After
two
failed
attempts,
ace
filmmaker
Mani
Ratnam
finally
fulfilled
his
dream
of
adapting
Kalki's
literary
masterpiece
Ponniyin
Selvan
into
a
full-fledged
feature
film.
Despite
receiving
mixed
reviews,
the
magnum
opus
which
released
in
theatres
on
September
30,
is
enjoying
a
successful
run
at
the
box
office.
Exclusive:
PS:
I
में
Aishwarya
Rai
के
हीरो
Karthi
बोले-
'Film
में
हिरोइनों
के
साथ
काम
करने
में...'
Recently,
in
an
interview
with
an
entertainment
portal,
Mani
Ratnam
revealed
that
he
wanted
to
make
Ponniyin
Selvan
way
back
in
the
1980s
and
had
Rekha
in
his
mind
to
essay
the
role
of
queen
Nandini
which
has
now
been
essayed
by
Aishwarya
Rai
Bachchan
in
his
latest
release.
However,
he
also
added
that
he
never
approached
Rekha
when
he
was
thinking
of
casting
her
in
his
film
decades
ago.
During
an
interview
with
Pinkvilla,
Mani
Ratnam
talked
about
his
latest
magnum
opus
Ponniyin
Selvan
and
revealed
that
he
wanted
to
make
the
film
in
the
1980s.
Talking
about
the
film's
cast
that
he
had
in
mind
decades
ago,
the
Raavan
helmer
revealed
he
wanted
Bollywood
veteran
Rekha
to
portray
the
role
of
Princess
of
Pazhuvoor,
Nandini.
However,
the
filmmaker
never
approached
Rekha
and
eventually
made
the
film
in
the
2020s
casting
Aishwarya
Rai
for
the
role.
The
filmmaker
told
Pinkvilla,
"In
those
days,
in
the
80s
when
I
was
thinking
of
making
this,
her
(Rekha's)
name
did
come
to
my
mind.
That's
what
I
was
thinking
at
the
time,
but
I
never
approached
her."
Speaking
about
how
excited
Aishwarya
was
to
reunite
with
him
post
Iruvar
and
Raavan,
Mani
Ratnam
shared,
"They
make
dates
for
the
film,
not
for
me.
And
if
they're
available,
they
come,
and
that's
how
I
really
like
it
to
be.
I
want
them
to
be
invested
in
the
story
first,
it's
not
for
me.
And
Nandini
is
completely
different
from
what
she
has
done
before."
In
the
same
interview,
the
acclaimed
filmmaker
was
also
asked
if
Thalaivaa
Rajinikanth
wanted
to
be
a
part
of
his
ambitious
project.
To
this,
he
replied,
"I
can't
just
bring
in
a
superstar,
I
have
to
be
honest
to
the
story.
So
I
told
him
(Rajinikanth)
I
will
take
a
raincheck
with
him
about
that."
Besides
Aishwarya
Rai
Bachchan,
Ponniyin
Selvan
also
features
Vikram,
Karthi,
Trisha
and
Jayram
Ravi
in
leading
roles.