Ticket sales for the Tamil period drama began on Sept 25 in India. According to reports, the shows for the first day – which happens to be today – were fully booked in almost all Tamil Nadu theatres by Sept 27.
Ticket sales reportedly reached 1 crore (RM566,372) on the first day of bookings in Tamil Nadu alone, and by all accounts hit RM1.8 million in the US as of Sept 26.
In many cinemas elsewhere, too, first-day screenings of “Ponniyin Selvan” part one are said to be fully booked, while tickets for subsequent days are selling fast. Even in Malaysia, it appears tickets are sold out for first-day screenings today.
The movie is in two parts; the first is released worldwide today while the second part is expected to hit the screens in another nine months.
So, what’s so special about the movie? For one, it is helmed by Mani Ratnam, who is considered one of the best – if not the best – director in India.
For another, its stellar cast includes top actors Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Jayaram, and R Parthiban, each of whom has his or her own fan base. Others include Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prabu, Shobita Dhulipala, Vikram Prabhu, Nasser, Kishore, Rahman, and Sarathkumar.
The music is by Oscar winner A R Rahman, who has a tremendous fan following, while the cinematography is by Ravi Varman and production design by Thota Tharani.
Adding to the excitement is that several other movie stalwarts – including MG Ramachandran (MGR) in 1958, and actor/producer Kamal Haasan in the ’90s – had tried to bring the source material to the big screen but failed. Mani Ratnam himself had tried to do it earlier but could not.
Most importantly, a large segment of the Tamil-speaking population has read the five-volume historical novel of the same name by Kalki Krishnamurthy. And with Mani Ratnam having finally succeeded in pulling off his dream project, everyone is waiting to see how well he has translated the magnum opus to the big screen.
Serialised between 1950 and 1954 and first published in book form in 1955, “Ponniyin Selvan” is no ordinary novel. It is the biggest-selling book in Tamil Nadu, with about 100,000 copies sold every year. Some bibliophiles have even claimed it keeps the Tamil publishing industry afloat.
And since news of the film began circulating, and especially after the release of a teaser in July, book sales have soared. It hit No. 1 on Amazon India and continues to be on the top 10 list.
There has also been a rush to download audiobooks of the novel, and many are tuning in to the numerous free podcasts available.
The novel has been published by over 25 Indian publishers, mostly in Tamil but also in translation. Some of these are slightly condensed versions.
Caught by the wave of interest, this writer obtained an English version from India, and finished reading the three-volume translation in three and a half days.
The books – in Tamil and English – are also available in Malaysia and can be found on online shopping platforms.
“Ponniyin Selvan” has everything that one associates with HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (except for the nudity and sex) or “Lord of the Rings” (except for talking trees and orcs). Intrigue, statecraft, love, courage, betrayal, friendship, treachery, humour, and twists and turns – Kalki’s novel has them all.
Set in the 10th century, Kalki’s novel centres around the Chola kings of South India who, at one time, were the biggest maritime power in the world. The dynasty was well established by the 3rd century BCE and continued to be in power for more than 1,500 years.
One of the kings, Rajendra Chola, who reigned between 1014 and 1044 CE, expanded the empire’s reach to the Ganges River in India’s north and to other countries, including today’s Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia. They also traded with China.
Many of the main characters in the novel – such as the Chola princes Aditha Karikalan (played by Vikram in the movie), Arunmoli Varman (played by Jayam Ravi), their princess sister Kundavai (played by Trisha), and another prince/army commander Vanthiyathevan (played by Karthi) – are historical personages.
The main fictional characters are Nandini (played by Aishwarya Rai), Poonghuzhali (played by Aishwarya Lekshmi), and Azhwarkadiyan (played by Jayaram).
Kalki has cleverly woven his tale around the real characters – about some of whom not much is known – and created his own to make it an exciting and satisfying read.
And who is Ponniyin Selvan, the titular “Son of Ponni”? According to the story, when Arunmoli Varman was about five years old, he fell into the Kaveri River – also known as the Ponni River – and was rescued by a woman who disappeared as quickly as she’d appeared.
People began speaking of how the Ponni River itself had taken form to rescue the young prince.
In the leadup to today, expectations are sky-high. The question is, will Mani Ratnam’s epic adaptation live up to these expectations? And how will it be received by the millions who have read the novel, and who deeply love the characters?