Mani Ratnam talks about making Ponniyin Selvan 2 a pan-Indian film

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam is currently gearing up for the release of his Magnum Opus Ponniyin Selvan II, The team has begun promotions in full swing, and have been traveling across the country. During an interview, Mani Ratnam opened up on what truly makes a film pan-Indian today.

In a recent interview with Hindu, Mani Ratnam was asked about pan-Indian films, the director responded, “We’ve been doing it since Chandralekha (1948), but those films were never called pan-Indian back then. We accepted our films to be this way long ago, while the rest of the north learnt to watch south Indian films, appreciate, encourage and develop them much later. It’s just a part of our growth and it’s healthy to see a film like Kantara, in a regional language, speaking about a regional culture, doing well across the country. No one is compelling directors or actors to make one kind of film. If we start doing that, it’ll make us stale soon. Doing different cinema rejuvenates us. Doing pan-Indian films is not a trap… but a choice,”

The period film made in two parts features Jayam Ravi in the role of prince Arulmozhivarman, while Vikram, Karthi, Trisha and Aishwarya Rai play key roles. PS2 will also release in Hindi along with the original Tamil version. The film is slated to release on April 28.