Directed by Mani Ratnam, the two-part Ponniyin Selvan films have been among the most anticipated films in Tamil cinema. Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s eponymous novel, considered one of the finest pieces of work in Tamil literature, the period action film takes its inspiration from real historical events and characters from the Chola empire.
With the huge ensemble cast of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, and Aishwarya Lekshmi among others, Ponniyin Selvan: I or Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 will be the first Tamil film to be released in an IMAX format.
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The film has taken off to a flying start at the box office in terms of its advance booking. As per a report in Pinkvilla, Mani Ratnam's magnum opus has already sold 2.5 lakh tickets in Tamil Nadu worth Rs 4.5 crore and has registered the third-highest opening of the year in the Kollywood industry behind Ajith's Valimai and Vijay's Beast.
The report also states that the advance booking for the upcoming film has raced ahead of Kamal Haasan starrer actioner Vikram, which collected Rs 21.80 crore on its opening day. With the craze and hype for Ponniyin Selvan: 1 with shows starting as early as 5 am, the historical film might even collect Rs 25 crore on its first day of release.
READ | Ponniyin Selvan: Trisha opens up on comparisons between Mani Ratnam's movie and Kalki's novel, says 'please don't...'
Trade analyst Ramesh Bala took to his Twitter account on Tuesday, September 27, and wrote that the Tamil cine-goers will watch the film without even reading reviews as he tweeted, "#PonniyinSelvan is the Best selling Tamil Novel for decades. It's a 5-part series that is epic from first to last page. Dir #ManiRatnam has condensed 5 parts into 2 parts taking the best of the best portions. Tamils in TN and Overseas are not waiting for any reviews."
Ponniyin Selvan is bankrolled by Ratnam’s production company Madras Talkies and Subaskaran Allirajah’s banner Lyca Productions. Slated to release on September 30, the A. R. Rahman musical will be released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages.
