While the craze for Ponniyin Selvan-I has barely died down, the makers have kickstarted the promotions for its sequel. We got our first glimpse into the world of Ponniyin Selvan-I with the song Ponni Nadhi and now the introduction to the sequel happens to be Aga Naga. With the sublime composition of AR Rahman running as a common thread between them both, another similarity is that both the songs have been written by Ilango Krishnan.
When asked about this coincidence, the lyricist says that, “Director Mani Ratnam wanted Ponni Nadhi to introduce the first film because it was a good introduction into the world of the film but for PS-II we went with Aga Naga because even though it was used concisely in the first film. It had a huge impact, it went viral.” He then continues, “And also the song comes at a very crucial part in the second film.”
Ilango asserts that the lyrics for Aga Naga had been written well before the release of the first film but Rahman has reworked the song after PS-I’s release. He says, “After Aga Naga became such a hit, Rahman has worked on the song again, the composition has been enhanced. It has come out beautifully.”
Ilango Krishnan has written Ponni Nadhi, Chola Chola, and Devaralan Attam for PS-I. During the release of the first film, in a conversation with CE, he talked about extensive research into Sangam-era Tamil literature to find words for his songs in the film. When asked about the work that went into Aga Naga, he says, “Andhadhi is a form of Tamil poetry that uses the last word in a verse to start the next verse. The pallavi in Aga Naga is structured like an Andhadhi.”
The lyricist goes on to reveal that he has written a number of songs for PS-II and expressed an infectious excitement by saying, “I cannot wait for the audience to listen to this album.”