month with precautions, but when we contacted our sources close to the team, we were informed that no concrete decision has been made. The makers are currently said to be figuring out on how to proceed with the shoot after the pandemic with precautionary measures. Mani Ratnam reportedly doesn’t want any risk to be taken amidst the pandemic and is waiting for things to get better. The makers have so far completed two schedules. The film's release date will be finalized depending on the shooting plans.

This film will be produced by Madras Talkies in association with Lyca Productions on a huge budget. Ponniyin Selvan is being made as a two-part film and it will have music scored by A.R.Rahman. In one of his earlier interviews, Rahman had said that Ponniyin Selvan is the most challenging project in his career. The cinematography of Ponniyin Selvan is handled by Ravi Varman while the editing is taken care of by Sreekar Prasad. Based on the historical novel of the same name penned by Kalki Krishnamurthy, the film's screenplay is penned by Mani Ratnam, Siva Ananth and Elango Kumaravel. Jeyamohan has penned the dialogues for this film.