Mani Ratnam comes out of Kalki’s shadow

The first part of this epic was not unnecessarily blamed for being too bookish. Trying to remain truthful to Kalki magnumopus of a book, it had too many characters rushing onto the screen every minute and for someone who did not know the story from the book (which is a historical fiction and not pure history), it was only the visuals and drama that kept the interest intact.

The sequel however brings director Mani Ratnam to the fore. He shows his brilliance as a master of cinema in many scenes and makes Ponniyin Selvan 2 one of the best films coming out of Tamil.

The story resumes with Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) severely ill and all efforts being made to save him. Meanwhile Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) hatches a huge plan to eliminate Sundara Chola (Prakash Raj) and the two princes Adithya Karikalan (Vikram) and Arulmozhi all at once.

Now Vandhiyadevan (Karthi) is on the plot and makes sure it reaches the ears that matter. Wondering why Nandini is hell bent on seeking revenge against the Chola dynasty. Will she succeed or Arulmozhi’s ends up on the throne instead as we expect of the protagonist forms the rest of the story.

Ponniyin Selvan 2

Director: Mani Ratnam

Cast: Vikram Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha Krishnan, Prakash Raj

Duration: 164 minutes

Certificate: U

Platform: Theatres