The audio DVDs of Kalki’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan brought out by playwright Bombay Kannan, were launched here on Friday.
The function, presided over by industrialist Nalli Kuppusamy Chettiyar, was attended by writer S Ramakrishnan and Kalki’s former editor Seetha Ravi. A patti mandram (debate) was held on the subject ‘What is the dominant factor in Kalki’s works – his extraordinary imagination or his illuminating ideas?’
Noted advocate Sumathi and journalist Tiruppur Krishnan took part in the debate. Bombay Kannan, the man behind the audio DVDs, began his acting career as a hobby with stalwarts such as YGP, Visu, Mouli and Mahendra. While working in a bank in Mumbai for eight years, Kannan continued to stage Tamil plays under the banner, Natakakkaaran. The DVDs of Ponniyin Selvan run close to 80 hours.
Kannan said he was inspired to take up the audio of Ponniyin Selvan by the commercial success of Sivakamiyin Sabatham. The project involved 60 or more artists who lent their voices and Kannan worked on it for more than six months. All the 15 songs, including that of Kalki and Ilango Adigal, were tuned and sung for the audio. Kannan himself narrated the parts which Kalki had written. The three DVDs are priced at `600.