Ponniyin Selvan: A fantasy - Part I
Content warning: This is neither a review of the book, nor a narration of its plot. It is just my very own fantasy. Ever since I read sir Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan about two years ago, I have fancied a movie based on the plot and its characters. Two attempts have been made over the last sixty years, but both have failed to take off. The first one was in the 1960's with MGR in the lead (apparently the actor was going to direct the movie). The second one was in 2010's with Dr. Vijay (pun intended) in the lead. Mani Ratnam was to direct the movie and if he had, I would have declared a fatwa on him. Thanks to A.R. Rahman who saved us from this agony. We probably have passed the times this novel of epic scale can be turned into a movie and in my humble opinion, stage plays, curt and curtained as they are, can never do justice to this 2500 page epic that spans across at least 300 years and two countries. So, I just keep fantasizing it my head and here it is for your reading