Ponniyin Selvan: Working on the film has been a dream, says Karthi

The first single from Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I was launched amid much fanfare today. Actors Jayaram, Karthi and Jayam Ravi were present on the occasion. The single, Ponni Nadhi, is sung by AR Rahman himself along with AR Raihanah and Bamba Bakya. 

Speaking about the single, Karthi, who plays Vallavarayan Vanthiyathevan in the magnum opus, said, “When I listened to the song for the first time, it felt like I was riding into the Chola world. Every civilisation has begun on the banks of river. Earlier, it was Ponni, today, it’s Kaveri. It is said to that every river has a character- some are slow and some extremely fast. They tend to inspire poets and motivate people. When we began shoot for Ponniyin Selvan, many people had stated that we won’t be able to complete the portions. Soon, pandemic struck and shoot came to a halt. But just like a how a river knows how to reach the sea, Mani Ratnam sir knew how to complete the project.”

He added that the shoot for both portions are wrapped up. “We finished canning the portions for Ponniyin Sevan I and II in a span of 120 days. It was no easy feat. We would begin to apply makeup at 2.30am in the morning and there would be 30 people waiting for us. Which means that none of us slept on the sets. The first shot would be at 6.30am. I would read every scene and visualise how it would be. But when I reached the set, Mani Ratnam sir would have made it in an even better manner. It was indeed a dream working on the film. Only Mani sir can pull off a film like this. Ponniyin Selvan is a film where every knows the story, but everyone wants to know how the film has been made. The film belongs to every Tamilian across the world and will stay in our hearts.”

Ponniyin Selvan: I is gearing up to hit screens on September 30. The film will release in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.