Official Trailer:
The good news is you don’t have to have read the book to enjoy the movie. I haven’t read the book (yes, one of those few from TN who haven’t read the magnum opus…a traitor 😀) but I am able to follow Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 (PS1) even with its many characters. In the case of Godfather, I felt the movie was better than the book (book is a good read too), it also could be because I watched the movie version before reading the book. For PS1, I need to reserve the verdict till I read the book!! PS1 sets the foundation for part 2 establishing the key characters.
Even for those who haven’t read the book if you know the history, since the story is a historical fiction, you will know who will become the king, who will be murdered etc. This means there is not going to be any suspense on the outcome of the story. Now that outcome is out of the way, narration, character arc building, visualization, and cinematic approach takes precedence. Mani Ratnam (MR) and his team have done a wonderful job in bringing the historical fiction to life on the screen. PS1 excels in set designs, costumes, colors, cinematography, dialogues, and musical score. After a long time, good to see the sound design and effects not too loud, not amped up tearing the ear drum like the movies I have been seeing lately (including Vikram and KGF2). It felt right pleasing to the ears. War scenes are short, swift, and effective – I really liked Mani Ratnam’s decision of being economical on this since I am of the opinion warriors would have got really tired gasping for breath after 5-10mts of fighting 😁 We do get an elaborate climax – Arunmozhivaraman, Vanthiathevan (tied to the mast, not sure whether he is afraid of water – the running joke in the movie -, or the bad guys), and Poonghuzhali getting caught in a cyclone with Ravidasan, Soman, and gang out to kill the prince. This stretch works but I felt the visual effects could be better.
What I really liked in PS1 is MR’s approach in giving us the character arc clues. By keeping it abstract he gives us enough information to interpret their traits. A minimalist approach. Aditya Karikalan’s anger with his sister and possibly extending to his parents and keeping himself occupied with wars and capturing territories. He is consumed by emotions. Kundavai, the middle daughter of the King, is sharp, intelligent, and politically savvy. She puts country and people above personal desires. Nandini the seductress (just by the looks) and driven by vengeance to bring down the Chola dynasty. Vanthiathevan a resourceful person, we get to know him more since the story unravels as he goes from one place to another either to give the message or gets a message to be delivered. Poonghuzhali, the brave boat woman. Then we have Arunmozhivarman the level-headed prince, who follows king’s orders and puts people first. In fights Arunmozhivarman doesn’t show the aggression like Aditya. Other characters, Madhuranthakan, Pazhuvettarayars, Sundara Chozhar come across as one-dimensional, mainly due to the limited screen time they get. Out of all the characters, Kundavai and Nandini are shown with more character shades. Even though Nandini is married to senior Pazhuvettarayar, Aditya and Nandini have feelings for each other (nicely portrayed by Vikam and Aishwarya Rai) but both are consumed by hatred too…love and hatred are two sides of the same coin, isn’t it?
The decision to go with 2 parts movies for a big story like this has its problems too. We get the feel we move from one act to another act. Scenes become too crisp with not enough breathing room. Kundavai interjecting herself in the conspiracy session or meeting of Nandini and Kundavai, would have benefited with additional time. Background story of Poonghuzhali would have added more color to her character. Or visually show Arunmozhivarman’s rescue by Oomai Rani from the Ponni River than through dialogue, since it seems to be a key plot information (from the prelude to part 2). Withholding Oomai Rani’s identity comes across as a cheap suspense technique for part 2. Removing song sequences wouldn’t have helped either since most to all of the songs are intercut with narration – like the post victory song is intercut with hut scene with Veera Pandiyan, Nandini, and Aditya. I think 3- or 4-part movie would have helped to capture the magnum opus. There is no thrill in Vanthiathevan’s escapades, he does it with ease with no big hurdles. With PS1, I got the feel I am watching the characters from a distance, not able to connect with any one character, a protagonist. BTW, these are minor quibbles and in no way impact the movie experience. PS1 is an interesting watch and hopefully pique our curiosity to read up on our history.