Mani Ratnam is back in his element as the director of the upcoming historical drama Ponniyin Selvan- I. Given its star-studded cast, the anticipation surrounding the movie is sky-high ever since it was announced in 2019. The Tamil original will be released in two parts, with the first installment coming out on September 30. The Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam dubbed versions will also simultaneously be hitting the big screens and fans cannot wait to experience the visual extravaganza. Meanwhile, the movie's first review has raised the curiosity even further.

Ponniyin Selvan I: What is the movie about? 

Ponniyin Selvan - I chronicles the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman, a powerful king of the south who went on to become the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I. It is an event film mounted on a huge scale. Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 Tamil novel, the upcoming historical drama is set to hit theatres on September 30. Considered by many to be the greatest novel ever written in Tamil literature, many stalwarts had planned to adapt the five-volume Ponniyin Selvan for the screen, but only Ratnam has succeeded in getting the job done. Ratnam, who has described the film as his passion project, is credited as co-writer on the screenplay along with Elango Kumaravel, while B Jeyamohan has penned the dialogues. 


Ponniyin Selvan I FIRST review: Is the movie hit or flop?

Ahead of its release, many fans are wondering how Ponniyin Selvan - I has turned out to be. Dubai-based critic Umair Sandhu shared his review of the film on Twitter. he lavished high praise on it, writing, "PS1 totally Surprised me ! Wow (sic)." In another tweet, Umair said the film is applause-worthy. He also noted that the VFX and production design were terrific, which will transport one to a different era. He also praised the performances from Karthi and Vikram.



Umair wrote, "First Review #PS1 ! Amazing Cinematic Saga with Terrific Production Designing & VFX ! #ChiyaanVikram & #Karthi Stole the Show all the way. #AishwaryaRaiBachchan is Back & looking Stunning ! Overall, A Decent Historical Saga with some twists & Clap worthy moments (sic)."



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 Ponniyin Selvan I: Cast details

 Mani Ratnam's magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan - 1 has a star-studded cast including the likes of Vikram, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Jayam Ravi and Aishwarya Lekshmi. The film's music has been scored by Ratnam's frequent collaborator AR Rahman. The cinematography is from Ravi Varman.