Mani Ratnam's next based on 'Ponniyin Selvan'?

Kalki's 'Ponniyin Selvan', the 20th century Tamil historical epic has fascinated many stars including legendary actor MGR and Kamal Haasan. They dreamt in vain of converting the classic into celluloid. Reputed director Mani Ratnam also nurtured this dream. The prolific director has been toying with the idea of bringing the timeless classic to the silver screen for the last five years.

The ace filmmaker has completed the groundwork and is all set to launch his Magnum Opus. Apparently, Mani after working meticulously on the novel has etched a neat script, encompassing all the five volumes of the novel in just eighty scenes. A few months back, he roped in the well-known writer Jayamohan for scripting the dialogues for a whopping sum. To play the main protagonist in the multi-starrer, the director already initiated talks with 'Ilaya thalapathy' Vijay. The actor is enacting to play an adventurous, handsome and happy-go-lucky young man's role. Telugu actor Mahesh Babu might be doing another lead role.

Now the big news is Arya, who is riding the crest since 'Naan Kadavul', has been approached by Mani Ratnam to portray another of the historical characters. The actor had met the 'Roja' director at his office recently and given his nod to be part of the film, even though Mani did not narrate the story to him.

Mani Ratnam Pictures