Exclusive! AR Rahman on Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: ‘It’s probably my most difficult film’

After working together on a number of masterpieces like Roja, Bombay, Dil Se.., Guru and O Kadhal Kanmani, AR Rahman and Mani Ratnam are back together to create magic with historical drama Ponniyan Selvan. 

The film is written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and the film’s score and soundtrack are composed by AR Rahman. Calling it his most difficult film, music maestro Rahman said that he worked for six months and did extensive research for the movie. 

“It is an epic film and required a lot of work and research. We almost worked six months on the music. We even went to Bali to write some of the songs,” said Oscar-winning singer-composer. 

However, the challenging part was to create a particular sound that Mani Ratnam was looking for. “He wanted a particular sound, which is unique but at the same time relatable and we had to work really hard to get the sound. It is probably my most difficult film,” added Rahman who was in the city to launch 'You Got Me', a song he has composed and arranged in collaboration with NEXA Music. 

Featuring a stellar cast of Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Vikram Prabhu, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Ashwin Kakumanu, the film is planned to be made into two parts and is scheduled to hit screens in April 2021.