{ "id": "epv62aqckq", "slug": "ponniyin-selvan-part-two", "title": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two", "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 Two (பொன்னியின் செல்வன் - 2), also called Ponniyin Selvan: II, is Mani Ratnam's 2023 Tamil epic concluding his two-part adaptation of Kalki's novel, released April 28, 2023, starring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, and Jayam Ravi.", "snippet": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two (பொன்னியின் செல்வன் - 2), also called Ponniyin Selvan: II, is Mani Ratnam's 2023 Tamil epic concluding his two-part adaptation of Kalki's novel, released April 28, 2023, starring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, and Jayam Ravi.", "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 Two\n\n**Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two** (பொன்னியின் செல்வன் - 2) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language epic historical action adventure film directed by [Mani Ratnam](https://www.edgepedia.org/mani-ratnam), the second and concluding part of a two-film adaptation of [Kalki Krishnamurthy](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalki-krishnamurthy)'s Tamil novel *Ponniyin Selvan*. It was released in theaters on April 28, 2023, seven months after the first installment, and resolves the succession storyline centered on the Chola empire of 10th-century [South India](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-india).[1](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/tamil/articles/cw9q8883zj0o) • [2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/) • [3](https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-unworthy-successor)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | April 28, 2023, announced by producer Lyca Productions on December 28, 2022[1](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/tamil/articles/cw9q8883zj0o) |\n| Director and writers | Directed by Mani Ratnam; written by Mani Ratnam, B. Jeyamohan, and Elango Kumaravel[2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/) |\n| Key crew | Music by A. R. Rahman; cinematography by Ravi Varman; editing by A. Sreekar Prasad[2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/) |\n| Production | Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions; producers Subaskaran and Mani Ratnam[2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/) |\n| Runtime | 2 hours 44 minutes (164 minutes)[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-2/umc.cmc.5gilz4ebuu9tggnj5o4ec1nxr) |\n| Critical scores | 88% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (8 reviews); 7.2/10 on IMDb from about 20,000 votes[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-2/umc.cmc.5gilz4ebuu9tggnj5o4ec1nxr) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-two) |\n| Availability | Streaming on Amazon Prime Video; rentable and purchasable on the Apple TV Store[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-two) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story\n\nThe film continues the story of the [Chola dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/chola-dynasty)'s struggle against its enemies. In the year 978 AD, Nandini plots against the royal princes and Emperor Sundara Chozhar to take revenge for the slaying of the Pandya King Veerapandian. She has infiltrated the Chola court by marrying the Chola treasurer Periya Pazhuvettarayar and building a Machiavellian scheme. The Chola princes face the wrath of the Pandyas, the enraged army of the Rashtrakutas, and Pazhuvettarayar's betrayal, while Aditha Karikalan also battles his own heart and the vengeful Nandini.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-2/umc.cmc.5gilz4ebuu9tggnj5o4ec1nxr) Lyca Productions' own synopsis dates the events to 968 AD and adds the rumor of [Ponniyin Selvan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan)'s death at sea as a plot element.[2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/)\n\nThe synopsis describes the setting as the 10th century and the subject as the early life of the Chola emperor Arunmozhi Varman, who history records as Rajaraja I.[2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-two) The film opens not where Part One ended, with Arunmozhi Varman falling into the sea, but with a flashback to the young love between Karikalan and Nandini, played as youths by [Sara Arjun](https://www.edgepedia.org/sara-arjun), which triggers the events of the plot.[6](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ponniyin-selvan-2-review-fantastic-vikram-makes-worthy-sequel-176500)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\nVikram plays Aditha Karikalan, Karthi plays [Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan](https://www.edgepedia.org/vallavaraiyan-vandiyadevan), Jayam Ravi plays Arunmozhi Varman, and [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/aishwarya-rai-bachchan) plays Nandini. Trisha Krishnan plays Kundavai, Sobhita Dhulipala plays Vaanathi, Aishwarya Lekshmi plays Poonguzhali, Jayaram plays Azhwarkadiyan Nambi, R. Sarath Kumar plays Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, Parthiban Radhakrishnan plays Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar, Prakash Raj plays Sundara Chozhan, and [Vikram Prabhu](https://www.edgepedia.org/vikram-prabhu) plays Parthibendra Pallava.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-2/umc.cmc.5gilz4ebuu9tggnj5o4ec1nxr) • [2](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/)\n\n## Adaptation choices\n\nThe film adapts Kalki Krishnamurthy's multi-volume historical novel, a work [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) had attempted for decades without success; Mani Ratnam had worked on an adaptation with writer Jeyamohan as early as 2010.[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-2023) • [8](https://saintgits.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Marketing.pdf) Reviewers noted that the adaptation resolves the novel's ambiguities, which had fueled fan theories for decades, quite conclusively, a choice The News Minute called understandable for audiences unfamiliar with the book.[6](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ponniyin-selvan-2-review-fantastic-vikram-makes-worthy-sequel-176500) The same review argued the ending looks tame because a major twist from the novel is eliminated, and criticized the visual effects in the closing scene summarizing the Chola empire's expansion as tacky for a film of this scale.[6](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ponniyin-selvan-2-review-fantastic-vikram-makes-worthy-sequel-176500) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) took the opposite view of the liberties, writing that Mani Ratnam \"finally takes some creative liberty and it works,\" and rating the film 4 out of 5.[9](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ponniyin-selvan-2-movie-review-ps-2-mani-ratnam-vikram-aishwarya-rai-8580814/)\n\n## Critical reception\n\nReception was mixed to positive, with strong praise for [Vikram](https://www.edgepedia.org/vikram-actor) and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and recurring criticism of pacing. The News Minute called it \"a worthy sequel,\" writing that if the novel belongs to Arunmozhi Varman, the film belongs to Aditha Karikalan, and praising Vikram's performance at the top of his game.[6](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ponniyin-selvan-2-review-fantastic-vikram-makes-worthy-sequel-176500) Foreign Policy's review described the film as graver in tone than Part One, less reliant on humorous hijinks but no less thrilling, and singled out the prologue and the long pre-intermission reunion between the lovers-turned-foes Karikalan and Nandini, shot largely in extreme close-up, as the sequel's most moving stretch.[10](https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/11/ponniyinselvan-cinema-india/) A BBC Tamil report cited the [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) assessment that the Karikalan-Nandini confrontation scene is one of Tamil cinema's finest staged sequences.[11](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/tamil/articles/c84r8v09rw4o)\n\n**Criticism of pacing and structure.** The Tamil Guardian's review, titled \"An unworthy successor,\" argued that two films' worth of content was compressed into one, leaving viewers no time to process the twists, and that a trilogy would have given the plot room to breathe; it also found the sequel's interval scene lackluster compared with Part One's.[3](https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-unworthy-successor) The Sigaram review, which scored the film 7 out of 10, found many crucial exchanges wordy, judged the Karikalan-Nandhini confrontation overwritten, and criticized [A. R. Rahman](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-r-rahman)'s instrumentation as not matching the film's setting, while still calling it a landmark film for its visual splendor.[12](https://sigaram.net/2024/10/17/ponniyin-selvan-2/) RogerEbert.com's critic wrote that Ratnam and his collaborators \"stick the landing on their gargantuan pot-boiler,\" though he questioned what essentially distinguishes the film as \"A Mani Ratnam Film\" amid the wave of Baahubali-inspired epics.[7](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-2023) • [13](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-2023/critic-reviews/)\n\nOn aggregate measures, the film holds an 88% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 8 reviews, with 7 fresh and 1 rotten, and a 7.2/10 IMDb rating from about 20,000 votes.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-2/umc.cmc.5gilz4ebuu9tggnj5o4ec1nxr) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-two)\n\n## References\n\n1. ['பொன்னியின் செல்வன் - 2' ஏப்ரல் 28 ரிலீஸ் - லைகா அறிவிப்பு, BBC News தமிழ்](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/tamil/articles/cw9q8883zj0o)\n2. [Ponniyin Selvan: II, Lyca Productions](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/ponniyin-selvan-ii/)\n3. [Ponniyin Selvan Part II - An unworthy successor, Tamil Guardian](https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-unworthy-successor)\n4. [Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-2/umc.cmc.5gilz4ebuu9tggnj5o4ec1nxr)\n5. [Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ponniyin-selvan-part-two)\n6. [Ponniyin Selvan 2 review: A fantastic Vikram makes this a worthy sequel, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/ponniyin-selvan-2-review-fantastic-vikram-makes-worthy-sequel-176500)\n7. [Ponniyin Selvan: Part II movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-2023)\n8. [Ponniyin Selvan background, Saintgits College marketing case study](https://saintgits.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Marketing.pdf)\n9. [Ponniyin Selvan 2 movie review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ponniyin-selvan-2-movie-review-ps-2-mani-ratnam-vikram-aishwarya-rai-8580814/)\n10. ['Ponniyin Selvan': the Triumphant Film Adaptation of a Classic Tamil Epic, Foreign Policy](https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/06/11/ponniyinselvan-cinema-india/)\n11. [பொன்னியின் செல்வன் - 2: சினிமா விமர்சனம், BBC News தமிழ்](https://bbcinsight.pages.dev/tamil/articles/c84r8v09rw4o)\n12. [PONNIYIN SELVAN 2 Review, Sigaram](https://sigaram.net/2024/10/17/ponniyin-selvan-2/)\n13. [Ponniyin Selvan: Part II (2023) - Critic Reviews, Cinafilm](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/ponniyin-selvan-part-ii-2023/critic-reviews/)\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-two", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-two.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 Two\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-two. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-two)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-two](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-two). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ponniyin-selvan-part-two. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two, also called Ponniyin Selvan: II, is Mani Ratnam's 2023 Tamil epic concluding his two-part adaptation of Kalki's novel, released April 28, 2023, starring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, and Jayam Ravi." }