“Ponniyin Selvan 2”: A Review of the Historical Sequel

“Ponniyin Selvan 2”. The movie is the sequel to “Ponniyin Selvan”, which was released in April 2022. “Ponniyin Selvan 2” is directed by renowned filmmaker Mani Ratnam and produced by Mani Ratnam and Subaskaran.

The movie features a star-studded cast, including Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prabhu, Jayaram, Vikram Prabhu, Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, Rahman, and others. The music for the film is composed by the Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, while the cinematography is handled by Ravi Varman, and the editing is done by Sreekar Prasad.

The film is based on the historical novel “Ponniyin Selvan” written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. The plot revolves around the conflict between the Chola and Pandya dynasties during the 10th century. The second part of the movie begins where the first part ended, and it continues the story of the Chola dynasty’s struggle against the Pandya dynasty’s conspiracy.

The review highlights the positives and negatives of the movie. The reviewer praises the clear and straightforward screenplay, the well-connected plot, the decent drama, and the solid performances of the cast, particularly Aishwarya Rai’s portrayal of the dual roles of Nandhini and Mandhakini. However, the review criticizes the slow pacing of the film, the unnecessarily stretched scenes, the lack of high moments, and the clumsy war sequences.

Conclusion

The reviewer rates “Ponniyin Selvan 2” as a satisfactory sequel with some interesting and well-executed sequences, though the slow-paced narrative hampers the overall impact. The movie is better than its predecessor, but to enjoy the film, the viewer has to sit through the slow-paced sections.