Rajinikanth spoke with childlike enthusiasm at the trailer and audio launch of Ponniyin Selvan I on Tuesday evening. The superstar, who is an ardent fan of Amarar Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan novel series, wanted to be part of Mani Ratnam’s film adaptation in one way or the other. Speaking at the event, Rajini spoke at length about his fascination for the novel and why Mani Ratnam didn’t let him play a part in the film.
“I somehow wanted to be part of Ponniyin Selvan, and I asked Mani Ratnam to let me play the role of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar. I said at least I will do a special appearance. Mani Ratnam said no. He asked ‘why do you want me to face the brunt of your fans? He said that he will not exploit me that way. Any other director would have used me instantly, but he didn’t. That’s Mani Ratnam,” says Rajinikanth.
Talking about Ponniyin Selvan, Rajinikanth said, “There are three heroes of this event. One is Kalki, next is producer Subaskaran and Mani Ratnam. People were waiting for the magazine as fans wait for tickets in theatres. I used to wonder why this novel series was never made as a film. It could be because in those days the concept of the ‘part 1 part 2’ trend was not there. This film will become an achievement in Indian cinema.”
Superstar then spoke at length about the novel and its author Amarar Kalki Krishnamurthy. He said many wanted to make the film over the years, and he also had such dreams back in his youth. “I used to think that I should play Vallavarayan. Kamal should play Arulmozhi Varman, and Vijayakanth should play Aditya Karikalan. Rekha should play Nandini. Sathyaraj for Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar… I was dreaming all of this back then.”
Kamal Haasan shared the stage with Rajinikanth and the two icons of Indian cinema exhibited a wonderful camaraderie throughout their speech at the event.
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Ponniyin Selvan I, starring Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Jayaram, and Aishwarya Rai, is all set to be released on September 30.