Ponniyin Selvan: Rajinikanth reveals Mani Ratnam refused to cast him; Thalaivar wanted Sridevi to play Kundavai before Trisha Krishnan
During Ponniyin Selvan trailer launch, Rajinikanth revealed that he had asked Mani Ratnam to give him the character of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar but the filmmaker declined his request. Thalaivar had also imagined Sridevi as Kundavai before Trisha Krishnan.
Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam launched the trailer and audio of his highly anticipated magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan at a star studded event in Chennai on Tuesday. It was attended by India's walking legends Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan along with the film's cast including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Trisha Krishnan, Naaser, Parthiban among others. During the launch, Rajinikanth revealed that he was keen to star in the film but Mani Ratnam declined his request.
Rajinikanth said that he had asked Mani Ratnam to give the character of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar adding that he will do a special appearance. However, Mani Ratnam said that Rajini fans wouldn't have accepted Thalaivar in the role and they would have bashed the filmmaker for this. "Anyone else would have agreed, but Mani didn't. That's Mani Ratnam," Rajini added. The film stars R Sarathkumar as Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar.
The Kabali star also revealed that when he read the story of Ponniyin Selvan, he had imagined Kamal as Arulmozhivarman, Sridevi as Kundavai, Vijaykanth as Aditya Karikalan and Sathyaraj as Pazhuvettaraiyar. The film stars Trisha as Kundavai, Vikram as Aditya Karikalan and Jayam Ravi as Arulmozhivarman.
The trailer of Ponniyin Selvan has managed to keep the fans intrigued with his grandeur, dramatic costumes, long shot battlefield, intense characters and larger-than-life scenes. The cast has also left a mark on the audience. It now remains to be seen how the story of the Chola Kingdom will unfold in theatres and connect with the audience.