Fans praise Aishwarya Rai's 'ferocious' look in Ponniyin Selvan 2 trailer: 'Bollywood was never able to utilise her'

The trailer of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan 2 was released on Wednesday night. The historical epic is the sequel to last year’s blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan 1 and concludes the story of the Chola Empire’s legendary ruler Raja Raja I’s ascension to the throne. While the trailer was praised by thousands of fans, one actor in particular, walked away with most of the plaudits, and that is Aishwarya Rai.

In Ponniyin Selvan, Aishwarya plays Nandini, a grey character, a queen who schemes against the Cholas and plots to murder Aditya Karikalan, the emperor’s son and heir. Aishwarya’s performance in the first film was praised by critics and audiences alike. And the trailer for part 2 is indication that she has upped the game now.

Reacting to her glimpse in the trailer, one fan wrote, “Bollywood was never able to utilise her the way Mani Ratnam does. She looks ferocious and chilling as Nandini.” Others said that she was born to play this role and it offers her scope to exercise her acting chops. “She was born to play Nandini. A fierce queen who uses her beauty as the most lethal weapon of all. When I read PS the first time, years ago, Aishwarya was who I imagined as Nandini,” read one comment.

Many fans advised Aishwarya to continue working in south industries after the success of Ponniyin Selvan. One wrote, “QUEEN, I hope she continues thriving down South!”

Ponniyin Selvan is based on the eponymous novel by Kalki, which is considered a classic in Tamil literature. The film also stars Jayam Ravi, Vikram, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prakash Raj, and Sobhita Dhulipala, and has music by AR Rahman. It will be releasing on April 28. The first part was a huge success at the box office, grossing over Rs 500 crore worldwide and breaking several overseas box office records for Tamil films.