Ponniyin Selvan: II (PS-2, Soldier) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language epic historical action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote it with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. The film is produced by Mani Ratnam and Subaskaran Allirajah under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions. The second of two cinematic parts based on the 1954 novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy, it serves as a direct sequel to Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022). The film stars an ensemble cast including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Jayaram, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban. It continues to follow the prince Arulmozhi Varman (who would become the emperor Rajaraja I) and his family as they deal with threats to the Chola Empire.
Ponniyin Selvan was initially intended to be a single film, but was split into two parts that were produced concurrently. Joint principal photography for both parts began in December 2019, halting twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ultimately wrapping on 16 September 2021. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography by Ravi Varman, editing by A. Sreekar Prasad, and production design by Thota Tharani.
Ponniyin Selvan: II was released in theatres worldwide on 28 April 2023 in standard, IMAX, 4DX, and EPIQ formats, and received positive reviews from critics. It was featured at the 54th IFFI Indian Panorama mainstream section.[3]
Plot[]
The film opens with a flashback, chronicling the childhood of Nandini and Aditha Karikalan. Nandini was raised in a priestly family, and Aditha, training for his future as king, met during Nandini's visit to Pazhayarai. Love sparks at first sight, coinciding with Arulmozhi's horse race victory. Kundavai tries to befriend Nandini, but a playful moment with Aditha leads to Nandini's forced departure from the palace. Kundavai, discovering Nandini's orphan status, forbids her from palace visits. Nandini then deliberately ignores Aditha's attempts to reconnect.
Aditha informs Nandini of his imminent two-year military deployment. Saddened, Nandini prays daily by the river where he departed. Upon his return, they confess their love. Despite Kundavai's objections to Nandini's beauty and non-royal status, Aditha Karikalan and Nandini hope for a happy marriage. Facing opposition, they plan to introduce Nandini as the future queen. However, Kundavai and Sembiyan Mahadevi forcefully expel Nandini during Aditha Karikalan's absence, leading to his devastation upon learning of her departure and refuge under Veerapandiyan.
In the current timeline, the presumed death of Arulmozhi Varman, saddens the empire. Parthibendran Pallavan, smitten by Nandini, is manipulated into diverting Aditha Karikalan to Kadambur for the empire's well-being. Ravidasan and the Pandya Aabathudavigal ensure Ponniyin Selvan's demise. Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan and Poonguzhali, with a frail Ponniyin Selvan, encounter Azhwarkadiyan Nambi and Sendhan Amudhan. Vandiyadevan misleads Ravidasan, and gets captured. Meanwhile, Madhurantakan proclaims himself successor, aligning with Shivan Adiyars and Rashtrakuta King Khottiga for vengeance.
Nandini daydreams about Aditha through his Tiger Signet ring. Later, she, Ravidasan, and others plot to assassinate Aditha Karikalan, Sundara Chozhar, and Ponniyin Selvan. Nandini reveals her plan to kill Aditha Karikalan in Kadambur, overheard by the captive Vandiyadevan. He discloses seeing Oomai Rani, Nandini's mother-like figure, earning his reprieve. Disguised Nambi rescues Vandiyadevan, who informs Kundavai of Ponniyin Selvan's survival, reciprocating her feelings.
Nambi alerts Aditha Karikalan of Ponniyin Selvan's existence. Kundavai and Aditha rush to Nagapattinam's Viharam, where Ponniyin Selvan is being treated. Aditha learns of Nandini's plot in Kadambur but dismisses Vandiyadevan's warning. Ponniyin Selvan reveals Oomai Rani's resemblance to Nandini, raising Kundavai's suspicions about her father's knowledge.
She travels to Thanjavur, where Sundara Chozhar discloses his past with Mandakini in Lanka. Kundavai suspects Nandini's relation but learns Mandakini was pregnant two years after Sundara Chozhar's marriage. Pandyas plan to murder Ponniyin Selvan, but he foils their attempt. In Thanjavur's fort, Pandyas infiltrate, leading to conflict between Velar and Pazhuvettaraiyar. Madhurantakan flees through a tunnel to the Rashtrakutas. Ponniyin Selvan and Vaanathi arrive, bringing peace to the warring factions.
Poonguzhali, spotting the Pandyas, alerts Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar in Thanjavur. Meanwhile, in Kadambur, Aditha Karikalan arrives. As Nandini and Aditha Karikalan lock eyes, they reminisce about their past love that transformed into hatred. Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar and other kings propose dividing the kingdom with Madhurantakan, but Aditha Karikalan opposes, offering to relinquish the domain for Madhuranthakan's rule if he can keep his army for his siblings' safety. Everyone agrees to his condition.
Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar heads to Thanjavur to inform Madhurantakan, but Karuthiruman, a rower who aided the Pandyas in Lanka, informs him of Nandini and the Pandya plot against Aditha Karikalan in Kadambur. In an attempt to rescue Aditha Karikalan, Karuthiruman hurries back to Kadambur, while the Pandyas use a tunnel to infiltrate the city. Vandiyadevan and Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, also attempting a rescue, are knocked unconscious. Mandakini, attempting to reach Sundara Chozhar, takes an arrow intended for him and dies. Hearing his father's grief, Ponniyin Selvan arrives, defeats the Pandya assassins, and kills them.
In Kadambur, Aditha Karikalan confronts Nandini, asking why she wants him there. As Nandini falters in her motivation, Aditha, understanding her feelings, requests her to end his life, expressing the pain of being apart from her. Overwhelmed, Nandini cannot bring herself to stab him. Aditha Karikalan takes out his knife, deeply hugs Nandini, and pierces the knife into his heart, revealing his unconditional love for her. Nandini screams in pain, unable him to see him die as she too loves him. The Pandyas forcefully remove Nandini from Kadambur, saving her from execution. Meanwhile, Vandiyadevan and Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, unconscious, are taken away by the Pandyas.
Upon regaining consciousness, Vandiyadevan carries Aditha Karikalan's lifeless body to Parthibendra Pallavan and other kings, who accuse him of murder. Aditha Karikalan's maternal grandfather, Thirukovalur Malaiyaman, seizes Vandiyadevan and Sambuvarayar, the king of Kadambur, suspecting their involvement. Aditha Karikalan's corpse is taken to Thanjavur, where Sundara Chozhar, his family, and the public mourn his tragic demise. On a ship, the apprehended Karuthiruman reveals to a grieving Nandini that her father is Veerapandiyan, who assaulted Mandakini, leading to her birth. Nandini, feeling betrayed by everyone and traumatized by Aditha's death, drowns herself in the river Ponni, revealing her unconditional love for Aditha karikalan.
Nambi informs Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar's location, leading to his release from the Pandya captivity. Vandiyadevan faces accusations in Sundara Chozhar's court, but Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar returns, disclosing the truth. Meanwhile, Parthibendran accuses Ponniyin Selvan of orchestrating Aditha Karikalan's death and allies with the Rashtrakutas and other rival kingdoms to invade the Chola empire for vengeance. Sundara Chozhar allows Vandiyadevan to assist Ponniyin Selvan in the impending battle.
Madhurantakan refuses to fight against his homeland and sides with Ponniyin Selvan, contributing to the Cholas' victory. Later, Sundara Chozhar decides to abdicate the throne in favor of his only surviving son. However, on the coronation day, Ponniyin Selvan proposes crowning Madhurantakan, who adopts the name 'Uttama Chola.'
The epilogue reveals that Vandiyadevan and Ponniyin Selvan led extensive conquests under Uttama Chola's reign. After Uttama Chola's death, Ponniyin Selvan ascends to the throne as 'Rajaraja Chola,' while the Pandyas are captured and punished.
Cast[]
- Vikram as Aditha Karikalan
- Santhosh as young Aditha Karikalan
- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a dual role as:
- Nandini (Voice-over by Deepa Venkat and Sunitha Upadrashta in Telugu)
- Sara Arjun as young Nandini
- Mandakini Devi ("Oomai Rani")
- Nandini (Voice-over by Deepa Venkat and Sunitha Upadrashta in Telugu)
- Jayam Ravi as Arulmozhi Varman ("Ponniyin Selvan")
- Samartha Satyajit as young Arulmozhi Varman
- Karthi as Vanthiyathevan
- Trisha as Kundavai (Voice-over by Krithika Nelson)
- Nila as young Kundavai
- Jayaram as Azhwarkkadiyan Nambi / Thirumalaiappan
- Prabhu as Periya Vellar Boothi Vikramakesari
- R. Sarathkumar as Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar
- Vikram Prabhu as Parthibendran Pallavan
- Aishwarya Lekshmi as Poonguzhali (Voice-over by Ashmini Balakrishnan)
- Sobhita Dhulipala as Vaanathi (Voice-over by K. Smruthi)
- Prakash Raj as Sundara Chola
- Rahman as Madhurantakan (Voice-over by Azhagam Perumal)
- R. Parthiban as Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar / Kaalanthakandar
- Jayachitra as Sembiyan Mahadevi
- Ashwin Kakumanu as Sendhan Amudhan
- Lal as Malaiyaman
- Kishore as Ravidasan
- Riyaz Khan as Soman Sambavan
- Babu Antony as Khottiga Amogavarshan
- Makarand Deshpande as Chief Kalamugar
- Vinodhini Vaidyanathan as Vasuki
- Nasser as Veerapandiyan
- Nizhalgal Ravi as Sambuvarayar
- Mohan Raman as Aniruddha Brahmarayar
- Balaji Sakthivel as Vanangamudiyar
- Yog Japee as Karuthiruman
- Vidhya Subramanian as Vaanavan Maadevi
- Vinay Kumar Joseph as Devaralan
- Nimmy Raphael as Rakkamma
- Aswin Rao as Kandhamaran
- Harris Moosa as Kalapathi
- Pondy Ravi as PP Commander
- S. Radhakrishnan as Nagapattinam Bikshu
- Bharat Raj as Karka
- A. Seemon as Ugradevan
- Anil Kumar as Pasupathi
- Shakti Ramani as Kani
- Shreema Upadhyaya as Maathuli
- Raghav as Amarabujanga Pandiyan
- Ramchandran as Rajaaliyar
- Jaichandran as Thanthongi Kalingarayar
- Amzath Khan as Mazhavarayar
- Kannan as Kundrathur Kizhar
- Sundaram as Mazhapadi Thennavan
- Jaindhan as Mummudi Pallavarayar
- Nambi as Muttharayar
- Balla Bhoopalan as Idumbankari
The film's narration was voiced by Kamal Haasan (both trailer and film), Anil Kapoor (trailer)/Ajay Devgn (film), Rana Daggubati (trailer)/Chiranjeevi (film), Prithviraj Sukumaran (trailer)/Mammootty (film) and Jayanth Kaikini (trailer)/Upendra (film) in the Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages respectively.[4]
Production[]
- Main article: Production of Ponniyin Selvan: I and Ponniyin Selvan: II
TBA
Music[]
- Main article: Ponniyin Selvan: II (soundtrack)
The film score and soundtrack were composed by Mani Ratnam's regular collaborator A. R. Rahman. The audio rights of the film were purchased by Tips Industries.
The soundtrack consists of seven original songs composed by A. R. Rahman. The first, "Aga Naga", was released as a single on 20 March 2023.[5] The remaining tracks were revealed at a trailer and audio launch on 29 March 2023.[6] Lyrics for the Tamil version of the soundtrack were written by Ilango Krishnan.[7] It includes Sangam-literature poet Kudavayil Keerathanar's excerpts, whereas "Aazhi Mazhai Kanna" was inspired from Andal's Thiruppavai,[8] and "Shivoham" from Adi Shankara's Atma Shatakam in the Tamil version.[9] Gulzar, Ananta Sriram, Chandrabose, Ramajogayya Sastry, Rafeeq Ahamed and Jayanth Kaikini wrote the song lyrics in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada respectively.
In May 2023, Wasifuddin Dagar publicized that "Veera Raja Veera" had been adapted from a 1978 dhrupad composition by the Junior Dagar Brothers without attribution.[10]
Release[]
Theatrical[]
Ponniyin Selvan: II was released in standard, IMAX, 4DX and EPIQ formats in theatres on 28 April 2023 worldwide.[11][12] It is the first South Indian film to release in 4DX format.[13]
Distribution[]
The distribution rights of the film in Tamil Nadu were acquired by Red Giant Movies.[14] The Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights were bought by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations.[15][16] The Kerala distribution rights were bought by Gokulam Gopalan's Sree Gokulam Movies.[17] The North India distribution rights were acquired by Pen India Limited.[18] Lyca Productions acquired the overseas distribution rights.[19]
Home media[]
The digital streaming rights for the film were purchased by Amazon Prime Video for Template:INRConvert and started streaming on the platform from 2 June 2023 in Tamil and dubbed versions of Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. The Hindi dubbed version was premiered from 23 June 2023. The satellite rights of the film was sold to Sun TV.[20][21]
Reception[]
Box office[]
The film grossed ₹345 crore and is currently the third highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023 and one of the highest-grossing Tamil films worldwide.[22]
Critical response[]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 6.4 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7/10. Ponniyin Selvan: II received positive reviews from critics.[23]
TBA
References[]
- ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan 2 (2023)].
- ↑ [TBA பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 வசூலை முறியடிக்கும் ஆதிபுருஷ்? விமர்சனங்களை ஓரம் கட்டும் கலெக்ஷன்!] (ta) (19 June 2023). “இந்த ஆண்டு எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட மற்றொரு பெரிய படமான பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 திரைப்படம் 345 கோடி வசூல் செய்திருந்ததாகவும் விரைவில் ஆதிபுருஷ் படம் பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 பட வசூலை முறியடிக்கும் எனவும் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.”
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Indian Panorama 2023 Announces Official Selection for 54th IFFI, 2023"] Check
|url=value (help). Press Information Bureau. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via press release. - ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan: Kamal Haasan, Anil Kapoor, Rana Daggubati lend voices for trailers of Mani Ratnam's film] (7 September 2022).
- ↑ [TBA Aga Naga: The much-awaited song from Ponniyin Selvan is here and it is worth the wait] (20 March 2023).
- ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan 2 trailer and audio launch: A stunning Aishwarya Rai Bachchan thanks fans for their 'enthusiasm and love'. Watch] (29 March 2023).
- ↑ [TBA Royal debut: Ilango Krishnan explores lyric writing with Mani Rathnam's Ponniyin Selvan] (3 August 2022).
- ↑ B, Jayabhuvaneshwari (4 April 2023). [TBA AR Rahman's Ponniyin Selvan 2: An album that conveys a story of its own].
- ↑ [TBA Shivoham Song From Ponniyin Selvan 2 Is Based On Adi Shankaracharya's 'Nirvana Shatakam'] (13 April 2023).
- ↑ Nair, Malini (7 June 2023). [TBA 'I'm a small man but my music is huge': Wasifuddin Dagar on the AR Rahman plagiarism row].
- ↑ [TBA Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan: 2' to release on April 28, 2023] (28 December 2022).
- ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan 2: Vikram And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Film Gets A Release Date] (28 December 2022).
- ↑ [TBA Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan: 2 1st South Indian Movie To Have 4DX Release] (12 April 2023).
- ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan II Tamil Nadu theatrical rights sold] (27 March 2023).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Ponniyin Selvan release date to be announced soon"] Check
|url=value (help). The Times of India. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Menon, Thinkal (21 August 2022). [TBA Dil Raju to present Mani Ratnam's most-awaited multi-starrer project Ponniyin Selvan in Telugu].
- ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan: Sree Gokulam Movies Acquires Distribution Rights In Kerala] (23 August 2022).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Pen to distribute PS-I – Hindi in Northern territories"] Check
|url=value (help). Cinema Express. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified.
- ↑ [TBA Amazon Prime Video Bags OTT Rights For Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 1] (29 April 2022).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Ponniyin Selvan 2 - Amazon Prime: నెల కాకముందే ఓటీటీలోకి పొన్నియన్ సెల్వన్ 2 - స్ట్రీమింగ్ ఎందులో అంటే"] Check
|url=value (help). Hindustan Times Telugu. Retrieved 26 May 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ [TBA பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 வசூலை முறியடிக்கும் ஆதிபுருஷ்? விமர்சனங்களை ஓரம் கட்டும் கலெக்ஷன்!] (ta) (19 June 2023). “இந்த ஆண்டு எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட மற்றொரு பெரிய படமான பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 திரைப்படம் 345 கோடி வசூல் செய்திருந்ததாகவும் விரைவில் ஆதிபுருஷ் படம் பொன்னியின் செல்வன் 2 பட வசூலை முறியடிக்கும் எனவும் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.”
- ↑ [TBA Ponniyin Selvan 2: Vikram, Trisha, Jayaram, Sobhita watch the film with audience] (28 April 2023).
External links[]
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