Ponniyin Selvan 2 movie review: Aishwarya Rai gives career-best performance, Mani Ratnam creates yet another masterpiece

Director: Mani Ratnam

Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, Jayam Ravi, Prakash Raj, Sobhita Dhulipala

Where to watch: Theatres

Rating: 4 stars

I had a few issues with Part One of Ponniyin Selvan, which released last year. For one, it felt as if the film had been made only for those familiar with the source material. Granted that the demographic covers a majority of Tamil population, I still felt the film was limiting its reach. In PS2, Mani Ratnam irons out those faults and creates a much more universal story that is, somehow, even better than the first part. This visually-stunning, brilliantly-crafted, and well-acted masterpiece sets the tone for how epic stories should be told.

Ponniyin Selvan II takes the story forward from where part I ended. The titular Chola prince Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) is feared to have drowned in the ocean with the trusted warrior Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan (Karthi). Arunmozhi’s furious older brother Aditha Karikalan (Vikram) is marching towards Tanjore and he wants to extract revenge from the person he believes his responsible – his ex-flame Nandini (Aishwarya Rai). Amid all this, Chola princess Kundavai (Trisha Krishnan) must protect her house from enemies both outside and within.

PS2 is one of the best-looking Indian films in recent times. In an age of green screens and VFX, director Mani Ratnam has brought out the grandeur and timelessness of vast expanses and nature. Indeed, there may be several shots that are VFX but nothing juts out. The cinematography of Ravi Varman is breathtakingly beautiful and coupled with Rahman’s score, it creates an almost magical effect. The 10-minute flashback sequence at the beginning of the film is one of the most stunning feats achieved in Indian cinema of late.

The film’s pacing is better than part 1, where it was gallopping along too fast for anybody to understand things. Part 1 had to establish the premise and familiarise us with the characters, which is why the deluge of a new character every 40 seconds left several fans confused. Part two has no such introductions and jumps happening. The plot is pretty linear and simple. Although there are sequences where the director leaves out a few things and trusts the audience to be smart enough to fill in the gaps. That is more credit than what most directors give the audience these days but it still leaves gaps in the narratives and a sort of rushed pace. But it is more tolerable than the last time.

The casting of the film is half the battle won. I will go back to the flashback sequence. Sara Arjun and Santhosh Sreeram as young Nandini and Aditha respectively feel like younger versions of Aishwarya and Vikram easily. The performances from the prinicpal cast elevate the film to masterpiece category. Aishwarya Rai steals every scene she is in, giving perhaps the best performance of her career so far (the only better one was probably last year in PS1). Vikram is a close second with a typically flamboyant depiction of love, pain, and heartbreak that gets each beat right. Their scene together will surely go down as one of the most memorable scenes in Tamil cinema, in terms of performance, cinematography, and the sheer emotion in storytelling.

Jayam Ravi, the hero of the story, gets more screen time this time, and he comes thoug looking every bit as regal as he should. Sadly, Karthi and Trisha Krishnan, the stars of the previous film, have less to do this time around. But condensing so much into 2 hours 44 minutes of runtime meant sacrifices had to be made.

PS2 has a tone that is darker than the first part because the stakes are higher this time. So, you see fewer comic relief moments from Vallavaraiyan and Nambi, but there are enough such moments. The one big criticism of PS1 was that therewere very few battle sequences and in terms of magnificence, it did not touch the standards set by the likes of Baahubali, its Telugu cousin. PS2 brings some great fight sequences and a very well shot, stunningly-depicted battle scene as well.

Perhaps what works best for PS2 over the first part is that Mani Ratnam finally dares to take creative liberties from Kalki’s original novel series. PS2 changes some of the backstories of the characters, makes major changes to the narrative, and even brings in some new elements. It is a risky manoeuver when dealing with a classic story like Ponniyin Selvan but one that pays off because Ratnam does everything organically. None of these changes feel alien or forced.

Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan was long considered unfilmable because of its complexity. Over five hours, Mani Ratnam has proved that wasn’t so. The maverick filmmaker has not only managed to transform it into an aesthetic and entertaining film but also one that will be an aspiration for generations of filmmakers in the future. The bar has just been raised quite high.