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Is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan playing the antagonist in 'Ponniyin Selvan'?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will play antagonist in Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan'

Is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan playing the antagonist in 'Ponniyin Selvan'?

Aug 05, 2021
02:00 pm

What's the story

Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam's upcoming magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvan is set to bring multiple popular actors on screen. While the makers have taken every step to keep the character details a secret, a list of the cast members and their roles are doing the rounds on the internet. It reveals that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will portray "Nandhini/Mandhakini," an antagonist, in this two-part movie.

Details

Also, Prakash Raj has replaced Amitabh Bachchan in this film

Earlier, speculations were rife that Ratnam has roped in Amitabh Bachchan for this period-drama. But, the list shows that Big B has been replaced by another megastar, Prakash Raj and his character is named Sundara Chozhar. Interestingly, the Singham villain is also a part of the Ratnam-produced anthology series, Navarasa. It will premiere on Netflix tomorrow. Besides Raj, Ponniyin Selvan features Vikram as well.

Cast

Karthi, Trisha, Jayam Ravi also star in pivotal roles

In the first part (PS-1), Vikram will appear in the role of Aditya Karikalan, according to the online list. Trisha will star as Kundhavi, Chozha princess and partner of Karthi's character, Vandhiyathevan. The movie also stars another pair comprising Jayam Ravi and Sobhita as Arulmozhi Varman and Vaanathi, respectively. Other actors are Aishwarya Lekshmi (Poonguzhali), Sarath Kumar (Periya Paluvetarayar) and Lal (Malayamaan) among others.

Antagonist

Rai is not the only antagonist in the movie

In period dramas, a single antagonist character isn't enough. So even though Ratnam has Rai as the main antagonist, there are also other bad guys who will star in the film. Riyaz Khan and Kishore will respectively play Soman Sambavan and Ravidhasan, both negative characters. Meanwhile, others will be Idumbankaari, Pinaagapani and Revadasa Kiramavithan. The makers haven't yet commented on the leaked list.

Twitter Post

Check out the full list of the cast here

Schedule

'Ponniyin Selvan' part one is slated for a 2022 release

Ponniyin Selvan is said to be an adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy's historical Tamil novel, which is based on the early life of Chola ruler, Rajaraja Chola I, born as Arulmozhi Varman. According to its poster, the movie's first part is slated to release next year, most probably in theaters. Presented by Subaskaran, the epic is being backed by Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies.

Twitter Post

This poster, released last month, gave crucial details