Ponniyin Selvan – 1 (PS-1) Cast Selection [My Thoughts]
Ponniyin Selvan is a Tamil historical novel series written and published by Kalki in the 1950s. It is so popular even today that every year at the Chennai Book Fair, I find many stalls stocking this series. It’s loosely based on the story of Raja Raja Cholan, a famous 10th Century ruler of the Chola dynasty.
Having read all the books in this Ponniyin Selvan series, I would like to share my thoughts on the cast selection for the soon-to-be-released PS-1 movie (Sept. 30, 2022), based on the same novel. I am going to address only the major roles.
Karthi as Vanthiyathevan – I think this is a perfect match. Although Arulmozhi Varman is the King, I feel, Vanthiyathevan is the protagonist of this novel. We experience the story through his eyes, for the most part. Karthi’s casual but serious style should be a perfect fit for this role.
Aishwarya Rai as Nandhini – I was surprised when the Wikipedia page containing the cast details for this film doesn’t mention this character! Nandhini may not appear frequently in the novel, but she is the main and the most powerful antagonist. And I think Aishwarya Rai is a good choice for this role.
Trisha as Kundhavai – Bad choice. A younger Trisha might have been perfect for the role of Vaanathi, but Kundhavai, the elder sister of Arulmozhi Varman, is a very clever character. Trisha could still be able to portray the character, but I don’t think she can bring the brilliance of Kundhavai as portrayed in the novel. Maybe Nithya Menen or Aishwarya Rajesh or Kangana Renaut might have played this role better.
Jayam Ravi as Arul Mozhi Varman – Good choice. Frankly, this character is not the hero of this book. He is not the mover and shaker, at least not until the last two volumes.
Sarath Kumar as Periya Pazhuvettaiyar – This could work if Sarath recreates the magic of Surya Vamsam. But frankly, I think, Prakash Raj or Prabhu or Nasser (all of whom act in this movie) would have been better for this important, forceful, and slightly villainous character. My choice would be Prakash Raj.
Jayaram as Alwarkadiyan – Perfect match. I am confident that this difficult character can be brought to life only by the Jayaram of Thenali. If you’ve watched that movie you’ll know what a brilliant actor he is, and you’d be confident that he alone can be Alwarkadiyan.
Aishwarya Lekshmi as Poonguzhali – Should work. This bubbly character appears prominently in the novel and I think Aishwarya Lekshmi should be able to pull it off.
Parthiban as Chinna Pazhuvettaiar – Fine, although Parthiban needs to give his career best to bring this strong and brave character to life.
Prakash Raj as Sundara Cholar – Prakash Raj can pull of any character, I know. But his talent is an overkill for Sundara Cholar is what I feel. His presence might be a little overbearing for the old and ailing Sundara Cholar we meet in the novel.
Sobhita Dhulipala as Vaanathi – I have not seen her act, so can’t comment much. However, by her looks I feel she should suit the role. This is a shy character with not much scope for expressive action.
Rahman as Mathuranthagar – Another excellent choice.
There are other characters also. For the full list refer to this Wikipedia page.
Disclaimer: I am no expert at cast selection. Since I have read the books I have already picturized each character in my mind. These thoughts are based on how much these people match my imagination. In reality, although there is always the ideal, multiple practical considerations might have limited the cast selection.
But what impresses me is, how close Mani Rathnam has come to the ideal. Hats off to the director (and the casting in-charge) for this mammoth effort – in spite of the limitations imposed by COVID.
Destination Infinity
This is very interesting. But wait till the movie is released and you actually see the action of these people.
Yeah. Generally, movies don’t live up to the experience offered by books. But let’s hope, in this case, it’s otherwise.
Destination Infinity
I’m nearing the end of this book series, and I’m doing my best to avoid everything related to the movie Ponniyin Selvan since it’s interfering with my reading and distracting me from my imagination of the characters based on the description. Sorry, I didn’t read your post fully, and I just skipped to the Disclaimer; I wish the team all the best, and I know it’s not easy to bring a glorious era to life, but I decided to wait a while before watching this movie because I want to contemplate with those imaginations before losing them to the on-screen visuals.
I feel, this time, we may not be surprised even if the visuals exceed the feel given by written words!
Destination Infinity
This is interesting, though I am not familiar with the historical theme.
And I guess you may not be familiar with Tamil actors either. But still, try to watch the movie irrespective.
Destination Infinity
I had finished Vol 2-when i saw the movie . But i started reading the 1st book – only after the trailers of PS1 released. Like one of your readers’ has perfectly said here, watching the trailer then reading the book- makes it difficult to visualize. For me all through my reading- Vandiyadevan was Karthi / Nandini was Ash…/
On the casting – i agree with you on Prakash Raj as Sundara Chola..Infact In the book – it seemed like the character is bed ridden/ unlike the movie…where they show he can move around despite ailments.
Yes, Sundara Chola was shown as being stronger in the movie, than the book. Since I read the book first, I had already visualized the characters. They don’t match with the current PS-1 cast, of course!
Destination Infinity