Stating that several people had tried to make eminent writer Kalki's epic novel Ponniyin Selvan into a film, Mani Ratnam said he himself had tried thrice -- once in the 1980s, then in 2000 and for the third time in 2010, before finally succeeding now.
Speaking at the grand teaser launch event organised by the makers at the Chennai Trade Centre on Friday, Mani Ratnam said, "I first read this book when I was in college. Almost 40 years have passed. It's not left my heart until now. My first thanks go to Kalki (sic)."
"Makkal Thilagam M.G. Ramachandran should have acted in this film. After Nadodi Mannan, he was to act in this film. But somehow, that didn't happen. It is only today that I got to know why he was not able to act. He has left it for us to make.
"Several people have tried to make Kalki's epic novel Ponniyin Selvan into a film. I myself have tried thrice -- once in the 1980s, once in 2000 and once in 2010. Therefore, I know what a big responsibility this is.
"That is because it is loved by everybody who has read it. They are an authority on it. They own it, and they are very possessive about it. So, when I did this film, I said to myself. 'I am also like them. I own it, I am also possessive about it and I will do it the way I want to do it.' This wouldn't have been possible without all my artists and technicians."
Ponniyin Selvan - I is the first part of the movie series based on the epic novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy and narrates the early days of the life of Arulmozhi Varman, also known as the great king Rajaraja Chola I. Jayam Ravi will be seen playing the role of Arulmozhi Varman.
The teaser for the highly anticipated movie was released on Friday at 6PM. The teaser launch event was live broadcasted on YouTube.
Ponniyin Selvan is Mani Ratnam's most expensive project with a ₹500 crore budget. The film boasts an ensemble cast of high-profile actors including Vikram, Trisha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, and Prakash Raj. The movie is slated for theatrical release on September 30.
AR Rahman is scoring the music for this epic historical and the cinematography is handled by Ravi Varman. National Award-winning art director Thotta Tharani is in charge of production design, while Mani Ratnam's trusted editor Sreekar Prasad is handling its editing.