New Delhi: The epic drama 'Ponniyin Selvan: 1' helmed Mani Ratnam, one of the most acclaimed Tamil films ever, has shattered box office records. The movie is in the last stretch of its theatrical run, although the numbers it garnered trail the Rajinikanth-starrer '2.0' by a small margin.
The movie starring Aishwarya Rai, which is currently available for streaming on OTT, has essentially outperformed the earlier-this-year film 'Vikram', which also starred Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, and Suriya.
According to Pinkvilla, 'Ponniyin Selvan: 1' is the second-highest grossing Kollywood movie ever, barely behind '2.0', which brought in Rs 508 crore in India and an additional Rs 665 crore abroad in 2018.
Taking only the Tamil-speaking audience into consideration, 'PS: 1' is the most successful movie ever, surpassing both '2.0' and 'Vikram', which minted Rs 372 crore. The Mani Ratnam directorial has become the highest-grossing movie in Tamil Nadu and the first to earn more than Rs 200 crore in the state so far in this, raking in a little under Rs 222 crore.
In the meantime, the movie did brilliantly abroad as well, earning close to $21 million, surpassing the $19 million of "2.0" in the traditional markets. The period drama set numerous new benchmarks for the Tamil film industry. The movie has so far hauled in $495.50 million globally.
Based on the 1955 historical fiction novel of the same name by Kalki Krishnamurthy, 'Ponniyin Selvan-I' tells the tale of the young Arulmozhivarman, a powerful southern ruler who subsequently became Rajaraja Chola I, played by Jayam Ravi. The sequel to the franchise's first film, directed by Mani Ratnam, will be released in another six to nine months.