Ponniyin Selvan: Unveiling the fearless protectors of Chola kingdom, played by Sarath Kumar and Parthiban

With exactly a month away for the release of Mani Ratnam's ambitious project Ponniyin Selvan, makers have come up with the character posters of Sarath Kumar and Parthiban. The veteran actors play Periya Pazhuvettarayar and Chinna Pazhuvettarayar respectively in the big-budget flick which will be released on September 30 in multiple languages.

Fans of Mani Ratnam and other film buffs are expecting more character posters from the project, and the team will be releasing the film's trailer in a few days. The makers have already unveiled a couple of songs from the movie.

Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies have jointly bankrolled the film which has Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Karthi and Jayam Ravi among others essaying pivotal roles. Jayaram, Rahman, Vikram Prabhu, Sobhita Dhulipala and Aishwarya Lekshmi will also be seen enacting notable characters in the movie which is based on the epic novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy.

The movie marks Mani's return to direction after four years. Ponniyin Selvan is a project which he attempted to make thrice earlier, but in vain for reasons best known to him. This is his second movie with Vikram, Trisha and Karthi, and first with Jayam Ravi, while he has worked with Aishwarya Rai for three films earlier.  

AR Rahman has composed music for the project which has cinematography by Ravi Varman, editing by Sreekar Prasad and art direction helmed by Thota Tharani. The project has been made in two installments, but the makers are yet to announce the release date of the second part.

According to sources, Ponniyin Selvan is likely to clash with Dhanush's Naane Varuven in Tamil box office. The period flick will take on Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan's Bollywood action drama Vikram Vedha in the Bollywood box office.