After Ponniyin Selvan schedule goes haywire, Mani Ratnam to shoot Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-starrer in one go to meet 2021 deadline
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; May 28, 2020)

Mani Ratnam was eagerly looking forward to the third schedule of Ponniyin Selvan in Puducherry as it would mark his reunion with protégé Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after Raavan (2010).

Unfortunately, the nationwide Coronavirus lockdown was imposed before the auteur could take his place behind the camera for the third stint. With the ongoing shutdown having played havoc with the shoot of the ambitious period drama, sources suggest that Ratnam is planning to call for a start-to-finish schedule when normalcy is restored.

A trade source says, "Amid chatter that shoots may begin from July, Mani sir and his team are reworking the schedules to ensure the film meets its 2021 release. He is hoping to get bulk dates from Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya, Karthi and the ensemble cast so that the film can be wrapped up in one go. If all goes well, they will begin the Puducherry leg with Vikram and Aishwarya. If they don't get the necessary permission for an outdoor shoot, they might change the venue to the AVM Studios in Chennai." The period drama, based on the life of Arulmozhi Varman before he became the great Chola emperor, sees Rai in a double role — as Nandini, the manipulative wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, and queen Mandakini Devi.

Shiva Anand, executive producer, Madras Talkies, confirms that the first instalment of the two-part movie will be shot in one go. "Like everybody else in the industry, we are waiting for the shoot to resume and talk to the actors about their dates. It will be difficult to coordinate the schedules, but it's our job to figure out a way," he says. Even though the period piece is mounted on a grand scale and relies heavily on post-production, Anand is confident that it will be ready for its date with the audience next year. "We have no intention of compromising on the film. We will release the first part next year, though we don't have clarity on the release date yet."

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.

Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; October 18, 2019)

Irfan Pathan, who has earlier impressed his fans with his singing videos on social media and his stint on dance reality shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded, is set to make his debut on the big screen soon. Irfan will be seen playing an important role in an upcoming Tamil film, tentatively titled Chiyaan Vikram 58 and starring Vikram in the lead role.

Confirming the development, Irfan tells us, “It took me a while to say ‘yes’ to the offer because although I have participated in reality shows before and done commentary, this is completely new territory for me. R Ajay Gnanamuthu, the director of the film, had even come to my house in Vadodara to talk about it. My first question to him was, ‘Why me?’ But he was very clear that the role really suits me and after that, I was convinced. It will be a real honour to work with Vikram, who is an amazing actor and has done some fabulous movies. My family is also happy with this decision.”

Is he nervous about his big-screen debut? Irfan shares, “I have played for India at the highest level in front of thousands of spectators at different venues. No nervousness can be compared to that feeling. At least I will have retakes here! So, I am not nervous.”

R Ajay Gnanamuthu, the director of this upcoming action thriller, tells us, “Irfan sir will be seen portraying a Turkish character in the film, and it is a very important role. While the film is being made in Tamil, it will also release in Telugu and Hindi. We plan to start shooting towards the end of this month.”

Asked about how they zeroed in on Irfan, Ajay shares, “For this role, we needed someone really good looking. After watching Irfan sir’s photos on Instagram and some of his videos on a video messaging app, we approached him with the offer. Initially, he thought that we were joking because he has never acted in any project before. But I am glad that after I narrated the story to him, he eventually agreed to do the film. I am sure that it is going to be real treat for his fans.”

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 21, 2019)

Satish Kaushik, who owns the Hindi remake rights of the Vikram and Suriya-starrer 2003 Tamil hit Pithamagan, is gearing up to take the film to the floors in the next few months. The filmmaker, who is producing the project, is currently on the lookout for a new director to take charge of the project.

Pointing out that he had directed Tere Naam, a Hindi remake of another Tamil hit, Sethu, Satish says that he likes its director Bala’s work. Incidentally, Bala had also directed Pithamagan. “I bought the rights of the film as it is an unusual and hardhitting story. My hands are full of acting assignments at the moment, so I won’t direct it,” he explained.

Pithamagan’s story was based on Nandhavanathil Oru Andi, the story of an undertaker written by writer Jayakanthan. Vikram won the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role as one of the two protagonists. The film was dubbed in Telugu and released as Sivaputrudu in 2004 and was remade in Kannada as Anatharu in 2007. 

Eepsita Guha (BOMBAY TIMES; January 13, 2015)