Set during the Chola dynasty, the multi-lingual project is being made in two parts, of which, the first will release in 2021; Sobhita Dhulipala joins the cast of the film
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 15, 2020)

Mani Ratnam had spoken about his plans to adapt the Kalki Krishnamurthy’s fictional historic novel, Ponniyin Selvan, into a film way back in 1994. However, because of several issues, ranging from the budget to permissions, the project had been in a limbo. Last year, on December 11, the film named after the novel itself, took off in Thailand, with actors from the Hindi and South Indian film industry, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Karthi, Trisha and Jayam Ravi. More recently, Sobhita Dhulipala, who is a trained classical dancer, was roped in for a pivotal role of a princess who is a master of Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam. A multi-lingual project, it releases in all major Indian languages.

The film tells the story of Arulmozhivarman, one of the kings of the Chola dynasty during the 10th and 11th century. Buzz is, Aishwarya plays the antagonist Nandini, a woman hungry for power, who plots the downfall of the Cholas through her manipulation of her husband, Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar. “Most of her portions are with Vikram, who plays the role of prince Aditya Karikalan. They had worked together in Raavan,” the source informed.

The Thailand schedule wrapped up in January and now the team will be shooting on sets down South as well as real locations across India through the year. “The film is being made in two parts, like the Baahubali franchise, with the first part releasing in 2021. There will be a lot of visual effects,” the source said, adding that the cast had many workshops, with Aishwarya’s focussed on body language and posture training and Sobhita’s to enhance her classical dance techniques.