By: Mohnish Singh
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who has been away from the silver screen for close to two years now, will next be seen in renowned filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s upcoming directorial Ponniyin Selvan. The shoot of the high-profile historical drama was going on in full swing when India went into a complete lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic and all shooting activities came to a grinding halt.
The latest we hear that the makers are now gearing up to resume shooting from mid-November and a huge set is being erected in the city of Hyderabad to kick-start the next schedule. The film started production in Thailand last December where the first schedule was shot for over 90 days. Actors Karthi, Jayam Ravi, and Aishwarya Lekshmi joined the first schedule in Thailand.
In addition to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, and Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ponniyin Selvan also stars Vikram Prabhu, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mohan Babu in prominent roles. The former Miss World is reportedly playing a negative character in the film. However, neither the actress nor the makers have revealed anything about the character.
According to a report, director Mani Ratnam has planned to shoot the film across some popular centers in India and will be travelling to Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, and other locations for the same.
Ponniyin Selvan is a historical drama based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's fictional novel of the same name. Oscar-winner AR Rahman is composing music for the film, while Ravi Varman is attached to the project as a cinematographer. Sreekar Prasad will edit the movie.
Ponniyin Selvan is being jointly produced by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions. The film is expected to arrive in cinemas in the second half of 2021. The makers are, however, yet to lock any official release date.
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