'Ponnar Shankar' (Tamil, Historic)
Director: Thiagarajan
Cast: Prashanth, Pooja Chopra, Divya Parameshwaran, Sneha, Jayaram, Khushboo, Prakashraj, Napoleon, Rajkiran and Vijayakumar
With a well knit screenplay, brisk narrative, slick editing, opulent sets, impressive technical back-up from all departments, and a huge ensemble cast of actors fitting in suitably, Thiagarajan brings magnificently on to screen, the legendary story of the brave warrior twins Ponnar and Shankar, who fought to save their village from subservience.
An adaptation of CM Karunanidhi’s novel of the same name, the author has also scripted the film. Produced and directed by Thiagarajan, his son Prashanth plays dual roles in the film. The director’s great effort in infusing authenticity and grandeur is evident in each frame.
The scenes of intrigue, where the scheming Mandhiappan (Prakashraj) plots to strike an alliance with the powerful Periyamalai Gounder (Vijaykumar) by proposing to marry his daughter Thamarai are well handled. Mandhiappan’s cousin Nellaiyan was Thamarai’s childhood sweetheart, intended groom. But he was discredited in the eyes of the Gounder as a man of imbalanced mind.Thamarai, aware of the truth, marries Nellaiyan, earning the wrath of her family, with the scorned Mandhiappan vowing revenge. Forced to leave home, the couple (Khushboo, Jairam) are given refuge by Rakki Annan the respected martial arts trainer (Rajkiran leaves an impression).
And when Thamarai gives birth to twins Ponnar and Shankar, the noble Rakki realising their lives were in danger, sacrifices his own twin babies and brings up Ponnar and Shankar as his own. The duo grow up as brave warriors admired by the villagers. And amid political double-crossing and shifting loyalties, they strive to protect their village from subservience to outside powers. It’s an intriguing story well narrated.
There is no slackening of momentum, the narration moving at a rapid pace. But the ending comes rather abruptly. The fascinating saga could have been wrapped up in a smoother and more satisfactory manner. Prashanth carries his dual roles (his second after Jeans) with élan. Looking macho, the actor handles his characters with subtle differences, and comes out particularly impressive in the well choreographed combat scenes.
It’s been a rather long sabbatical for the father-son duo. And hopefully this film will bring them back into the mainstream. Celluloid versions of Kalaignar’s scripts that hit the screens in recent times ('Uliyin Osai', 'Ilaignan'), have been lackluster products.
But all credit goes to Thiagarajan who has exploited the potential of the story and showcased it engagingly on the screen.