'Ponniyin Selvan Part 1': Shankar Says Mani Ratnam Is First Pan-India Director

The trailer and music of Mani Ratnam's most anticipated film 'Ponniyin Selvan Part 1' was launched amid much fanfare in Chennai on Tuesday. Apart from the director, the event was also attended by stalwarts like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, and Shankar who were completely awestruck with the way film was made. Shankar even called Mani Ratnam the ‘first pan-India director’. 

"Pan-India is a term that's become common. Mani Ratnam is the first pan-India director. His films like 'Roja' and 'Bombay' reached all over India because of his style, work ethic, and work. We are travelling on the path that was discovered by Mani sir," Shankar, who is currently working on the Kamal Haasan-starrer 'Indian 2', said at the event.

Shankar also praised AR Rahman for the film's music, and said, “What a vibrant music Rahman! He took us to Ponniyin Selvan universe with his songs.” He further said, "These songs from Mani and ARR are my inspiration. I am waiting to watch the film. Ponni Nadhi song is so mesmerizing. It even makes us sing the chorus unconsciously. Brilliant casting and technical crew. This piques everyone's curiosity. With everyone's effort, I think Ponniyin Selvan will be a milestone in the history of Tamil cinema."

The songs of 'Ponniyin Selvan Part I' were performed at the grand event to enthrall the huge gathering. A video of the making of the film was also shown to highlight the hard work put in by several departments working on the project. Aishwarya Rai and Trisha also praised Mani Ratnam and shared all that they have learnt from the filmmaker.

Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 is all set to hit theatres on September 30 in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The film stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi Sivakumar, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu Ganesan, R Sarathkumar and others.