Ponniyin Selvan -1 : The Time of Cholas & Pandyas

 PS 1 (2022)

by

Mani Ratnam 

One has read about Rajaraja Chola and his benighted rise to the throne. Mani Ratnam has brought to life the era and its grandeur in quite some style. Jayam Ravi as Arulmoli Varman, who became Rajaraja, is good, whereas Vikram as his elder brother, Aditha Karikalan, is just too forceful. Karthi has played a handy turn. But it is the women- Aishwarya Rai, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Trisha Krishnan and Shobita Dhulipala who make the film a treat to watch. Amid all the plotting and intrigue is a genuine effort to capture the zeitgeist, and to an extent Mani succeeds.