Ponniyin Selvan 2 is a Tamil period drama directed by Mani Ratnam, written by Kalki, screenplay by Mani Ratnam, Jeyamohan, and Elango, and produced jointly by Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions. The film has Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Jayaram and others playing pivotal roles. The music is composed by AR Rahman and the cinematography is by Ravi Varman.
Ponniyin Selvan 1 ended with Oomai Rani (Aishwarya Rai) saving Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) from drowning in the sea. Meanwhile, Aditha Karikalan is coming back to Thanjai after sensing Nandini's plan. Kundhavai (Trisha) and the entire family of Sundara Cholan distraught after hearing the news about Arunmozhi Varman's death, while Vanthiyathevan (Karthi) and Nambi (Jayaram) plan to protect Arunmozhi from the Pandyas.
The sequel is mainly about whose plan works out at the end and how the Chola empire manages to stay intact despite all the politics surrounding the throne. Does Arunmozhi Varman manage to get the throne? Does Mani Ratnam do justice to the original story by Kalki?
There is a popular adage that a lot of filmmakers follow - "Kill the writers before going to shoot". But can an epic film like Ponniyin Selvan be meddled with? Well, this is what makes Mani Ratnam what he is. He makes a few changes from the book, deleting a few characters, but the overall superstructure remains intact. Despite the length of the book and the amount of research available, Mani Ratnam has succeeded in encapsulating all 5 volumes into the two parts.
His vision gets fantastic support from the cast comprising Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha and Jayaram. While the rest of the actors are good in the limited screen time they have, the main star cast use their experience to the fullest. We couldn't see much of Vikram's acting versatility in the first part but here he gets an opportunity to unleash the beast inside him and he uses it to the fullest.
The other backbone are music director AR Rahman and cinematographer Ravi Varman. There is a crucial scene before the climax and the way that scene has been staged, shot and the choice of background score speaks volumes about how rich the film is technically.
Overall, the film is as good as the first part, and Mani Ratnam has done justice to the book, collectively through both the parts. While there is always a feel that things are a bit slow paced, this is probably what the film needs. It engages you till the end while the entertainment quotient is lesser than the first part. Nevertheless this is an experience one cannot afford to miss.