Ponniyin Selvan, Mani Ratnam’s long-awaited and ambitious movie that he has been wanting to make since the 1980s, will finally be released in theatres on September 30, 2020. Since the release of the teaser, it has come to light that the director originally had Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth in mind for the lead roles. Now, he has disclosed he also had intentions of casting renowned actress Rekha. Yes, he desired Rekha for the role of Nandini, which Aishwarya Rai Bachchan currently plays in Ponniyin Selvan I.
Mani Ratnam tried to make Ponniyin Selvan in the 1990s, but the endeavor did not go as planned. Prior to the film’s release, Mani Ratnam spoke candidly about the casting process in a media interview, revealing that Rekha was the only other performer he had previously wanted to collaborate with to play the role of Nandini. The director stated, “Before Aishwarya, I wanted to work with Rekha for the same character. Didn’t have any other actors in mind for this role.”
The character of Nandini, played by Aishwarya, was presented in the first look poster as the vengeful queen of Pazhuvoor earlier in July. The Chola King ArunmozhiVarman, who was portrayed by Jayaram Ravi in Ponniyin Selvan I, was to be played by Kamal Haasan. Rajinikanth was to play Karthi’s Vanthiyathevan. Rajinikanth claimed that he pictured Sridevi as Kundavai when he first heard Ponniyin Selvan’s tale.
Vikram will play Aditya Karikalan in Ponniyin Selvan, Trisha will play Kundavai, and Jayam Ravi will play Arunmozhi Varman. In addition to these, the action drama from this era also stars Sarathkumar, Prabhu, Lal, Kishore, Ashwin Kakumanu, and Aishwarya Lekshmi in supporting parts. Ponniyin Selvan’s plot was derived from the same-named book by Kalki Krishnamurthy. It tells the story of Rajaraja Chola I, the first ruler of the Chola dynasty.