PONNIYIN SELVAN - 1: MOVIE REVIEW
The Chola Empire (900-1200) was one of India's biggest, richest and most powerful empires. In 1955, Tamil writer Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy (aka 'Kalki') wrote a novel called 'Ponniyin Selvan' ('Son of Kaveri') about the first Chola Emperor - Rajaraja I. Now Mani Ratnam brings the novel to the big screen.
Translating a novel with a complicated story, many characters and many plot-lines into a 3-hour movie is not easy - and it shows in the screenplay (by Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel and B Jeyamohan). A voice-over narration with maps would have helped viewers to understand/appreciate the details of the story better - especially those (like me) who have neither read the book nor are experts on the Chola Empire. The biggest strengths of the movie are the technical departments. Costume designer Eka Lakhani and set designer Thota Tharani beautifully re-create the Chola Empire. Cameraman Ravi Varman and editor A Sreekar Prasad compensate for the weaknesses of the screenplay - especially in the war/battle scenes. A R Rahman's music is good. In the acting department, Vikram and Aishwarya Rai get the most complex/interesting characters and do justice to them - justifying their star billing.
If you love Indian history, PS-1 is a must-watch. Even if you don't, it is a good all-round entertainer . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment