Vallavaraiyan Vandhiyadevan, the warrior prince of Vanar clan, embarks on a journey riding his horse to meet the Cholas. On the way, he is suddenly stopped by an old man. “Where are you going?” The elderly asks him.
“I’m on the way to settle a property dispute between an elder brother’s son and younger brother’s grandson,” Vandhiyadevan replies, and takes off.
It may be hard to believe, but this single line is the gist of the story of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. This is also a deleted dialogue, as narrated by actor Karthi during the promotions of ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’, which releases in theatres tomorrow, on April 28.
Though Vandhiyadevan mentioned the word property dispute, by now it’s clear that it’s a battle for the Chola throne. The fight is mainly between Madhurantakan, son of the then King Gandaraditha Chola whose demise paved the way for Sundara Chola to take over the reins of Chola empire, and one of the two sons of Sundara Chola, Aditha Karikalan and Arulmozhi Varman, who are the grandson of Arinjaya Chola, the younger brother of Gandaraditha.
Author 'Kalki' Krishnamurthy turned a single sentence into a five-part riveting narrative with many characters and tense turns. Now, director Mani Ratnam has turned the 1950s Tamil epic into a visual treat for the world audience.
Ponniyin Selvan I: Everything We Know So Far
In the first part, director Mani Ratnam mainly built the character, their background, and the plot surrounding the threat to Chola empire and the missing ‘messiah’.
The movie starts with a comet in the sky predicting a death in the royal family. For a long time, Sundara Chola, the king of the Chola dynasty, has been ill. So, this sets the ball rolling to decide on the next successor to the throne.
Emperor Sundara Chola (Prakash Raj) and Queen Vanavan Mahadevi (Vidya Subramanian) have three children — Aditha Karikalan (Vikram), who's next in line to the crown, princess Kundavai (Trisha) and prince Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi). The three royals face threats from Pazhuvur Rani Nandhini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), Madhurantakan (Rahman) and the Pandyas.
Nandini wants to bring down the Chola empire since she was chased out of the castle for having a relationship with Prince Aditha Karikalan. Later, Karikalan also kills Nandini's beloved person (his character is yet to be established) even after she begs for mercy. With this rage, Nandini vows to take down the Cholas.
Nandini is now the wife of Periya Pazhuvettarayar (Sarath Kumar), chancellor and treasurer of the Chola Kingdom who also wants to bring down the rule of Sundara Chola. Pazhuvettarayars also silently work to establish a rule under Madhurantakan.
With these details established, the first part ends with two twists.
One is the untimely news of Prince Arulmozhi Varman’s demise due to drowning during a mid-sea fight with the Pandyas. This is not the first time Arulmozhi Varman goes under water. The movie initially establishes Arulmozhi as Ponniyin Selvan since it's believed that Ponni Nadhi (Cauvery river) saved him from drowning when he was a child. However, it is a known fact to Arulmozhi that he was not saved by Ponni Nadhi but by a woman from Sri Lanka.
This time too, in the end, a woman clad in a black saree jumps into the sea to save Arulmozhi Varman. Surprisingly, she resembles Nandini.
Ponniyin Selvan II: Finding Answers To Unending Quest
By the end of PS-1, the audience is left with intriguing questions like whether Arulmozhi Varman is alive? Who is the woman resembling Nandini? How will Nandini take revenge against the Cholas, and finally who is going to take over the throne?
On a lighter note, there is a lot of interest in the minds of people who want to know if Kundavai will get married to Vandhiyadevan.
It is a well-known fact even for the audience who did not read the novel that Arulmozhi Varman is Rajaraja Cholan who is one of the greatest emperors of Chola dynasty. He is widely known for building the Thanjavur temple, which is now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even in the songs and trailers of ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’, the audience has already caught a glimpse of Arulmozhi Varman. So, it's already understood that he was saved by the woman in black saree (aka) Oomai Rani.
Therefore, the question of the background of Oomai Rani arises. During PS-1, Arulmozhi Varman reveals that Oomai Rani saved him from drowning in the Cauvery. When he tries to find more details about her, Arulmozhi finds out that she resembles Nandini. Without a doubt, it is also established that Oomai Rani, who is mute, is the mother of Nandini. However, Kalki does not reveal who was Nandini's father. ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ readers think Nandini’s father can be Sundara Chola or Veerapandiyan.
However, some have confirmed that Nandini is the daughter of Veerapandiyan, who is murdered by Aditha Karikalan.
Though Oomai Rani supports Cholas and saves the life of Arulmozhi Varman, Kalki hints that Nandini causes the death of a successor to the throne. Hence, it is to be seen how director Mani Ratnam solves the mystery of the murder of the prince.
To the lighter question, Kalki in his novel has given a beautiful ending to Kundavai and Vandiyadevan just as the way it started with an undeclared love proposal "Uyir Ungaludayathu Devi!" (Life is yours, your honour!). The master of the 'romantic' craft, Mani Ratnam is also expected to sequence the wedding of Kundavai and Vandiyadevan in PS-2.
Finally, back to the bigger question, it's for Mani Ratnam to reveal who will be crowned as the next king to Chola Kingdown — King Madurantakan or King Arulmozhi Varman — and the moves and steps that lead to this conclusion.
ALSO READ: Ponniyin Selvan 2 Trailer Out: Mani Ratnam Sequel Looks More Intense & Action-Filled Than PS 1