Ponniyin Selvan: Part One (2022) on Netflix
Crown prince Aditha Karikalan sends his lieutenant Vandiyadevan across Chola land with secret messages. At a vassal's fort, Vandiyadevan finds chieftains plotting to crown Madhurantakan.
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- Rotten Tomatoes87%
Trailer
Plot summary
The ailing Emperor Sundara Chola rules the Chola Empire in the 10th century. His son Aditha Karikalan holds the northern front at Kanchi, and the younger brother, Arulmozhi Varman, campaigns in Lanka. Karikalan sends Vandiyadevan, a prince of the fallen Vana clan, to carry messages to Sundara Chola in Thanjavur and to Princess Kundavai in Pazhayarai. At a fort in Kadambur, Vandiyadevan finds chieftains led by Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, the finance minister, planning to place Madhurantakan on the throne. Nandini, the minister's wife, works against the royal line.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Ponniyin Selvan: Part One (2022)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Major Canadian chains Cineplex and Landmark Cinemas refused to screen Ponniyin Selvan: I after anonymous threats of vandalism if Tamil films were shown, threats that had already hit screenings of Theri (2016) and Kurup (2021). The film got only a limited Canadian release in private theatres, with law enforcement protection.
- Ponniyin Selvan drew a controversy for ignoring the Shaivite nature of the Cholas, using the Sricharanam instead of the Tripundra on characters' foreheads. Before release it was corrected with visual effects, so almost all Chola characters wear a VFX Pattai.
- A film version of Ponniyin Selvan had been tried by several Tamil filmmakers, including M. G. Ramachandran in the late 1950s and Mani Ratnam in the late 1980s and early 2010s, but Ratnam's attempts failed on financial grounds until Lyca agreed to fund it in January 2019.
- Production of Ponniyin Selvan ran from December 2019 to September 2021 and was halted twice by the COVID-19 pandemic. The story was first planned as a single film but was split into two parts.
- Ponniyin Selvan: I, originally set for a summer 2022 release but pushed back because production was unfinished, became the first Tamil film to be released in IMAX format.
