{ "id": "epk4ch2jq7", "slug": "ponniyin-selvan-part-one", "title": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part One", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Tamil films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023", "label": "Tamil films of 2022 and 2023", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023", "label": "India · 2021 and later: Tamil films of 2022 and 2023", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021", "label": "India · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Tamil films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023", "label": "Tamil films of 2022 and 2023", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part One (பொன்னியின் செல்வன்: பாகம் 1), also PS-1, is Mani Ratnam's 2022 Tamil epic adapted from Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel, starring Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, and Trisha, released 30 September 2022 with music by A. R. Rahman.", "snippet": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part One (பொன்னியின் செல்வன்: பாகம் 1), also PS-1, is Mani Ratnam's 2022 Tamil epic adapted from Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel, starring Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, and Trisha, released 30 September 2022 with music by A. R. Rahman.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.tamil-films-of-the-2020s.tamil-films-of-2022-and-2023", "markdown": "# Ponniyin Selvan: Part One\n\n**Ponniyin Selvan: Part One** (Tamil: பொன்னியின் செல்வன்: பாகம் 1), released as *Ponniyin Selvan: I* or PS-1, is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language epic historical action film directed by [Mani Ratnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-ratnam), the first of two cinematic parts adapted from [Kalki Krishnamurthy](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalki-krishnamurthy)'s 1955 novel of the same name[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ). Set in the 10th century, it tells the story of the early life of the Chola prince Arulmozhivarman, who would become the emperor Rajaraja I (947–1014)[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ). The film was produced by Ratnam and [Subaskaran Allirajah](https://www.edgepedia.org/subaskaran-allirajah) under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, and released in theaters worldwide on 30 September 2022 in standard and IMAX formats[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | 30 September 2022, in standard and IMAX formats; runtime 2h 47m[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i) |\n| Source | Kalki Krishnamurthy's five-volume novel, serialized in the weekly *Kalki* magazine from 29 October 1950 to 16 May 1954[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i) |\n| Principal cast | Vikram (Aditha Karikalan), Jayam Ravi (Arulmozhivarman), Karthi (Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Nandini), Trisha (Kundavai)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i) |\n| Key crew | Music A. R. Rahman; cinematography Ravi Varman; editing A. Sreekar Prasad; production design Thota Tharani[3](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-i/) |\n| Reception | 87% Tomatometer (15 reviews) and 78% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; $5.7M gross in the United States[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i) |\n| Box office | Reported worldwide gross of over Rs 5 billion (Rs 500 crore) for the film[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mani-ratnam-ponniyin-selvani-stenographer-shorthand-of-a-fascinating-speech-8189815/) |\n| Recognition | National Film Award for Best Sound Design to Anand Krishnamoorthi for *Ponniyin Selvan – Part I*[5](https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2024/oct/doc2024108411901.pdf) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story and setting\n\nSet in 968 AD in the [Chola Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/chola-empire), the film unfolds amid conspiracies, political unrest, and the approach of war, as Pandiya rebels vow to shed royal blood and Chola chieftains plot a rebellion.[3](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-i/) With the emperor Sundara Chola ([Prakash Raj](https://www.edgepedia.org/prakash-raj)) in failing health, a coup is staged to prevent prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram) from becoming the next king. The prince, away from the capital, sends his friend Vallavarayan Vanthiyathevan (Karthi), a spy and messenger from Kanchi, to find the traitors. Parallel plotlines follow Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) in Sri Lanka and Kundhavai (Trisha) in Pazhayarai[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ponniyin-selvan-1-movie-review-mani-ratnams-aishwarya-rai-8182366/). Nandini ([Aishwarya Rai Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/aishwarya-rai-bachchan)), Karikalan's former lover, plots to bring down the Chola empire[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-i).\n\nThe first part covers roughly two and a half of the novel's five books and ends with many questions unresolved, pointing toward the second part[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ponniyin-selvan-1-movie-review-mani-ratnams-aishwarya-rai-8182366/) • [8](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ponniyin-selvan-1-review-exhilarating-and-enriching-with-impressive-performances-by-vikram-and-cast-4-stars-3394275/amp/1).\n\n## The novel and the long road to film\n\nKalki Krishnamurthy, the pseudonym of the writer and editor R. Krishnamurthy, serialized *Ponniyin Selvan* in his Tamil weekly magazine *Kalki* from 29 October 1950 to 16 May 1954; it was later collected into five volumes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i). The novel mixes real historical figures with invented ones, and Kalki described his work as fiction set in the historical background of the tenth and eleventh centuries[9](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/why-debate-and-controversy-on-ponniyin-selvan-is-on-thin-ice-9322271.html).\n\nAdapting the novel was a long-standing ambition of the Tamil film industry. Superstar [M. G. Ramachandran](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-g-ramachandran) purchased the rights in 1958, and actors and directors including MGR, Rajinikanth, and [Kamal Haasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamal-haasan) attempted adaptations over roughly five decades without success, mainly for reasons of budget and casting[10](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/making-of-ponniyin-selvan-how-mani-ratnam-translated-kalkis-vision-into-film-10420351.html). Mani Ratnam tried to make the film in the 1980s and again in the early 2010s, with each attempt abandoned over budgetary constraints[10](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/making-of-ponniyin-selvan-how-mani-ratnam-translated-kalkis-vision-into-film-10420351.html). He revived the project in January 2019 with Lyca Productions funding it, calling it his dream project[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ). The commercial viability of a two-part film demonstrated by [S. S. Rajamouli](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-s-rajamouli)'s *Baahubali* series (2015, 2017) helped convince production companies to take the financial risk[10](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/making-of-ponniyin-selvan-how-mani-ratnam-translated-kalkis-vision-into-film-10420351.html).\n\n## Production\n\nAfter several changes in cast and crew, production began in December 2019 and ended in September 2021, having been halted twice by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was shot at locations across India, with some sequences filmed in Thailand[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ). It was originally planned as a single film but was split into two parts[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ). The two-part project was made in five languages with a reported budget of close to Rs 5 billion (Rs 500 crore), placing it among the most expensive Indian films[11](https://hopesoftwares.com/app/webroot/uploads/file/mofigebukol_vefikotatire.pdf).\n\nThe digital streaming rights were purchased by Amazon Prime Video for ₹1.25 billion (₹125 crore; US$16 million)[12](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/1e00f0b9-c207-4cb1-9a9a-c11d057e31a3/downloads/sufuruvakekexawubufajij.pdf), and the film streams on Prime Video[7](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-i).\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was largely positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 87% Tomatometer from 15 reviews and a 78% Popcornmeter audience score[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i). [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) gave it 4 of 5 stars, praising Ratnam's condensation of a roughly 2,000-page novel and calling the war sequences authentic rather than mere hero introductions[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ponniyin-selvan-1-movie-review-mani-ratnams-aishwarya-rai-8182366/). NDTV's review called it an ambitious, near-flawless adaptation, singling out the performances led by Vikram and the production design by Thotta Tharani[8](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ponniyin-selvan-1-review-exhilarating-and-enriching-with-impressive-performances-by-vikram-and-cast-4-stars-3394275/amp/1).\n\nNot all critics agreed. A dissenting Indian Express column argued the film was too faithful to the novel, condensing its 2,210 pages into what the writer called a stenographer's shorthand that lacked cinematic interpretation[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mani-ratnam-ponniyin-selvani-stenographer-shorthand-of-a-fascinating-speech-8189815/), and another review called it a case study in overcomplicating a straightforward story[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/ponniyin-selvan-i-mani-ratnam-magnum-opus-is-a-crash-course-in-how-to-overcomplicate-a-straightforward-story-8256417/lite/). Reviewers and audience commentary repeatedly noted that viewers unfamiliar with the novel could lose track of the many characters and factions[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i).\n\n## History versus fiction\n\nOnly a few key characters in the film are based on history. The historian V. Sriram, a writer on Chennai's history and heritage, explained that Arulmozhi Varman, who acceded to the throne in 985 CE and adopted the regnal title Rajaraja, and his siblings Kundavai and Aditha Karikalan are historical, but characters such as Nandini and Azhwarkadiyan were created by Kalki[14](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/how-true-is-ponniyin-selvan-1-to-history-kalkis-magnum-opus-a-historian-distinguishes-fact-from-fiction-points-out-a-few-glaring-errors-8187639/). Historically, Arulmozhi did not succeed Sundara Chola directly; Madurantakan, known as Uttama Chola, ascended the throne first[15](https://www.dtnext.in/cinema/2022/09/29/ponniyin-selvan-kalkis-imagination-vs-actual-history). The assassination of Aditha Karikalan is reported as revenge for killing King Veerapandiyan, but who took part in his death is not clearly known; theories implicating Uttama Chola were later declared a misreading of the Chola inscriptions on the basis of the Udayargudi stone inscriptions[15](https://www.dtnext.in/cinema/2022/09/29/ponniyin-selvan-kalkis-imagination-vs-actual-history).\n\nSriram also criticized production design choices, noting arches and domes that did not exist in Rajaraja's time, Mughal-inspired jewelry and props, and fort entrances with lotus motifs that entered India only after the Turkish Sultans; he observed that the film was shot at Gwalior and Orchha, both post-Mughal era monuments, and that [Thanjavur](https://www.edgepedia.org/thanjavur), shown as a hill fort, is flat river-bank territory[14](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/how-true-is-ponniyin-selvan-1-to-history-kalkis-magnum-opus-a-historian-distinguishes-fact-from-fiction-points-out-a-few-glaring-errors-8187639/). Commentators have also noted that Kalki's novel whitewashes the medieval empire: the Cholas' own inscriptions describe burning cities and sacking places in Sri Lanka that the novel's Rajaraja refuses to attack[16](https://indianexpress.com/article/research/understanding-cholas-the-south-indian-dynasty-that-left-its-imprint-on-southeast-asia-8114552/).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Ponniyin Selvan Movie Review | Mani Ratnam, Pardesi Reviews (YouTube description)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCCsD-UJrQ)\n2. [Ponniyin Selvan: Part I, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponniyin_selvan_part_i)\n3. [Ponniyin Selvan: I, Lyca Productions](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-i/)\n4. [Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan: I' is like a stenographer's shorthand of a fascinating speech, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mani-ratnam-ponniyin-selvani-stenographer-shorthand-of-a-fascinating-speech-8189815/)\n5. [National Film Awards documentation, Press Information Bureau](https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2024/oct/doc2024108411901.pdf)\n6. [Ponniyin Selvan 1 review: Mani Ratnam's largely faithful and brilliant adaptation has no dull moments, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ponniyin-selvan-1-movie-review-mani-ratnams-aishwarya-rai-8182366/)\n7. [Ponniyin Selvan: Part I streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-i)\n8. [Ponniyin Selvan - 1 Review, NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ponniyin-selvan-1-review-exhilarating-and-enriching-with-impressive-performances-by-vikram-and-cast-4-stars-3394275/amp/1)\n9. [Why debate and controversy on Ponniyin Selvan is on thin ice, Moneycontrol](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/why-debate-and-controversy-on-ponniyin-selvan-is-on-thin-ice-9322271.html)\n10. [Making of Ponniyin Selvan: How Mani Ratnam translated Kalki's vision into film, Moneycontrol](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/entertainment/making-of-ponniyin-selvan-how-mani-ratnam-translated-kalkis-vision-into-film-10420351.html)\n11. [Ponniyin Selvan novel and film background document](https://hopesoftwares.com/app/webroot/uploads/file/mofigebukol_vefikotatire.pdf)\n12. [Ponniyin Selvan film reference document (digital rights)](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/1e00f0b9-c207-4cb1-9a9a-c11d057e31a3/downloads/sufuruvakekexawubufajij.pdf)\n13. [Ponniyin Selvan I: Mani Ratnam's magnum opus is a crash course in how to overcomplicate a straightforward story, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/ponniyin-selvan-i-mani-ratnam-magnum-opus-is-a-crash-course-in-how-to-overcomplicate-a-straightforward-story-8256417/lite/)\n14. [How true is Ponniyin Selvan 1 to history? A historian distinguishes fact from fiction, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/how-true-is-ponniyin-selvan-1-to-history-kalkis-magnum-opus-a-historian-distinguishes-fact-from-fiction-points-out-a-few-glaring-errors-8187639/)\n15. [Ponniyin Selvan: Kalki's imagination vs actual history, DT Next](https://www.dtnext.in/cinema/2022/09/29/ponniyin-selvan-kalkis-imagination-vs-actual-history)\n16. [How successful were the Cholas as empire builders, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/research/understanding-cholas-the-south-indian-dynasty-that-left-its-imprint-on-southeast-asia-8114552/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2022 and 2023*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Ponniyin Selvan: Part One\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Ponniyin Selvan: Part One](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Ponniyin Selvan: Part One\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-one. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part One, also PS-1, is Mani Ratnam's 2022 Tamil epic adapted from Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel, starring Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, and Trisha, released 30 September 2022 with music by A." }