Movie: Ponniyin Selvan I
Director : Mani Ratnam
Screenplay : Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel
Dialogue Writer : B. Jeyamohan
Based on : Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy
Producer : Mani Ratnam, Subaskaran Allirajah
Starring : Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj
Cinematography : Ravi Varman
Editor : A. Sreekar Prasad
Music Director : A. R. Rahman
Production companies : Madras Talkies,
Lyca Productions
6/10
The IBC News Rating
Intro : One of the most anticipated Kollywood films of this year, Ponniyin Selvan I saw its grand release today, September 30. Helmed by Mani Ratnam, his dream project PS I is a periodic film starring star cast Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi and Trisha. Released amidst high buzz, Let us know whether this film stood as one of the masterpieces of Maniratnam or not..
Storyline :
The story is all about the glory of the Chola kingdom that was in existence almost 1000 years back. Who are all the people who try to conquer the Chola kingdom? How will king Aditya Karikaaludu ( Vikram) try to protect it? What is the role of Kundavai( Trisha) in protecting the kingdom? How is Nandini ( Aishwarya Rai) interconnected with the entire setup? What is the prominence of Arunmozhi Varma ( Jayam Ravi)? To know that, you have to watch the film at the nearest theaters.
What’s Entertaining & What’s Boring:
Director Mani Ratnam’s story buildup based on the same titled novel is good. His taking is impressive. Every artist in the film lived to the expectations. On the other hand, Maniratnam failed to narrate this glorious story in an engaging way. His narration went flat in both the halves without any high moments. No goosebumps moments in the film come as a major deficit for the movie.
Performance of Cast & Crew
As usual Vikram steals the show with his performance. His screen presence as King is too good. Aishwarya Rai needs special mention as she is the one who added extra mileage to the film. Her Nandini character is a treat to watch on the screen.
Karthi is impressive. And he performed his comic-coated character with ease. Jayam Ravi got the best introduction as Arunmozhi Varma in the movie. Trisha’s screen presence is good and did a decent job. Other artists such as Prakash Raj, Sarath Kumar, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shobita Dhulipala are fine in their limited screen time.
Coming to technical aspects, surprisingly, music by AR Rahman is average and so is the BGM. Except for one song and a couple of scene’s background score, Rahman’s contribution for the film is almost nothing. The cinematography work by Ravi Varman is top-notch as he presents the large sets erected for the film in a lavish manner.
Editing by A Sreekar Prasad could have been a lot better as he would have chopped at least 15 minutes of the runtime for a better viewing experience. Production values are excellent.
First Half & Second Half:
First half has nothing but setting the path to the actual story. Second half is a lot better than the 1st half. Interval block is good. Action sequences in both the halves tests the patience.
Impressive:
Artists Performances
Story
Unimpressive:
No-high moments
Screenplay
Action Sequences
‘The IBC’News take on Movie:
Overall, Ponniyin Selvan-1, a great story, totally went for a toss because of flat and unexcited narration that lacks an emotional connectivity. Except for a few blocks in the second half, PS-1 has nothing great to glorify.
One-Line Review:
Terrific Production Values Wasted With Flat-Narration
