As we are weeks away from the release of Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan II, a film that proclaims the pride of the Cholan empire, one more historic epic film, Yaathisai, based on the Pandiyas hits the screens one week earlier. Helmed by Dharani Rasendran, the film stars only new faces and is made with a surprisingly tight budget. The debutant wishes to clear off all the comparisons to Ponniyin Selvan. “Both are completely different films.
I specifically wanted to make a film on the Pandiyas as there’s very less documentation about the empire, unlike Cholas. Yaathisai focuses on Ranadheera Pandiyan, one of the most powerful rulers and his contemporary clans like the Einars.” He adds that he would have made a film on the Cheras or the Pallavas instead if the Pandiyas had been more explored in films earlier. “The idea was to make a film about Tamil pride, while also educating the audience on unknown history.”
Set in the 7th Century, the story starts at a period when the Pandiyas had captured most of the Chola lands and had set their reign in many parts of the South. “When an emperor of a dynasty waged a war, smaller kings supported him. In this story, the Einars are one of the kingdoms that fought alongside Cholas in the war against the Pandiyas. A clan that once led a prosperous life, the Einars are destroyed and reduced to poverty when the Cholas lose the battle. Forced to move to the forests and live as nomads, they decide to wage a war against the Pandiyas.”
The USP of a film like Ponniyin Selvan is its star cast, crew, and production value. Yaathisai, on the other hand, has an entire team of new faces. Asked about his bold choice, the director says, “Four years ago, when I was an independent filmmaker, I had many beginners in my cast. So, when I got the opportunity to make Yaathisai, I did not want to leave them behind.”
Though Dharani was given a budget that was a perfect fit for his vision, that also meant no waste of money. “We put in a lot of effort in pre-production. We prepared a storyboard for every scene in the film and executed it perfectly. We removed only one scene in the climax. We made the actors rehearse their scenes, shot the rehearsals and edited them to see where we went wrong. Steps like these helped us utilise the given budget efficiently,” he shares.
While the plot of Yaathisai encompasses conflict between various kingdoms on the surface, Dharani reiterates that the film also has a psychological angle to it. “Through Yaathisai, I have explored the power dynamics in politics, and this applies to real-life politics of any place at any time. The film will reflect society’s thirst for power over human values,” Dharani signs off.