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Organising “Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” rallies for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge across states has become sort of a political hazard in the Congress. Asked to convene such rallies, Congressmen are literally shivering in their pants considering what happened with Buxar District Congress President Manoj Pandey who was sacked for not organising enough crowds. A livid Kharge had stripped Pandey of his post in an election year in Bihar when he confronted empty chairs on a Sunday afternoon mid-April. No Congress leader is willing to risk the wrath of Kharge. That is why Tamil Nadu Congress leaders recently held a meeting to draw up a plan to organise a meeting on May 4 to be held in Teynampet area in Chennai addressed by Kharge. It was decided that the target to mobilise crowds would be shared by various leaders at different levels. That is eight Lok Sabha MPs from the state would be given the responsibility of bringing a crowd of 5000 people each and 17 party MLAs were given the target of bringing about 1000 people each. Party office bearers from 76 districts were tasked to bring 500 people each. In all the ballpark crowd size of 95,000 to 1 lakh. Some office bearers even suggested raising funds from ally DMK ministers to organise the event. It wasn’t just to bowl over Kharge. The general argument was an impressive show by the Congress that could even make the DMK concede more seats in the TN assembly elections next year. Explaining the lack of crowd at Buxar, Manoj Pandey blamed it on the scorching heat. If Bihar couldn’t withstand the heat in April, will Chennai put up with searing heat in May just to make a political point?
The Pahalgam terror-attack that resulted in deaths of innocent Indians and a foreign tourist holidaying in the Kashmir Valley may cause a deeper deterioration in India-Pakistan cricket ties. Hitherto the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), adhering to a long-standing government guideline, does not engage Pakistan in bilateral series across formats. An Indian cricket team — men, women and under-19 — has not played on Pakistan soil for more than one and a half decades (since 2008), but Pakistan played the ICC World Cup 2023 matches in India — at Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai. The BCCI though maintained its position of not sending the men in blue team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in February-March this year. India played all its matches in Dubai. The Indian government has always maintained that Pakistan is a State-sponsor of terror strikes in the Northern Indian State of Jammu & Kashmir and hence there is no place for bilateral cricketing relationship with Pakistan. The BCCI was quick to condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam and used the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad to pay homage to the victims. A hybrid model was worked out for the ICC Champions Trophy and the same is the formula worked out for future ICC events ending in 2027. Pakistan has qualified for the ICC Women’s World Cup to be hosted by India this September-October and it will not travel to India. Will the BCCI take the extreme step of not playing against Pakistan or request the ICC and ACC that India should not be placed in the same group as Pakistan. Only time will tell.
Less than a week after the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack, the Congress has shed all pretence of extending its cooperation to the government. It is back to fretting and molly-coddling its Muslim vote bank. That is why Karnataka excise minister RB Thimmapur rushed to doubt if the “perpetrators of the attack in Pahalgam would have asked the name and the religion of victims” and insisted “it is unfair to target a particular religion over the attack”. This even as the wife of a victim from Shivamogga had helplessly watched her husband being shot dead, after the terrorists asked the name and religion before shooting the male tourists. Building a defence for the assailants, the minister argued it wasn’t the gunmen who asked for the name and religion of the tourists. Religious colour was being given to cover up intelligence failure. “Kargil, Pulwama and now Pahalgam are the result of central intelligence failure. The BJP has been playing politics over deaths,” the minister argued. Why was the Congress minister making a case for Pakistani terror operatives? It wasn’t just the minister, even chief minister Siddaramaiah had caught the attention of the Pak media playing up his comment saying that there is “no need for war” over the Pahalgam terror attack. He was dubbed “Pakistani Ratna” by the state BJP. With RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat making it clear that “it is duty of the king to protect the people” and urging the government to teach errant neighbour a lesson, PM Modi assured in his Mann Ki Baat that bereaved families will get justice; he felt the terror strike was to destroy the Kashmir narrative with peace and normalcy returning.
Leading silver screen personality Atul Kulkarni has reached Kashmir to spread the message that the state belongs to India and every Indian will visit it. Kulkarni has been known for his fearless stand on many sensitive issues and has never minced words while expressing his sentiments. A fierce advocate of the freedom of expression, Kulkarni has been in great demand for a variety of roles on the stage and in films. His statement has been welcomed since several prominent thespians have chosen to remain mute after the dreaded Pahalgam terror attack. Kulkarni has made it clear that he has no shooting schedule in Kashmir neither has his visit been sponsored by any travel company or hotel. Kulkarni said the intent of the attack is to finish the tourism potential of Kashmir. Referring to his discussions with local people in the state over the past few days, he said the most vital factor is people’s unity, even more important than money. This process had started and over the last two years, a record number of tourists had visited the state. Local people are happy when tourists come. “We have to transmit this message all over,” he said. Another popular actor, Riteish Deshmukh said this attack was not just terror but was a targeted massacre. The masterminds and organisations behind this ghastly attack must be crushed, he said in a message while expressing his anguish.
The AIADMK-BJP alliance is not the only cause of anxiety for DMK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin. Senior ministers in his cabinet are as much of a headache for the chief honcho. While trusted lieutenant and money handler V Senthil Balaji put in his resignation on April 27 after strictures from the top court, so too the education minister K Ponmudy quit on the same day as he was also under fire for needlessly disparaging comments that drew the ire of a High Court judge who called for a suo motu FIR against him. Did he really need to joke about Brahmin sects and sexual positions and denigrating the whole of womanhood? Brahmin baiting may be fair game for the DMK that evolved out of the Justice Party, but vilifying women outraged a senior woman party leader in Kanimozhi who spoke out. The most senior minister among Stalin’s cabinet colleagues, Duraimurugan, who was just emerging from the woods after a tasteless description of physically challenged people — whom he called ‘nondis’ using an old Tamil term for lame people — when an old case came out of the woodwork to haunt him. A DA case has re-emerged to trouble the minister as the Madras High Court cancelled his acquittal by a lower court. Even the highly regarded IT minister Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) was pulled up by the Speaker for saying in the Assembly that his ministry had no funds to create new IT parks. He was told there must be a better way to approach the government for funds.
This week has been particularly bleak for the Indian box office with a series of film releases failing to resonate with audiences and resulting in dismal collections. Ground Zero, featuring Emraan Hashmi and Sai Tamhankar opened with a mere Rs 1.15 crore, and despite a slight uptick to Rs 1.90 crore on its second day, the total collection of Rs 3.05 crore over the weekend is far from impressive. Lack of effective marketing played a significant role as it struggled to gain visibility and attract viewers. With no substantial draw for Emraan Hashmi, the film was destined for disaster. So too was Ananth Mahadevan’s Phule. The film was mired in controversy, particularly due to opposition from certain groups in Pune and an outburst from Anurag Kashyap regarding Brahmin representation. Despite the buzz surrounding these issues, the film starring Prateek Gandhi and Patralekha, opened to a disappointing Rs 21 lakh on its first day. Although the reviews praised the direction and storytelling, the film managed to collect a meagre Rs 47 lakh over the weekend. This is one of the most underwhelming openings in recent memory, especially considering the positive reviews. The re-release of the classic Andaz Apna Apna was anticipated to follow in the footsteps of successful re-releases like Sanam Teri Kasam. However, it too fell flat, opening with just Rs 25 lakh on its first day…culminating in a total of Rs 55 lakh over the weekend. This performance is disappointing for a film with such a legacy, indicating that nostalgia alone is not enough to draw audiences back to theatres. Overall, the fate of these three Hindi films can be described as disastrous. Factors contributing to their lacklustre performance include weak scripts, average brand recall, insufficient visibility, and inadequate marketing strategies.
Film launches and releases are taking on novel and highly customised market promos. Naturally, with crores riding on success, all stakeholders pitch in their best. Suriya’s Retro, directed by Kartik Subburaj, slated for release on May 1 ensured all the bells and whistles…and more. Veteran South actor and Suriya’s dad, Sivakumar went on stage as a proud father and fan boy of his son. His over the top accolades for his son’s rise could be because Suriya is still recovering from the disaster of Kanguva and the team wanted to make the event eventful. Sivakumar said, Suriya was the first one to have six pack abs. Expectedly this got a spate of trolls as chiselled abs are nothing new in show business. But the way Sivakumar traced the rise and success journey of his son, it touched hearts. When both his sons – Suriya, Karthi – were teens the father had consulted an astro, who predicted a great presence for Suriya in the world of cinema. Sivakumar was nonplussed as Suriya hardly spoke four words in a day, he is so introverted and quiet. I think this soothsayer is “loose”. But things started gaining momentum when ace directors Vasanth and Mani Ratnam called Suriya for screen tests even as father pleaded with them not to raise high hopes. Mani Ratnam’s film Nerukku Ner was a hit. A still from that movie made Ratnam say “those eyes will give sleepless nights to female fans”. Yes, like all stars Suriya too had his ups and downs. But his place as a reliable hero and bankable star is assured. Retro may vault him back.
On June 14, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi will be completing a one-year term in the office. Has the CM who has the backing of the PM delivered? There are mixed reports from the ground. Some are saying that Odia people are fed up with lip service of the Majhi government – the same line “work in progress and grandiose investment plans”. The general feeling is that Majhi has simply tweaked close to two dozen schemes of the BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik. It is a cut and paste job without any value addition –BJD’s colour green has been changed to BJP’s saffron in government buildings and buses. But a clued-in analyst has a different take. He points out that Majhi is considered “accessible CM” in a stark contrast to BJD’s chief minister Naveen Patnaik with whom ordinary people had no access. Besides, it would be inappropriate to compare the two CMs performances — one with 8 months governance record and the other with 290-month dream run. Adding further he says, BJD failed to fulfil their promise of giving bonus of Rs 100 per quintal to poverty-stricken farmers om Western Odisha’s Sohela in Bargarh district. Here, the Majhi government took a decision in just 24 minutes in its cabinet meeting to provide Rs 800 per quintal input assistance to farmers, apart from providing annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to around one crore women in the state. But the general lament is that Odia people voted for BJP, so that it effectively weeds out “mafia raj” and “percentage raj” but nothing substantial has happened in this direction. Meanwhile, the BJD has not lost the opportunity to brand Majhi as a “copycat” government.
The game of one-upmanship between Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and Maharashtra’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, that followed in the relief operations for the tourists affected by the Pahalgam terrorist attack, exposed the friction within Mahayuti government. Shinde duplicated the efforts of the Fadnavis government with his parallel visits and relief flights for the stranded tourists there. While Shinde was meeting tourists at Pahalgam, donating to the local Muslim victim and even holding parleys with Jammu and Kashmir’s deputy chief minister, Fadnavis was restricted to paying condolence visits to Pahalgam victim families at Pune. This wasn’t Shinde’s first attempt at duplication of governance; earlier too he had set up parallel medical relief funds in tandem with Fadnavis’ official ones. Shinde may have been cornered within Mahayuti with many of his decisions as CM either being withdrawn, stayed, kept in abeyance or simply rejected but he is not lying quiet and instead seizing the moment like he did at Pahalgam. He is also trying to assert himself as a Hindutva mascot and trying to usurp the advantage enjoyed by the Thackeray cousins even if they were to come together. Shinde’s attempt to carve out his own distinct identity in Fadnavis’ term, is clearly not going down with the man and the party at the helm. The BJP is clearly upset with Shinde’s attempt to hog the credit and not let the landslide majority government have its way. Shinde may be indispensable to the BJP in the run-up to the BMC polls to woo the Marathi manoos vote bank but remains to be seen how this open friction between Shinde and Fadnavis may play out for the Mahayuti in the forthcoming local elections.
The recent Supreme Court order invalidating the West Bengal government’s 2016 appointment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff triggered off sitting demonstrations and agitation in the state. During the course of agitation what came to the fore was, the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee was not countering the attack from the front. He consciously stepped away from the frontline, raising serious questions about the cracks within the party’s top leadership. It is also obvious that Abhishek’s public appearances have been reduced to congratulatory social media posts for local football clubs and the occasional endorsement of police efforts in his constituency. His last major political intervention was a virtual meeting on March 15. Since then, his near-total disengagement from party affairs has triggered anxiety within TMC’s rank and file, many of whom now openly question the party’s leadership strategy. The official narrative claims Mamata Banerjee has asked Abhishek to focus on national politics. But Abhishek’s loyal followers say that he was deliberately being sidelined from talking on the school recruitment scandal. Instead the State President Subrata Bakshi was given the job of doing all the heavy weight lifting on this front. Sure enough, his exclusion has left his loyalists demoralised. Further, Abhishek’s social media activities, particularly his praise for Diamond Harbour police during communal tensions and earlier disapproval of police actions post the RG Kar Hospital incident, are being interpreted as subtle criticism of the state government’s performance. These posts have drawn further scrutiny and are being read by Opposition parties as indirect jabs at the administration led by Didi.
Multifaceted Kamal Haasan launched the first song of Thug Life written by him. The song titled Jingucchhan sounded Chinese to many of the pan India gathering of Journos. Kamal with his inimitable spontaneity started off in Tamil, quite expecting a mild protest…quickly sauntered to English, the “The Link Language” of India. Thug Life is a collaboration of ace director Mani Ratnam and Ulaga Nayagan (world hero) Kamal, after a gap of 35 years. They worked together for the iconic classic, Nayakan released in 1987. Kamal himself wondered why there was this hiatus? Before any surmises, he skipped on to actor Abirami (his one-time heroine), who had talked about being his ardent fan from age 11. A crestfallen Kamal gently chided her “with Trisha on the stage, you need not have referred to my age”. He built up the narrative to interesting highlights, especially the comparison of his two directors …late K Balachander and Mani Ratnam. Not just Kamal’s engaging oratory but Simbu’s compelling presence in a chequered suit and a luxurious man bun further added to his star personality when he openly vouched for Kamal as his Guru. Kamal for his part retaliated that through the movie he had no chance to say I love you to either Trisha or Abirami. Trisha and Simbu are paired after a 15-year gap. As always, a pragmatic Kamal said “now we wait for your verdict, after doing our best”. More memes of Thug Life to blow Tupac Shakur’s creation?
Something very laudable is happening in Kollywood. Acclaimed film director Bala was all praise and laurels for a just released film Vaazhai, directed by Mari Selvaraj which would have easily passed into oblivion, as it has no glitzy stars nor high amp pre- promos. Just a cute story that unfolds and tugs at your heartstrings, the kind of film that the audience relegates as Festival types. A teary-eyed, highly talented director Bala hugged Mari Selvaraj and said, “We are surely and supremely on the road to global acclaim for Tamil cinema and artists”. Ace director Mani Rathnam too praised the film. Result: 60% of the theatre audience have watched this movie due to endorsements by these well-known directors. There is a big sea change happening, and a very essential change in the themes, treatment, cast and most telling in the budget. Sensible producers like Sivakarthikeyan and directors like Vinothraj have touched audience sensibilities that over the top budget and cast do not make a film watchable. Actor Sivakarthikeyan is glowing with pride that his just released Kottukkaali (fresh from its showing at the 74th Berlin Festival) has garnered rave reviews from peers and patrons. Soori, the film’s main protagonist/antagonist has risen like a colossus from his earlier avatar as a comedian, sidekick. Bollywood and its bean counters are sure to be wondering if it is not big money, then what is the secret sauce of such small budget films. Simple themes but powerful storytelling.
Now that the election Punch and Judy show is over in Tamil Nadu, south India’s biggest director Mani Ratnam is seriously back to shooting Thug Life. For those who may not recall why Mani Ratnam wants to get back to Thug Life, Raj Kamal Movies, Red Giant Movies and Madras Talkies announced their joint venture creation with a marquee star lineup. Kamal Haasan heads the cast, Trisha, Dulquer Salmaan, Jeyam Ravi, Aishwarya Lekshmi to name a few. The elections came as a speed breaker, with Kamal campaigning for the DMK. The shooting was also paused as Dulquer and Jeyam Ravi opted out as they could not accommodate the delayed call sheets. After much debate, Simbu was signed up for Dulquer’s role and Aravind Swamy in place of Jeyam Ravi. It is interesting to note that all these stars have worked with Mani Ratnam, a comfort level both share. Simbu had given the hit Cheka Sivanda Vaanam. Recently a schedule with Kamal, Simbu, Abirami and Nasser was shot in Delhi. Simbu coming on board was marked by glimpse video teasers, especially the one which shows a huge dust drift kicked up presumably by a car driven by him titled “A New Thug in Town “. Mani Ratnam and his iconic treatment of every storyline he films is pure cinematic genius. His muse could be a Thug, Saint or the Devil himself. The audience is waiting impatiently to watch his thuggery.
Twenty-two years after her debut in 2002 in Tamil movie Maunam Pesiyade, Trisha Krishnan has proved that her staying power is awesome. A fine blend of looks, talent and guts, Trisha, Mani Rathnam’s muse in the much-talked about Ponniyin Selvan has moved into the number one slot so far held by Nayanthara. Her character Kundavai was as much talked about as Aishwarya Rai’s Ponni in the magnum opus, skyrocketing her popularity. Today, Trisha has over 12 movies in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. She stars with Salman Khan in the The Bull. The list of her to be released movies would turn any top heroine envious. Thug Life, VidaMuyarchi, GOAT, Saduranga Vettai all with top actors like Vijay, Ajit, Kamal and now Salman. Naturally, it has pitchforked her remuneration to 12 crore per film. Nayanthara and Samantha were getting around Rs 8-10 crore. Once seen as Rana Dagubatti’s significant other, she broke up with him, and walked into two much talked about engagements; then she walked out of it at the last minute from both, raising her hellion reputation to more highs. She has led her personal life very much the way she desired, not afraid of reputation smears. Media has chronicled her midnight beach escapades with chosen friends, in spirited states. But when it comes to work, she adheres punctiliously to form and meets her director’s expectations, a trait that the volatile world of films really values. Without doubt Trisha is riding high.
Fans are already panting and chomping at the bit in anticipation of Mani Ratnam’s Thug Life, Kamal Haasan’s 234th movie produced by Rajkamal Films and Red Giant movies with AR Rahman scoring the music. Of course talk immediately veers to the Hollywood Godfathers of Gangster films, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Sergio Leone, who set benchmarks for edge of the seat classics. Mani Rathnam is no novice, his classics Nayakan and Dalapathi are still etched in film buff’s memories. Fresh after the super hit two part Ponniyin Selvan, Rathnam is chiselling Thug Life frame by frame, directing some of the most talented south stars — Kamal, Jeyam Ravi, Dulquer Salman and Trisha. Kollywood has created a promising bag of tricks to keep fans asking for more till the release of the film. Apart from cannily posted tit bits on social media, the trends for pre-marketing promos are getting more sophisticated. Thug Life trackers are getting to savour goodies like glimpse videos which post new additions to the already formidable cast. Imagine the anticipation for Joju George fans (his recent multi-dimensional films Puli Mada, Joseph and Iratta have set the screens on fire) with his glimpse video for Thug Life. Gautham Karthik is also in the lineup. But the actor who really hit the target is Aishwarya Lekshmi, the Ponniyin Selvan underplayed glamorous siren. Kamal and Mani Rathnam, the conniving cousins are about to make gangster film history with Thug Life.
Kamal Haasan has turned a legend in his lifetime, conquering artistic heights that only a few Indian actors have scaled. The Ulaga Nayagan (universal hero) sobriquet in his case is not just a cinematic encomium but a justified title. A skilled Bharat Natyam artist, screenplay and story writer, singer, director and actor, his every film only adds to his aura. Veteran actor Sivakumar says, “I consider only two actors as unparalleled – the late Shivaji Ganesan, and Kamal.” Kamal turned 69 on November 7. Imagine the delight of his fans when his upcoming movie with Mani Ratnam was introduced with a riveting title video Thug Life. Thirty five years after the worldwide acclaim of Ratnam and Kamal’s classic Nayakan, Thug Life will soon play in cinemas enhanced by its team of super talented artists –AR Rahman, Dulquer Salman, Trisha and Jayam Ravi. The cherry on the cake was the voice over of Kamal, “I am Ranganayakan Saktivel Nayakkar from Kayalpattinam“, enough to send diehard Kamal fans into ecstasy. Thug Life is bankrolled by his own production house and Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant Movies. This conveys a significant message; business is business and political postures are on a different track, expedient and expected. Kamal has annoyed the DMK by insisting that his party Makkal Needhi Maiyyam be given three seats — Coimbatore, Madurai and South Chennai.
South’s popular actor Trisha Krishnan is still in royal mode after her superlative performance as the Chola Princess Kundavai in Mani Ratnam’s two-part magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvan. After the slick success of her film with Vijay Sethupathi, 96 in 2018, her career was on a downward plunge. And then after her 40th birthday, she hit the mother lode with Ponniyin Selvan, a role she carried with much elan, and grace even when pitted against beauty queen Aishwarya Rai. Post Ponniyin Selvan, Trisha is the most sought after star. She has signed six new films with all top heroes. Just shows what a legendary director and his talent to showcase an actor as a living character of the story can do to falling ratings. Trisha is already in Leo with superstar Vijay, a pairing that reminds of their earlier super hit, Gilli. She has Vidamuairchi with hero Ajit. She has signed up for a Mani Ratnam directed Kamal Haasan movie, ready to pit her acting skill against Dhanush in his 50th film and has a hot Malayalam film with Mohanlal. Besides, first web serial The Road. Looks like her 40th birthday was the turning point of her life. K Town is in awe of this petite pack of dynamite who leaves an unforgettable impression. Despite talk of romantic links after she walked out of two engagements.
A close confidant of the late Kalaignar, and now a father figure to his son, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, PWD Minister Duraimurugan is well-known for his wit and wisecracks that evoke laughter…sometimes silent resentment. Recently Duraimurugan was the chief guest at the launch of Ponniyin Selvan – 2 Trailer & Music with Lyca chairman Subhaskaran Allirajah presiding over the event. Duraimurugan started off reminiscing about what he told the producer before Part 1. “I was fascinated by Kalki’s epic as a student and read it with interest. But when Subhaskaran told me that he is bringing it to the big screen at a mammoth budget, I had reservations. I even tried to talk him out of it. Then I asked him, “Who is the director?” I was told it was Mani Ratnam, “I asked Mani Ratnam…The one who shoots all his films in the dark? No, don’t“. But, after the super success of the film with its ensemble cast, Duraimurugan changed his views. He praised the film, and talked about a particular character, Vandiya Devan played so endearingly by Karthi. He is particularly fond of this character, who is supposed to be from Thiruvalam, part of Duraimurugan’s constituency. Even history gets linked to politics!
Every TV news channel had a noisy field time discussing thread bare, was Raja Raja Chozhan, the Chola Emperor who built the immortal Tanjore Temple, a Hindu? Why this sudden mushroom cloud about an Emperor’s religious leanings, that too extrapolating from a film that has made history in more ways than just cinematic? Kalki’s immortal 5-part compendium Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan, written over 70 years ago, with few attempts at filming it, has remained a seminal magnum opus literary work. Even Kamal Haasan is said to have toyed with the idea of a film based on it. After the unalloyed success of his Vikram, box office collection of Rs 600 crore, Kamal’s cinematic ego and artistic aura may have been bruised by Ponniyin Selvan-Part 1 collecting Rs 300 crore in just six days of release. The legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam has succeeded beyond expectations. With his cinematic craft, and perhaps the only one who could bring Kalki’s classic to the screen…on a breath-taking scale of the art and architecture of the Golden Era of the Cholas, of beauteous women who powered exquisite palace intrigues, an era that still stands tall and unmatched, etched in stone in temples, an era when Hinduism showcased its finest traditions of Shaivite and Vaishnavite worship. Ponniyin Selvan will remain a spectacular pan Indian film, and a feat hard to match.
The teaser of Mani Ratnam’s mammoth, magnificent multi-lingual Ponniyin Selvan (Part 1) has already garnered 1 crore views in just 24 hours of its launch at the Chennai Trade Centre. Taking a leaf out of Kamal Haasan’s pre-release carpetbagging blitz for his film Vikram, Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions have creatively unleashed the promos. First, there were posters of Aishwarya Rai, who plays the pivotal role of Pazhuvur Rani Nandini in her grand Chola-era costumes and jewellery. Then came Trisha, who plays Princess Kundavai in an equally attractive costume, followed by Vikram, Karti, Jeyam Ravi and others. The multilingual teasers, each launched by regional super stars Surya, Mohan Lal, Mahesh Babu, Rakshit Shetty and Amitabh Bachchan, have kindled high expectations. In an age when reading classics and following history is fast dying, Mani Ratnam has kindled interest in the late Kalki’s immortal literary classic, Ponniyin Selvan, the saga of the Golden Age of the Chola dynasty, and in particular Raja Raja Chozhan. The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones are sure to be compared as benchmarks for this extraordinary visual panorama. Ratnam has harnessed the best of cinematic talent, AR Rahman’s music, Thota Tharani’s Art, Ravi Varman’s cinematography – and the piece de resistance, Kamal Haasan as the Sutradaar narrator. Madras Talkies has mounted the Chola-era classic to be a much talked about film.
Mani Ratnam’s cinematic genius and the late Amarar Kalki’s literary genius merge in the soon to be released magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvan (The son of Ponni). But which screen? Cinema lovers wait with bated breath for a Mani Ratnam movie; his every script and film have riveted audience to an amazing creative spark, unparalleled in Tamil cinema, and in the Hindi adaptations. So, we are justified in speculating, will Ponniyin Selvan stride the premium screens, like the cult Spartacus? Or OTT, if the pandemic plays foul? Such challenges are sleight of hand for Ratnam. Cine buffs are goggle eyed about the omnibus ensemble cast. The joke doing the rounds, except Rajini and Kamal, most Kollywood top stars are in the film: Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Sarath Kumar, Prakash Raj, Trisha, Keerthi Suresh, Nayantara, Aishwarya Lekshmi and more top rung names. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is in the lead. With AR Rahman‘s mesmerising music, palace intrigues, conquests and empire building, awe inspiring temples that still stand as testament to the Chola era artistic genius, beautiful women and intricate costumes, audience expectation is sky high. Ponniyin Selvan, we expect, will match the grandeur and scale of the Tanjore Big Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola, an architectural feat unmatched so far
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.