Mani Ratnam opens up about avoiding Baahubali-like moments in Ponniyin Selvan 1; says he wanted to show characters realistically

The Mani Ratnam directorial Ponniyin Selvan 1 grossed over Rs 400 crore and turned out to be those rare films of 2022 that tasted success. However, the magnum opus also faced criticism from certain sections of the audience and critics for lacking the grand, theatrical moments seen in the Prabhas starrer Baahubali. Specifically, the war scenes were deemed lacklustre and not as impactful as those in SS Rajamouli's films. Speaking on the same recently, in an interview, Mani Ratnam explained that he intentionally avoided making PS 1 anything like Baahubali.

 

Mani Ratnam opens up about avoiding Baahubali-like moments in Ponniyin Selvan 1; says he wanted to show characters realistically

 

In a conversation with Cinema Express, the 66-year-old filmmaker asserted, “We were very clear about it. Baahubali is Baahubali. Only Rajamouli can do it. When we started, we were clear that we did not want to do it like that. There is liberty there (Baahubali). There… the characters are fictional. They can be superheroes. Everything is imaginary. For me, Ponniyin Selvan is a book written by Kalki. Arulmozhi Varman and Aditya Karikalan are real people. So, I wanted to show them as realistically as possible.”

 

Talking about the war sequence, Ratnam explained, “If they say the war sequences are not like Baahubali, I am so happy. We wanted it to not be anything like Baahubali. I want to be inside the war rather than keeping it (the camera) from outside and showing something big… I have a problem with it because it looks digital. It looks false.”

 

Recently, the trailer of the second instalment was released. Subaskaran’s Lyca Productions presents PS-2. Jointly produced by Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, directed by Mani Ratnam, and music composed by AR Rahman. The ensemble star cast features Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan, and Sobhita Dhulipala in leading roles and Sarathkumar, Prabhu, Lal, Kishore, Ashwin Kakumanu, and Aishwarya Lekshmi in supporting roles. PS-2 is slated for a worldwide release on April 28, 2023, in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

 

Also Read: Karthi opens up about how people in North found ‘PS 1’ difficult to understand; says, “They will be able to better understand the film when the second part comes”

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