The much awaited sequel of Mani Ratnam's magnum opus, "Ponniyin Selvan 2" hit the screens on Friday amid much fanfare & sky high expectations. There is no doubt that it was going to be a herculean task for Mani especially since he was trying to condense five books into two movies. Along with Elango Kumaravel & B. Jeyamohan, the legendary director worked on the script to make sure that it made sense to the audience especially since majority of the people wouldn't have read Kalki's historical fiction which is a concoction of twists and sub-plots. So will the veteran legend be able to satisfy all sections of audience???
The first part ended on a cliffhanger with Arunmozhi (Jayam Ravi) saved from being drowned by a mysterious old lady who resembled Nandini (Aishwarya Rai). In the sequel, Mani takes us back in time when Nandini & Aditha Karikalan were teenagers & how romance blossomed between them. But destiny had other plans as Nandini was banished from the kingdom while Karikalan (Vikram) was away for conquests. The movie shifts to the present where Arunmozhi despite being saved was far from danger due to physical ailments & enemies on the pursuit. Apart from Vandiyadevan (Karthi), Nambi (Jayaram) & Poonguzhali (Aishwarya Lekshmi), no one else knew the truth & it was upto them to protect the prince as well as make sure that Nandini's (Aishwarya Rai) plans were thwarted in order to avert the civil unrest headed by Madhurantakan (Rahman) and Pandyas assassination plot.
Kudos to Mani Ratnam for a well crafted movie that essentially felt like a Shakespearean tragic drama where the audience is made to feel the depth of love & hatred that Nandini & Karikalan had for each other. Rather than stage largely than life sets, grandiosity & mind boggling war scenes, the legend creates emotional sequences through tightly shot close up angles that literally gets us completely engrossed. This includes the confrontation between Nandini & Karikalan, the romantic rendezvous between Kundavai & Vandiyadevan, reunion of the siblings, emotional confession of Sundara Chola etc. The reason why these sequences were so impactful is because of Mani Ratnam's mastery over his craft, his vision & technical brilliance in pretty much most of the facets. Obviously he has taken cinematic liberties (as it is not practically possible to cover everything unless it is a web series) & gives closure to most of the questions without making us feel a sense of incompleteness. At the same time, I felt the screenplay could have been a bit more elaborate with regard to the climax as well as to provide more clarity on Mandakini (& even Poonguzhali & Amuthan).
Among the technical crew, the first name I will to take is Ravi Varman whose cinematography was absolutely brilliant with the apt choice of colour grade & lighting. What do one say about AR Rahman? The maestro always produced magic with Mani & this time too, it was no different. I wouldn't even hesitate to say that this is his best work in recent times (not to infer, that others were inferior by normal standards). The same amount of praise also goes to the sound department which was top notch. In a movie like this, it is crucial to ensure that the adequate content is retained & that it gels with the rest of the sequences without making the audience confused and bored, which Sreekar Prasad has done impressively.
Though the title refers to Jayam Ravi, this movie is essentially about Vikram & Aishwarya and both of them were absolutely brilliant. Vikram's portrayal of the heartbroken & hatred fuelled Karikalan was fantastic while Ash was a perfect blend of beauty, vulnerability & scheming mentality (literally reminded me of a snake at times with the way she looks & moves). Trisha impressed in the limited frames she appeared, Karthi rocked just like the first part while Jayam Ravi was bang on as the righteous prince in the way he carried himself. Jayaram was impressive while the rest of the cast such as Vikram Prabhu, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shobhita etc did their parts aptly despite the reduced screen time.
Verdict: Mani Ratnam delivered what he promised as it is a classic periodic drama that keeps us engaged for the content rather than gimmicks. It's not like a situation where Zack Snyder's vision was decimated by the Warner Bros in the theatrical version. It is a slow burner with the emphasis on emotionally charged interaction sequences. Unlike the prequel, the Tamil in this was comprehensible & provides a wholesome theatrical experience. At the same time, if you are expecting a fast paced large scale visual treat like "Baahubali", then this might not work for you. In short, don't miss it!!!
Rating: 3.75/5
Regards...Ben
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