When makers of Ponniyin Selvan announced that Jayam Ravi will be playing the role of Arunmozhi Varman
When makers of Ponniyin Selvan announced that Jayam Ravi will be playing the role of Arunmozhi Varman in th e movie, some of the cinephiles raised their eyebrows as they were skeptical of the team’s choice. However, with his poised, yet majestic screen presence, the actor proved them wrong in the first part of the franchise.
As the second part is gearing up for a huge release in a few hours, one of the reasons many film buffs look forwar d to the magnum opus is the presence of Ravi as the Chola king.
The actor said that the mammoth effort of the team would have made no sense if not for the perseverance of Ma ni Ratnam. Ravi says he could go on talking about the filmmaker for at least two years. “Mani sir said “It’s now or never” when he approached us to make Ponniyin Selvan,” he remembers and thanks the audience for making the first installment a huge hit.
He adds, “There were people who came to theatres to watch the movie with the help of wheelchairs and walking sticks. We felt gratified that the effort we put in for 150 days made sense. This time around, Karthi kept on inst il ling confidence in us saying that both the novel and PS 1 are hits and that PS 2 will also enjoy success.”
Ravi with his co-stars during a press meet in ChennaiRavi with his co-stars during a press meet in Chennai Talki ng about his co-stars, Ravi says he has immense respect for Aishwarya Lekshmi for the guts and dedication she showcased while shooting a scene involving an elephant. It is the infectious energy in Vikram which he is fond of. “Be it on shooting spot or during promotions, it is very difficult to match his speed. Sometimes, he works like an AD behind the camera,” he notes.
All praise for Sobhita’s hard work, he says she is too intelligent and that her thoughts remind him of poems. Acco rding to him, it is Trisha who keeps him encouraging while he feels low. Karthi for him is more than a brother and a friend. “He is my soulmate; he oozes positive buzz. I am someone who happily enjoys his films on screen,” Ravi smiles.
Heaping praise on the conviction of Lyca Productions which bankrolled the project along with Madras Talkies, R avi says, “Entertainment industry was one of the worst affected during COVID times. I was in awe of the calcu lation which Lyca had in their minds while deciding to release this franchise in two parts.”
One of the prime attractions of Ponniyin Selvan 1 was the spellbinding performance from Karthi in the role of th e swashbuckling Vanthiyathevan. He effortlessly pulled off the ever popular character which was in the dream list of many veteran actors for several decades.
From working as an AD to Mani Ratnam to playing the significant character in a multi-starrer helmed by the film maker, the actor says that he has come a long way and cherishes the memories he had while working on the Po n niyin Selvan franchise.
“My happiness knows no bounds when people appreciated me by saying that I brought life to Vanthiyathevan. I travelled with the team for three years and shared a close bond with my co-stars. Now that we have come to the end of promotions, it feels like a college farewell day,” he smiles.
He says that it was a sheer pleasure witnessing Vikram and Jayam Ravi getting into the skin of their respective characters. “I was happy to see Ravi in the role of Arunmozhi Varman. I couldn’t stop adoring Vikram sir’s dedic ation. He is someone who is ready to go to any extent to give his full attention to the character he takes up,” he says.
According to Karthi, the actors have been sharing a good rapport ever since they started working for this mam moth project. All of them have seen each others’ ups and downs during this phase. On his much-talked about ch emistry with Trisha, he says that like most of the film buffs, he is also hoping to do a movie which features the t wo as lead pairs.
The outfits these actors chose while they were on promotional tours in many cities in the country were the talk of the town. He says that they wanted themselves to look the best in their costumes as they were representing Tamil Nadu. “We were taking this film to several states and proudly flaunting it. So, we ensured that out outfits were trendy and catchy,” he sums up.
Leaving an impact in a film that stars several veteran actors and legendary performers isn’t an easy task. How ev er, Aishwarya Lekshmi managed to carve a niche in the Ponniyin Selvan franchise, thanks to the way in which she pulled off the popular character Poonguzhali.
The character of a bold and tender lady who first witnesses Pandyas entering to Lanka to assassinate Arunmozhi Varman was safe in the hands of the actress who has been part of only a handful of projects in Tamil before. As th e second part of the franchise is hitting the screens in a few hours, she believes it was a one-of-its-kind opport un ity.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to play such a magnificent character,” she begins, adding, “However, after ac tively participating in the movie’s promotional tours in recent times, I realized those moments with my co-stars were the amusing part.”
She thanks all of them and says that it was indeed a privilege and blessing to become Mani Ratnam’s Poonguzhali. All praise for Jayam Ravi’s kind gesture, Aishwarya says, “He makes you comfortable. He has this talent of approaching difficult things in an easy way.”
Aishwarya clicks a selfie with her co-starsAishwarya clicks a selfie with her co-stars Going gag a over Vikr am’s graceful presence on-screen and off-screen, she says, “During promotions, it is difficult to stand near him as he hogs the limelight with his impeccable fashion sense. I would wonder how all an actor could experiment with looks to make fans elated.”
According to her, she and Sobhita travel in the same boat as the two haven’t done many Tamil films before sign ing Ponniyin Selvan franchise. “She is an incredible actor. I would tell her that she should be part of international projects.” Aishwarya is all smiles while talking about Trisha. “She is beautiful inside out. I would love to obtain beauty tips from her,” she says.
Heaping praise on Karthi, she says that she has always been in awe of the actor’s multi-talented persona. “The manner in which he acts, the way he speaks on stage and the effort he puts in everything, I’m amazed with his kn owledge on cinema. That doesn’t come as a surprise actually as he was an assistant to Mani sir,” adding, “Acti ng along with so many people who you enjoyed watching on screen was fabulous experience.”
