Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 (2022) by Maniratnam. A welcoming period epic that has an original voice rather than aping a contemporary's widely received extravagant sensibilities, which has been an obsession since that paradigm shift in Indian cinema. And to come out winning, especially in these times, is Mani Ratnam's biggest achievement here.
There's so much to like and love in this labor of love right from its luscious production design to its immersive world building to its spot on casting choices. Barring the rushed climactic portions, I really liked the coherence of its screenplay co-written by Jeyamohan, which is undeniably heavy on exposition, while also succeeding in keeping it compact and be respectful to Kalki's gargantuan source material at the same time.
Among the performers on screen my favourites were Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Rai and Vikram. Almost all the characters and their motivations got registered and makes you invested in its power politics. In the supporting cast, Jayaram and Aishwarya Lekshmi stood out beautifully within their limited scope.
AR Rahman's music and score is ethereal, which elevates the film on a consistent basis and Ravi Varman makes sure you fall in love with it all the more with his vivid compositions. That theme track or score, which plays during Kundavai - Nandini face off, is scorcher in itself.
More thoughts may be after revisiting it today. ❤
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