Director : Mani Ratnam
Screenplay: Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel
Dialogue Writer: B. Jeyamohan
Based on: Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy
Producer : Mani Ratnam, Subaskaran Allirajah
Starring: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala and Others
Cinematography: Ravi Varman
Editor: A. Sreekar Prasad
Music Director: A. R. Rahman
Production companies : Madras Talkies, Lyca Productions

iQlik Movies Rating: 2.5/5

ManiRatnam's Dream Project, Ponniyin Selvan, finally hit the screens today amidst high buzz. This periodic film has a star-studded cast, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, and Trisha. Made on a high budget, Let us see how the film is?.

Story :
The story deals with the greatness of the Chola kingdom that was in existence almost 1000 years back. Who all tries to conquer the Chola kingdom? How will Chola king Aditya Karikaaludu ( Vikram) protect the Kingdom? What is the role of Kundavai( Trisha) in this history? How is Nandini ( Aishwarya Rai) related to the entire setup? What is the prominence of Arunmozhi Varma ( Jayam Ravi)? Forms the crux.

Performance:
Vikram, as usual, gave his extraordinary performance in the role of Chola King. Aishwarya Rai steals the show with her fabulous screen presence as Nandini. She is a big treat to watch on the screen. Karthi is performed very well as a comic-coated character. Jayam Ravi got a meaty role as Arunmozhi Varma and did it easily. Trisha's screen presence is impressive.

All the other artists, such as Prakash Raj, Sarath Kumar, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, and Shobita Dhulipala, decently carried their roles in a given limited screen time.

Technical Aspects:
Coming to technical aspects, a big upset in the film is AR Rahman's average BGM and Music. Except for one song and a couple of scene's background score, Rahman?s contribution to the film is almost nothing. The cinematography of Ravi Varman is decent. Editing by A Sreekar Prasad could have been a lot better. Production values are top-notch. Director Mani Ratnam's taking is very good in many scenes. Production values added fuel to his taking. Scenes between Aishwarya Rai and Trisha are handled in a decent manner.. Every artist in the film lived to the expectations. Second half is good and engages you in most of the parts.

Review:
Maniratnam totally failed to narrate this glorious story in a gripping way. His narration went flat in both the halves. It's surprising that there is no single high moment in the film and it comes as a major deficit for the movie. Also, BGM doesn't elevate the film. Overall, Ponniyin Selvan-1 is a great story, totally wasted with unexcited narration. Except for a few scenes in the second half, the film has nothing great to mention.

Plus Points:
Artists Performances
Story

Minus Points:
No-high moments
Screenplay
Action Sequences

Final Verdict: Grand on screen but not so grand in content!