Mani Ratnam's magnum opus is ready for release, but still do not know who Ponniyin Selvan is? Read on...

Mani Ratnam's most ambitious project Ponniyin Selvan: I is about to release in a few hours. By now, many of us are aware that the film dives deep into one of the most powerful dynasties of the south, the Chola empire. The film is an adaptation of one of the most revered books in Tamil literature, Ponniyin Selvan, which was penned by Kalki Krishnamurthy in the 1950s. 

The plot revolves around the early days of Arulmozhi Varman who later goes on to become one of the most powerful kings Raja Raja Chola I. The character will be essayed by Jayam Ravi. While Vikram will essay the role of Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan, Trisha will be seen as princess Kundavai, Karthi as Vallavarayan Vanthiyathevan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Nandini.

But who is Ponniyin Selvan, the titular character of the film? Here's Kalki's version of it. Chola king Sundara Cholar (Prakash Raj) had three children- Aditha Karikalan, Kundavai and Arulmozhi Varman. When the siblings were children, Sundara Cholar took them on a ride on his royal boat accompanied by the members of the palace in river Ponni (Cauvery). Arulmozhi was barely five years old at that time. While those on the boat were having fun during the joyride, Arulmozhi Varman fell into the water. It was Kundavai, who first noticed that his younger brother was missing. 

When the family suspects that the young prince had drowned in the river, a mysterious woman appears on river Ponni holding the young boy in her hand. She returns the child to Sundara Chola, who swims back to the boat with his son. But before anyone notices, the mysterious woman vanishes. This leads to the belief that the woman who saved Arulmozhi Varman was none other than mother Ponni. He soon gets the name, Ponniyin Selvan, which means, son of river Ponni. In the book, the story is revealed when Kundavai narrates the tale to her friend and the princess from the Kodumbalur clan Vanathi (Shobita Dhulipala). 

Arulmozhi Varman is extremely close to his elder sister Kundavai, who believes that he will go on to become a great emperor. The two share a formidable bond. The film starring the two onscreen siblings will hit screens worldwide tomorrow in five languages- Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi.