Ponniyin Selvan: II
Ponniyin Selvan: II (PS-2, ) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language  historical action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote it with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. The film is produced by Mani Ratnam and Subaskaran Allirajah under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions. The second of two cinematic parts based on the 1954 novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy, it serves as a direct sequel to Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022). The film stars an ensemble cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Jayaram, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban. Ponniyin Selvan continues to follow the prince Arulmozhi Varman (who would become the emperor Rajaraja I) and his family as they deal with threats to the Chola Empire. It was initially intended to be a single film but was split into two parts that were produced concurrently. Joint principal photography for both parts began in December 2019, halting twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ultimately wrapping up on 16 September 2021. The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography by Ravi Varman, editing by A. Sreekar Prasad, and production design by Thota Tharani. Ponniyin Selvan: II was released in theatres worldwide on 28 April 2023 in standard, IMAX, 4DX, and EPIQ formats where it received positive reviews from critics. Plot 

The movie starts with a flashback, portraying Nandini and Aditha Karikalan's childhood. Nandini was brought up in a priest family and Aditha Karikalan was getting trained to be the future king. Nandini and Aditha Karikalan meet for the first time when Nandini comes to Pazhayarai with her parents and it was love at first sight to Aditha Karikalan which instantly made him loose a horse race in his training for the first time in his life. Kundavai tries to befriend Nandini and takes her to the palace and starts making fun of Nandini by getting her ready like a Princess which is interrupted by Aditha Karikalan. A shy Nandini runs away from there followed by Kundavai who learns from Nandini's foster parents that she is an orphan and Kundavai ordered Nandini to not to come to palace or meet Aditha Karikalan anymore. After that Nandini deliberately ignores Adithya Karikalan who is trying to talk to her. On one fine day Aditha Karikalan meets Nandini in the temple to inform that he is going to war the next day and it may take more than 2 years to return back. Nandini is shocked and saddened to learn this she starts praying for him everyday and waits for Aditha Karikalan everday near the river from where he left Pazhayarai to place himself in the war. When Aditha Karikalan returns back  Nandini confesses, Nandini and Aditha Karikalan love each other. Kundavai did not like Nandini as she is way more beautiful and intelligent despite not born in a royal family and doesn't want Nandini to be her sister-in-law, but Aditha Karikalan always wanted to marry her and lead a happy life. As time passes, one-day Aditha Karikalan took Nandini with him to his palace to introduce her to his family and let them know that she will be the future queen of the kingdom as he is going to marry her. Their romance is discouraged by princess Kundavai and Sembiyan Mahadevi, who consequently expel Nandini and her foster family from the kingdom while Aditha Karikalan is at war and becomes unaware of this . When he returns he is shattered to know that Nandini has died due to fire outbreak in the place(He again meets Nandini during the War with Pandya's where Nandini was trying to save Veera Pandiyan) . Nandini is said to have subsequently been taken in by Veerapandiyan, the Pandya ruler. In the present timeline, Arulmozhi Varman alias Ponniyin Selvan presumed death disheartens the empire; Parthibendran Pallavan meets with Nandini on the coast and she manipulates him to misdirect Aditha Karikalan to Kadambur for the apparent well-being of the empire. Ravidasan and other members of Pandya Aabathudavigal wish to make sure that Ponniyin Selvan is dead. Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan and Poonguzhali row with a surviving and severely ill Ponniyin Selvan, who recollects being rescued by Oomai Rani from being drowned in the sea. They chance upon Azhwarkadiyan Nambi and Sendhan Amudhan, who suggests rushing Ponniyin Selvan to Buddhist monks for treatment. They see Ravidasan and his fellow perpetrators approaching and hence, Vandiyadevan misdirects them and gets himself seized. Elsewhere, Madhurantakan proclaims himself as successor to the throne, receives support from Shivan Adiyars and allies with Khottiga, the Rashtrakuta king, who desires to avenge being defeated by Aditha Karikalan in a battle by marrying his daughter. Nandini daydreams about Aditha Karikalan by seeing the Tiger Signet ring which was given by Aditha Karikalan to her years before. Later Nandini, Ravidasan and others conspire to assassinate Aditha Karikalan, Sundara Chozhar and Ponniyin Selvan at the same time and Nandini divulges that she plans to kill Aditha Karikalan in Kadambur, where he would be coming; the captured Vandiyadevan, pretending to be unconscious, hears this. Later, he discloses to Nandini that he had seen Oomai Rani, who resembles her and is her mother; and in return, Nandini spares Vandiyadevan from death. Nambi disguises himself and rescues Vandiyadevan, who rushes to Pazhayarai to meet Kundavai and notifies her of Ponniyin Selvan's existence; she professes her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Nambi notifies Aditha Karikalan that Ponniyin Selvan is alive; both Kundavai and Aditha Karikalan hurry to the Viharam in Nagapattinam, where Ponniyin Selvan is being cured. Aditha Karikalan hugs Arulmozhi aka Ponniyin Selvan and Kundavai. Vandiyadevan then relays to Aditha Karikalan that Nandini intends to assassinate him in Kadambur and requests him to cancel his decision of going there but he discards him and commands Vandiyadevan not to come after him. Ponniyin Selvan tells Kundavai that Oomai Rani, his saviour, bears a resemblance to Nandini. Remembering that her father was disturbed after getting to see Nandini for the first time, Kundavai suspects that he is aware of who Oomai Rani is. She journeys to Thanjavur and confronts Sundara Chozhar, who reveals to her that he had met Mandakini aka Oomai Rani as a young man in Lanka while being chased by the Pandyas and was in a relationship with her before departing to his kingdom and marrying Vanavan Mahadevi. He tried to get back to her but she was presumed to be dead after drowning. Kundavai suspects that Nandini might be her half-sister and asks Sembiyan Mahadevi if she was apprehensive of Nandini and Aditha Karikalan's relationship because of this; however, Sembiyan Mahadevi tells Kundavai that Mandakini was pregnant with Nandini, nearly two years after Sundara Chozhar's marriage to Vanavan Mahadevi, revealing that Nandini is not Kundavai's half-sister, relieving her. Meanwhile, the Pandyas become aware of Ponniyin Selvan's existence and plot to murder him at the Viharam but Ponniyin Selvan thwarts their attempts. Poonguzhali and Sendhan Amudhan enter Thanjavur's fort, to which the Pandyas gain access; Mandakini sees this and follows them while Poonguzhali sees Mandakini and the Pandyas. Vaanathi's uncle Periya Velar lays siege to the fort over Ponniyin Selvan's death and indulges in a conflict with Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar, the fort's commander-in-chief, causing a frightened Madhurantakan to escape through a tunnel and take refuge at the Rashtrakutas'. Ponniyin Selvan arrives with Vaanathi at the fort, forging peace between the two armies. Poonguzhali, having seen the Pandyas, alerts Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar of their infiltration. Meanwhile, in Kadambur Aditha Karikalan arrives. Nandini and Aditha Karikalan look at each other painfully, and Nandini reminisces about all the memories of when she was in love with Aditha Karikalan and how her love turned into hatred. Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar and the other kings propose dividing the kingdom between him and Madhurantakan but Aditha Karikalan opposes and agrees to let go of the domain in favour of Madhuranthakan if he will be allowed to keep his army and conquer lands to the north for his siblings safety. Everyone accepts his condition. Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar departs to Thanjavur for relaying the news to Madhurantakan but Karuthiruman, a rowing man who assisted the Pandyas in Lanka, notifies him of Nandini and the Pandyas' conspiracy to assassinate Aditha Karikalan in Kadambur. Intending to save Aditha Karikalan, he rushes back to Kadambur while the Pandyas also intrude on Kadambur through a tunnel, which Vandiyadevan also goes through to rescue Aditha Karikalan. Mandakini makes her way to Sundara Chozhar but dies after taking an arrow, which was intended for him; Ponniyin Selvan, hearing his father screaming out of sorrow, gets there, subdues the Pandya assassins, and kills them. In Kadambur, Aditha Karikalan meets with Nandini and asks why she wants him here. On seeing him face-to-face who can see through her eyes and mind, Nandini's motivation stumbles. Aditha is quick to understand her motives and he requests her to kill him, hoping that it can cool her rage; he says that pain of being away from her tortures him everyday. She is taken aback by his willingness to die. Despite not being able to bring herself to stab him, Aditha Karikalan then takes out his knife and after placing it on to his chest deeply hugs Nandini as the knife pierces into his heart revealing his unconditional love for Nandini. Nandini screams in pain as she does not want him to die despite all the hate she had for Aditha. The Pandyas rush a devasted helpless Nandini out of Kadambur safely. Meanwhile, Vandiyadevan and Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, who try to rescue Aditha Karikalan, are knocked unconscious by the Pandyas, who take Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar with them away. After gaining consciousness, Vandiyadevan mourns Aditha Karikalan's death and takes his corpse to Parthibendra Pallavan and the other kings, who accuse him of murder; Aditha Karikalan's maternal grandfather Thirukovalur Malaiyaman seizes Vandiyadevan and Kadambur's king Sambuvarayar, suspecting them. Aditha Karikalan's corpse is brought to Thanjavur, where Sundara Chozhar, his family, and the public lament his death. On a ship, Karuthiruman, who is apprehended by the celebrating Pandyas, reveals to a restless Nandini who is mourning Aditha's death, that her father is Veerapandiyan, who assaulted Mandakini and impregnated her, following Sundara Chozhar's trail; this was the reason why he raised Nandini. When Ravidasan agrees with Karuthiruman, Nandini feels betrayed by every side. Traumatized by Aditha's death, she drowns herself in Ponni revealing her unconditional love for Aditha Karikalan. Nambi tells Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar about Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar's location and he is consequently freed from the Pandyas. While Vandiyadevan is being accused in Sundara Chozhar's court, Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar returns and discloses the truth. Meanwhile, Parthibendran presumes Ponniyin Selvan to be the mastermind behind Aditha Karikalan's death and allies with the Rashtrakutas and other rival kingdoms to invade the Chola empire to avenge Aditha Karikalan's death. Sundara Chozhar is informed of this and lets Vandiyadevan assist Ponniyin Selvan in the forthcoming battle. Madhurantankan repudiates to fight against his motherland and sides with Ponniyin Selvan, assisting him in the battle. The Cholas emerge victorious. Later, Sundara Chozhar decides to renounce the throne in favour of his only existing son but on the day of the coronation, Ponniyin Selvan proposes crowning Madhurantakan, who adopts the name Uttama Chola. The epilogue reveals that Vandiyadevan and Ponniyin Selvan headed extensive conquests under Uttama Chola's reign and after his death, Ponniyin Selvan inherited the throne as Rajaraja Chola while the Pandyas were captured and punished. Cast 

The film's narration was voiced by Kamal Haasan (both trailer and film), Anil Kapoor (trailer)/Ajay Devgn (film), Rana Daggubati (trailer)/Chiranjeevi (film), Prithviraj Sukumaran (trailer)/Mammootty (film) and Jayanth Kaikini (trailer)/Upendra (film) in the Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages respectively. Production 

Ponniyin Selvan was originally planned as a single film with a budget of . After principal photography commenced in December 2019, it was reported in January 2020 that the film would be split into two parts, which was confirmed by Mani Ratnam that April. Both parts were to be shot back-to-back, with some sources reporting that the ₹500 crore budget was spread across two parts. In September 2021, production of the first part wrapped, with filming for a few sequences of the second part remaining. Part of this took place in March 2022, with a sequence involving Ravi and Karthi filmed in Mumbai. The remaining patchwork of Ponniyin Selvan: II was filmed in January 2023. Music 

The film score and soundtrack were composed by Mani Ratnam's regular collaborator A. R. Rahman. The audio rights of the film were purchased by Tips Industries. The soundtrack consists of seven original songs composed by A. R. Rahman. The first, "Aga Naga", was released as a single on 20 March 2023. The remaining tracks were revealed at a trailer and audio launch on 29 March 2023. Lyrics for the Tamil version of the soundtrack were written by Ilango Krishnan. It includes Sangam-literature poet Kudavayil Keerathanar's excerpts, whereas "Aazhi Mazhai Kanna" was inspired from Andal's Thiruppavai,  and "Shivoham" from Adi Shankara's Atma Shatakam in the Tamil version. Gulzar, Ananta Sriram, Chandrabose, Ramajogayya Sastry, Rafeeq Ahamed and Jayanth Kaikini wrote the song lyrics in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada respectively. In May 2023, Wasifuddin Dagar publicized that "Veera Raja Veera" had been adapted from a 1978 dhrupad composition by the Junior Dagar Brothers without attribution. Release

Theatrical 
Ponniyin Selvan: II was released in standard, IMAX, 4DX and EPIQ formats in theatres on 28 April 2023 worldwide. It is the first South Indian film to release in 4DX format. Distribution 
The distribution rights of the film in Tamil Nadu were acquired by Red Giant Movies. The Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights were bought by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations. The Kerala distribution rights were bought by Gokulam Gopalan's Sree Gokulam Movies. The North India distribution rights were acquired by Pen India Limited. Lyca Productions acquired the overseas distribution rights. Home media 
The digital streaming rights for the film were purchased by Amazon Prime Video for  and started streaming on the platform from 2 June 2023 in Tamil and dubbed versions of Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages. The Hindi dubbed version was premiered from 23 June 2023. The satellite rights of the film was sold to Sun TV. Reception

Box office 
The film grossed ₹345 crore and is currently the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023 and one of the highest-grossing Tamil films worldwide. Critical response 
Ponniyin Selvan: II received positive reviews from critics. Kirubhakar Purushothaman, of The Indian Express, gave 4.0 out of 5 stars and wrote "While the fans of the book might be disappointed with some major deviations from the book, the ace director understands the form won't let him be entirely faithful to the novel." Haricharan Pudipeddi, a critic of Hindustan Times, wrote "Apart from the gut-wrenching drama, it's the exquisite that elevate PS 2 in terms of delivering a larger-than-life viewing experience." M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and opined that "right until the climax, this doomed romance is what sustains the tension in this tale and drives the characters to make decisions that have far-reaching impact". Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated "Ratnam's spectacle may be steeped in fiction and fantasy but its entitlement and opportunism feels as real and relevant as ever." A critic from India Today gave 3 stars out of 5 stars and appreciated the film. Nandini Ramnath critic of Scroll.in mentioned the film as having "Mesmerising visuals and memorable characters". However, News18 gave a mixed review. 123telugu rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "Give it a shot if you love watching period dramas". Manoj Kumar of OTTplay gave 3 out of 5 and stated "Mani Ratnam has done a fabulous job in translating this epic novel onto the big screen". Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu called it a "satisfying sequel", saying that "Ponniyin Selvan: II takes creative liberties from Kalki's material, but the performances and cinematic touches keep you invested". References

External links 
 

2020s historical drama films
2023 films
4DX films
Adaptations of works by Kalki Krishnamurthy
Fiction about regicide
Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Films about princes
Films directed by Mani Ratnam
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Films set in the 10th century
Films set in the 13th century
Films set in the Chola Empire
Films shot at Ramoji Film City
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films shot in Karnataka
Films shot in Madhya Pradesh
Films shot in Pollachi
Films shot in Puducherry
Films shot in Rajasthan
Films shot in Tamil Nadu
Films shot in Thailand
Historical epic films
IMAX films
Indian epic films
Indian historical action films
Indian historical drama films
2020s Tamil-language films
2020s historical action films
Pan-Indian films