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Tamil filmmaking legend Mani Ratnam takes on the formidable task of adapting Indian bestseller “Ponniyin Selvan” as a two-part epic, the first of which released to excellent box office at home and abroad on Sept. 29. Streamlining the source material considerably, this impressive franchise starter — co-written by Ratnam, Jayamohan and Kumaravel — remains mostly faithful to Kalki Krishnamurthy’s five novels, first serialized in the 1950s in the Tamil magazine Kalki before being translated into multiple other languages, including English.

The books were based on the great ruler Raja Raja Chola, who expanded his empire from modern-day Tamilnadu all the way north to the Ganges. Set to the music of Oscar winner A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”), “Ponniyin Selvan: Part One” boasts great battles on land and sea. The spy-vs.-spy nature of the story suggests a 12th-century Bourne movie, interspersed with song and dance.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Southern India was ruled by the Cheras,...

KollywoodSet against a city’s vista defined by its skyscrapers, the red-hued poster has Kamal’s iconic vigilante standing upright in his old khakis.Tnm StaffKamal Haasan-Shankar’s Indian 2 is currently being filmed, after considerable delay. While the film’s first-look was revealed for Pongal this year, the latest poster where Senapathy aka ‘Indian thatha’ stands tall was released on Independence Day. Set against a city’s vista defined by its skyscrapers, the red-hued poster has Kamal’s iconic vigilante striking a pose in his old khaki Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose style outfit from India’s freedom struggle days. pic.twitter.com/cMeJYxkMAa — Shankar Shanmugham (@shankarshanmugh) August 15, 2019 While the first-look poster announced that the film’s shooting would begin from January 18, work officially began only on Monday this week. Reports say that the makers are planning on completing the shooting within the next six months. Just last week, Kamal Haasan...

Kollywood Kamal as Senapathy, self-styled vigilante who prefers the monicker ‘Indian’, is seen blurred out in the poster. Tnm StaffThe first-look poster of Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2, his reunion with director S Shankar after 22 years, was released early on Pongal. The poster’s focus is on the iconic ‘varma-kalai’ that was made famous in the first film. Kamal as Senapathy, a self-styled vigilante who prefers the monicker ‘Indian’, is seen blurred out in the poster. The first-look poster, however, does not reveal any more about the film. The poster reveals that shooting will begin from January 18. With Anirudh roped in for the film’s music, cinematographer Ravi Varman will be the DoP. Indian 2 is being bankrolled by Lyca Productions. The film’s dialogues will be penned by writer Jayamohan, lyricist Kabilan Vairamuthu and Lakshmi Saravanakumar while the prequel Indian had late writer Sujatha on board. This action drama has Jack Gill,...