Shyam Fernando makes Kollywood debut
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Epic Movie ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ hit Lankan screen:
Celebrated Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s new film ‘Ponniyin Selvan:1’, a Tamil-language epic period drama, has taken the box office by storm.
Ponniyin Selvan, based on one of India’s greatest emperors, is widely considered by many to be the finest novel ever written in Tamil.
It was the name conferred by the loyal subjects on Raja raja Chola - whose name means ‘king of kings’ – of the Chola dynasty, which ruled Tamil land from 9th Century to 13th Century.
Ponniyin Selvan, a Tamil language historical fiction action film produced by British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur Allirajah Subaskaran, is now screened in all leading cinamas in Colombo and other cities.
The movie adaptation of Kalki Krishnamoothy’s 1955 novel with the same title is directed by legendary Mani Ratnam and features an ensemble cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Prabhu, R Sarath Kumar and Sri Lanka’s very own Shyam Fernando. The music director on this project is Academy Award winner, A R Rahman.
This film which Mani Ratnam dubbed as his ‘dream project’ started to take shape in 2019 after Subaskaran’s Lyca productions came onboard with the funding. Ponniyin Selvan has been widely referred to as ‘the most anticipated Tamil blockbuster of 2022’ by the press, fans and critics alike.
What makes ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ significant for the Sri Lankan audience is that it tells the story of early days of Arulmozhivarman who later became the great Chola Emperor Raja Raja Chola 1 (947 AD – 1014 AD). Sri Lanka was a part of the Chola Empire from 993 to 1070 AD and the writer of the novel, Krishnamoorthy, is said to have visited Sri Lanka a few times to gather information for the book.
Even today, the novel has a cult following and a fan base among people of all generations. The book continues to be admired and garner critical acclaim for its tightly woven plot, vivid narration and the way in which the power struggle and intrigues of the Chola Empire were depicted. The book has remained the undisputed Best Seller in Tamil Nadu/South India for the past 70 years.
The Producer, Allirajah Subaskaran, is a respected British-Sri Lankan entrepreneur who founded Lyca Productions which produced some of the most iconic Tamil language box office hits in the recent years including 2.0, RRR, Don, Sita Ramam, Pushpa, Darbar and Kaththi.
Subaskaran is also the owner for ‘Jaffna Kings’ for the Sri Lanka Premier League and has won many awards and accolades for his entrepreneurial endeavours including the coveted ‘International Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award in 2011.
Shyam Fernando makes his debut in Kollywood cinema through his role as King Mihindu V in Ponniyin Selvan. Sham is a Sri Lankan television, film, theatre and voice actor best known for his roles in ‘Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka’, ‘Premaya Nam’, ‘Davena Vihagun and recently released epic Sinhala film ‘Praana’.
Ponniyin Selvan will be imported by Lyca Productions Lanka and distributed by EAP. It will be screened at all Savoy/EAP cinemas i.e, 75+ theatres island wide.
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