THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “It was a happy time for all of us shooting Ponniyin Selvan though it was done during the pandemic. There was nothing like pandemic blues for us while prepping for the magnum opus. Donning the costumes of period characters to sets which were rich with historic appeal, the film was a package of experience for all of us,” Chiyaan Vikram told TNIE on Tuesday while on his trip to the capital city as part of the Kerala promotions of his upcoming magnum opus multi-lingual film, Ponniyin Selvan, directed by Mani Ratnam.
The event also saw the participation of the other cast of the film including Baby Antony, Aiswarya Lekhsmi, Trisha Krishnan, Jayam Ravi and Karthi. At the press meet, the actors shared their opinions and aspirations about the movie based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel Ponniyin Selvan.
Sharing his opinion about the aftereffects of the pandemic while shooting the film, Mani Ratnam said that Covid made the team determined to work more. “I was very lucky to have a set of cast and crew who was totally with me throughout the process. The film was shot within a big gap of eight to nine months between schedules. The scenes were shot during the first and second lockdowns and post that,” said Mani Ratnam.
While for Malayalam actress Aiswarya Lekhsmi, the film seems to be a blessing for her acting career.
Actor Karthi, who dons the role of warrior prince Vanthiyathevan, took his time to share his experience working with actor Jayaram, who has also portrayed an important role in the film.