Ponniyin Selvan 2 - Movie Review

Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan was first published as a series in a Tamil weekly over 3.5 years. Then it was compiled together in a 5-book series with about 2000 pages! And I recently listened to the audio book at 1.75X speed. It took me one entire month. In fact, I completed it just 5 minutes before the movie began. Well, I am saying all this to set a context – the book is huge! Without cinematic liberties and thoughtful choices, a movie cannot be made of it. Not even if it is presented in two parts. Cinema may be an astounding experience, but it is chained by time limitation.

Although we all know that the movie is an adaptation of the book, it is important to view this specific movie as a movie and stay disconnected with the book for best experience. I am saying “this movie” specifically because Ponniyil Selvan 1 was a loyal adaptation of the book and this one is not. So, there could be a disappointment for book lovers.

Well, I was disappointed. But that’s ok. Because…

Ponniyin Selvan 1 ended at a high note with the big reveal of Oomai Rani swimming under water. The sequel begins where the prequel ended - in water. This time there is innocence instead of cyclones and fights. The innocence of childhood, the purity of first love and longing that follows. Sarah Arjun as young Nandhini radiates. She looks vulnerable. Thus sets the tone for the rest of the movie – the circumstances that would have led to the transformation of this young vulnerable Nandhini into a vindictive seductress.

One of the reasons behind the craze behind Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan is the sheer depth and shades in characters. The author has achieved this by constantly changing the perspective of narrative. Ponniyin Selvan 2 chooses to stick to the perspective of Nadhini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) and Aditya Karikalan’s (Vikram) love, longing, separation, hurt, vengeance, and regrets. The entire movie comes together to bring a closure to their relationship. In the process, there are songs, fights, chases and a tinge of humor and romance. The movie is fast paced with several critical events arrayed one after the other. The editor has made sure that such drastic shift in gears is understandable and not confusing.

The performance of the cast is top notch. The free spirit of Vandhiyadevan, the poise of Kundavai, the righteousness of Arulmozhi Varman, the self-loathe of Aditya Karikalan and the enchantment of Nandhini is captured well by the actors. Although actor Jayaram has very limited screen space, he makes sure that we laugh. His disguises and the chemistry with Vandhiyadevan is brilliant.

Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan is mostly conversational. Director and cinematographer have given much thought into the staging of each one of them. While the first meeting between Kundavai and Vandhiyadevan evoked the memories of Alaipayuthe when the princess asks, “Indha sozha naattu nadhiyil kudhiyungal” in Ponniyin Selvan 1, the staging of the conversation between Kundavai and her father reminds us of Iruvar. The close-up scenes ensured that this movie is a story of interpersonal relationships and not really about politics and war. However, the frequent rotating shots were dizzying.

A R Rahman’s songs of Ponniyin Selvan 2 is a chartbuster already. They don’t hinder the narrative flow and are mostly used in the background. I specifically loved how the lyrics of Devaralan Attam song from Ponniyin Selvan 1 has been reused to a new tune in this one. However, the sudden infusion of the PS-1 Anthem during the climax sounded weird because the Anthem is more modern and didn’t sync with the overall tone of the movie. Wish it was kept for the end credits only.

Overall, this is a grand cinematic experience powered by high intensity emotional drama. In order to appreciate it, we should be disconnected from the book. If we compare it with the book, then this will be a great disappointment. But remember to blame the limitation of time than the movie itself!

Cast	:	Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha. Sobitha Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Prabhu, Radhakirshnan Parthiban, R Sarathkumar, Prabhu, Vikram Prabhu, and several others!
Director	:	Mani Ratnam
Screenplay	:	Mani Ratnam; B. Jeyamohan; Elango Kumaravel Based on the novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan
Cinematographer	:	Ravi Varman
Music	:	A R Rahman
Editor	:	A Sreekar Prasad
Producer	:	Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions
Release Date	:	April 28, 2023
Length	:	2 Hours 45 Minutes
Language	:	Tamil (Also dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu)