It is often said that the fruit of patience is sweet. Mani Ratnam's latest film, Ponniyin Selvan: I, a period drama based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel of the same name, serves as a perfect example of this idea. Tamil actor Vikram, who plays 10th century Chola prince, Aditha Karikalan, in the film, recently shared his thoughts on the movie as well as gave a peek at the intricacies that happened behind the scenes.
Talking about his role and the impact of Mani in the film, Vikram told media sources, “The primary reason we are all in this film is because of Mani Ratnam. Ponniyin Selvan is something that everybody has thought about being a part of. Mani Ratnam has had this beautiful career and even he could not do it. So, it has been everyone's dream to make this. The moment it happened, we just jumped into it. Mani sir is my dream director and I have always wanted to work with him. Every role is very important. Each one of us had our favourites, but we ultimately did what Mani sir told us. How well we could play our roles depends on his feedback (sic).”
Ponniyin Selvan: I features many popular Indian actors including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as the queen Nandhini, Vikram as the prince, Aditha Karikalan, and Karthi as a grey-shaded spy, Vanthiyathevan, along with Trisha Krishnan, Jayam Ravi and others. The movie depicts the story of prince Arulamozhi Varman, who later became Chola emperor and was known as the great Raja Cholan. According to sources, Mani Ratnam attempted to make this film in the mid-1990s and early 2010s but could not succeed.
On the topic of getting into character, Vikram was quoted as saying, “So, all of us had that realism. About getting into the character, I think that apart from reading the book or the script, you have to speak to the director and then come to an understanding of what you want. Mani sir is very good at giving you the freedom to explore what you are capable of and knowing what lies within you (sic).”
On being asked about his preparation for the jaw-dropping action scenes of the movie, Vikram told media sources, “We took a basic sword training and horse-riding training. It is the team that made it possible for us to do all this without taking any damage. We learned from each other (sic).”
Vikram also revealed the traits of his character Aditha Karikalan that he loved and hated the most. “I love the fact that he is so aggressive and so powerful. He is also the crown prince. He has legions and conquers everything. He is also vulnerable because of love. What I hate is that he gave up everything and went off to war. I loved all the characters. I have always been fascinated by characters such as Aladdin, Sindbad, and Jack Sparrow. They have the quality of being brave and foolish and then running to fight (sic),” he added.
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