Tag: ponniyin selvan 2

Mani Ratnam: ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’ will shine more than the first film; that was just an introduction

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After the phenomenal success of Ponniyin Selvan 1, the Cholas are back for the sequel. With stakes higher than ever, the team promises that there’s a lot in store with Ponniyin Selvan 2, set to be released on April 28.

Right now, Mani Ratnam’s cast of A-listers is travelling across the country to promote PS: 2. In Chennai, we catch up with them as they promote the conclusion to the epic saga.

ALSO READ: ‘Ponniyin Selvan: 1’ movie review: Epic story gets Mani Ratnam’s royal treatment

Jayam Ravi (Arunmozhi Varman AKA Ponniyin Selvan):

PS 1 had a lot of character introductions and every 15 minutes, there was something new happening; that sort of screenplay was exciting. In PS 2, it’ll be like the climax from the get-go. After PS 1 was released, based on the comments it received, improvements have been made to the sequel; this film will be an upgraded version for sure.

Jayam Ravi at the press meet of ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In PS 1, despite being a prince, my character would sport regular attire or that of a mahout as he is in hiding. The second part is a rebirth of sorts to him and his return to Thanjai to the brilliant ‘Veera Raja Veera’ track will be a highlight.

The response to the project has been incredible. We heard that elderly people with oxygen cylinders and walking sticks visited theatres after ages to watch PS. Theatre owners called me and said that some audience members turned up with tiffin boxes, not knowing that it has been years since theatres allowed outside food! We have even heard stories of theatre owners requesting repeat audiences to allow the ones who haven’t seen the film to watch it once.

Trisha (Kundavai):

PS is a story that longed to be made into a film right from the days of MGR. I’m glad I got to be a part of it and it’s nice to be the face of Kundavai. The first part was a character introduction for the whole cast. While the romance portions in PS 1 were restricted to speaking with our eyes and a sense of flirtation, in PS 2 there will be more romance and it’ll be evident that Kundavai and Vandiyadevan like each other.

Trisha

Trisha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

I’m a Chennai ponnu and I grew up watching Mani sir’s films. So we don’t even think about how a woman character in his film would be; you just know how it is. We go in blind and follow everything Mani sir said, but he also made sure we had a few months of prep time which gave us the space to process the character. This made things much easier on the sets. After a film like this, there’s obviously pressure as to what we’re doing next. It also motivates us to be careful with the type of films we’ll choose hereafter.

Karthi (Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan):

The novel has all sorts of genres; right from romance and suspense yo action and history, and this was the reason it was such a challenge to adapt Kalki’s work. While making it into a film, it should reach the masses who haven’t read the books, as well as satisfy the ones who’ve read them.

My mom rarely does an appreciation call, but she called and told me the film was fantastic. I was worried about how my wife would take in the fact that my character is known for his flirtations, but she was also happy with how dignified the character was.

Karthi

Karthi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

As far as PS 2 is concerned, the film will be interesting to even those who’ve read the novels. Vandiyadevan once again meets Nandini and Kundavai while they are alone in PS 2, and the situation is different from their earlier visits. So my character needed correction as to how he would talk and react.

My dad often says that just like how every grain of rice has the name of the person consuming it, every frame has the name of the actor performing in it. I got to play a role that has crossed many actors over the years and I have given it my best. It’s nice to hear many people say now that they can’t see anyone else in that role but me.

ALSO READ: On the ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ trail: Travellers explore Tamil Nadu in newer ways

Vikram Prabhu (Parthibendran Pallavan):

Vikram Prabhu

Vikram Prabhu
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

For us, both the films feel like just one project; we have already spoken so much about it, but it still feels new at the same time. The character I played, Parthibendran Pallavan, will be seen more in PS 2 and he’s a part of many crucial scenes. Being a part of such a project is truly unforgettable.

Sobhita Dhulipala (Vaanathi):

Sobhita Dhulipala

Sobhita Dhulipala
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Ponniyin Selvan has been my first film in Tamil and there was a lot of curiosity and excitement as to how my character would be received. I had great fun as my role is dramatically different from what I’ve done earlier, and it was really a privilege and pleasure. I believe all of us have different shades in us, and in cinema, we rarely get to showcase them all. Thanks to well-written characters and screenplay, this film gave us the space to perform.

Director Mani Ratnam:

Kalki had written such well-defined characters in his novel; they’re neither just black nor just white, they have all the shades. As we had such defined characters and actors who were ready to prepare and do homework, it was easier. It was a lot of content to condense into two films, so you try to take the basic elements and put them in an order where it peaks at one point and leads to another. I think the books were also split in that manner.

Karikalan’s portion might be less in the novel but references to him are very strong and I believe that is the fulcrum of PS. In the written format, characters talking about a person can be mentioned easily… but as a film, we have to show it.

Mani Ratnam at the press meet of ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’

Mani Ratnam at the press meet of ‘Ponniyin Selvan 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Since we shot both films together, we didn’t have to drastically change much in the sequel. PS 1 is an introduction, PS 2 is the actual film, and we are confident that the sequel will shine more than the first part. When doing a film, that alone is my obsession and though there are many books on Ponniyin Selvan, I didn’t read them.

The film is releasing on April 28 and from the next day, I’ll read any book I’m recommended (laughs). Also, the film is not the same without AR Rahman. While we have narrated the film through scenes, he has parallelly narrated the story through music. He knows where to underline, pause, lift and convert emotion into music.

There will be more long-form content in Tamil going forward. There is a different rhythm to it; I’ve been used to a certain form for years now from which it is difficult to come out, but such formats are liberating for a storyteller. We don’t have to restrict ourselves to just making a two-and-a-half-hour film and that’s fantastic.

Ponniyin Selvan 2 will be releasing theatrically on April 28

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In conversation with AR Rahman on his upcoming sufi music concert

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At around 6 in the evening, A.R. Rahman excuses himself from a conversation. Inside his ARR Studios at Chennai’s Kodambakkam, the Oscar winner swiftly paces from one block to another, his mind pre-occupied, only briefly pausing to smile at a few people on the way. Clearly, the man has to be someplace soon.

Someplace is just three floors above. Here, amidst many instruments that have been played in superhit albums, is silence.

He requires that for his prayers, a time that is sacred, a time spent in solace. His assistant tells me, “It’s his prayer time. No one disturbs him for a while.”

Watch | In conversation with AR Rahman on his upcoming sufi music concert

Sometime later, the Mozart of Madras emerges from the elevator, clad in a maroon kurta and sporting a smile. The composer is in great spirits, which soften when we enquire about his son Ameen, who escaped a major accident on the sets of a song shoot a week ago. Rahman says, “He is shaken. He tells me, ‘Appa, I can’t sleep well. I feel that the fan might fall on me’.”

As we wait for the interview to begin, Rahman hums a line from ‘Adiye Sonali’, a one-minute independent music video launched by his son in January. Good things await Ameen; he has also sung a song in upcoming Simbu-starrer, Tamil film Pathu Thala under his father’s composition.

AR Rahman during a previous Sufi concert
| Photo Credit:
Nishant Matta

Good things also await Rahman. He is gearing up for a concert in Chennai this weekend, but it will be very different from the head-banging, familiar rhythms that draw huge crowds for his every live performance. At Wings of Love, scheduled this Sunday evening at Nehru Indoor Stadium, the composer will perform a “Sufi concert”. “There will be no ‘Muqqabula’ or ‘Chaiya Chaiya’, but “there will be numbers like ‘Kun Faya Kun’,” he informs. “I wanted to do a bigger concert but that couldn’t happen. However, I realised there are many fans for numbers like ‘Kun Faya Kun’ and ‘Khwaja Mere Khwaja’, and thus we have this.” This concert is to raise awareness and in aid of the ‘Save Lightman’ fund, to recognise lightmen working in various film industries. “We’ll get a blessing from everyone that way.”

This is A.R. Rahman the Oscar-winner talking, but in the late Eighties, he was a just boy named A.S. Dileep Kumar. So, when did he get drawn to the world of sufi music? “I was not a fan of qawwali,” he admits candidly, “In 1991, a friend of mine, Sarangan, introduced me to a record of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and I was like, ‘Who is this? What is this music?’ It changed my whole paradigm of thinking. Later, I met Nusrat and learnt a few lessons, but then he passed away. Then, Khalid Mohammed came to me and said that he wanted a song like ‘Muqqabula’. I didn’t want to do that yet again, but learnt that he was planning a qawwali, and I wanted to do that.”

Though Rahman was initially nervous about experimenting with a completely new genre, that conversation did result in a memorable song: ‘Piya Haji Ali’ ( Fiza) in 2000.

During a visit to Ajmer, Rahman says a khadim asked him to compose something for Dargah Khwaja Saheb, which ultimately made its way into Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar (2008) . Another favourite number for fans is ‘Kun Faya Kun’ from Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar (2011) ; the comments on its YouTube video even go to the extent of likening it to therapy. Rahman explains, “Whether it’s a bhajan or a gospel or a sufi track, it is the sincerity that the listener hears. When I listen to a ‘Vaishava Janato’, the sincerity is what makes that song. You don’t need a two-hundred piece orchestra track for that.”

A.R. Rahman with actor Ranbir Kapoor during the promotions of ‘Rockstar’ in 2011

A.R. Rahman with actor Ranbir Kapoor during the promotions of ‘Rockstar’ in 2011
| Photo Credit:
AFP

A voice for hope

Though other popular performers, including Javed Ali and Sivamani, will be part of this sufi concert, Rahman the singer will undoubtedly be the big draw. In a 2018 interview, he told The Hindu, “My wife keeps asking me to sing more in films but I dodge it as much as possible…” Things have changed vastly since then; singer Rahman is a constant feature in almost all his recent albums. “During the U.S. tours, I had a lot of time to practise. In the bus, in the car… I would just put on the tanpura and sing. All the singers I work with — young or old — are better than me. I get inspired by them, and push myself to sing better.”

He is also pushing himself on other creative fronts; the last few years saw him conceptualising and writing 99 Songs and Le Musk, both of which have added a dimension to him beyond music. After working with multiple directors and producers, how does it feel to be in control of an entire project? “Terrifying,” he laughs, “Sometimes, I feel alone and there’s no one else to say, ‘What if you make a bad decision?’ And I think I might have made some bad decisions — in 99 Songs, for instance, people loved it as a theme but we pushed it too extreme to people in the sense that we showcased the lead character’s entire journey. Instead of having five hit songs, we tried to see how he evolved as a composer and the errors he made. It was satisfying to do something that tried to be honest to the script. It was a gamble, but it was worth taking.”

AR Rahman with Mari Selvaraj during the recording session of ‘Maamannan’

AR Rahman with Mari Selvaraj during the recording session of ‘Maamannan’

Besides working with regulars such as Mani Ratnam, Rahman is keen to forge newer collaborations, something that is evident in Tamil projects like Cobra (Ajay Gnanamuthu), Pathu Thala (Obeli N Krishna), Ayalaan (R Ravikumar) and Maamannan (Mari Selvaraj). “We learn from each other. They don’t have the luggage of the previous generation, and the enthusiasm in their eyes is infectious. It makes me work harder.” Mari Selvaraj, who wowed Tamil cinema with Pariyerum Perumal, is someone Rahman describes as a “different kind”. “I was amazed with his choice of music. He’s doing great service for people from underprivileged backgrounds.”

What the Oscars mean

“We missed the bus during ‘Jai Ho’. We should have cashed in on its success, considering it was a global hit, and should have raised our profile more. Now, with ‘Naatu Naatu’, we have another chance; the whole profile of India’s music and cultural side can change. People are going to be like, ‘What else has this composer done? What else has AR Rahman done?’ Also, India has long been associated with Bollywood; but now, RRR is a Telugu film and The Elephant Whisperers is shot in Tamil Nadu. We are so bundled with talent, and we deserve this.”

Being a celebrity

While on the move, Rahman is besotted with requests and selfies, something that he takes in his stride. Celebritydom does come at a price indeed, and the composer smiles when I tell him I did something he cannot: walk across the street to buy biscuits while I was waiting for him. “They’d eat me instead of the biscuit if I did that,” he guffaws, “But, we get other extraordinary things to do; like travelling constantly. When you win something, you lose something.”

AR Rahman with his mother Kareema Begum

AR Rahman with his mother Kareema Begum
| Photo Credit:
PTI

The rare times when he is alone, he says he often thinks about his mother, Kareema Begum, who passed away in 2020 and was the biggest support in his musical journey. He chokes a bit when I mention her, and says, “Even when she passed away, it was a strange reaction for me. I knew she was suffering — with needles constantly poking at her body —- and somewhere felt that it was a relief that God had given her. But then, I was performing at a concert, and saw an empty seat, and remembered suddenly how she used to attend my concerts with a big thousand-bead prayer necklace. It hit me very hard when I realised that, ‘Oh my god, I have lost my mother’.”

Rahman points out that everything he has today is because of his mother. “All that stuff you see around is because of her one decision to put me into music. While all other parents back then were saying things like, ‘Become a doctor and then do music,’ she was saying, ‘Do music.’ That’s genius.”

AR Rahman’s Sufi concert will take place on March 19 at Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai. For details, log on to https://wingsoflove.in/

Graphic: Albert Francis, Photo: Nagara Gopal

Graphic: Albert Francis, Photo: Nagara Gopal

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