Popular Indian filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s new film Punyan Selvan: 1, a Tamil-language epic period drama, has taken the box office by storm. Sudha Ji Tilak on what made the film a hit.
Punyan Selvan, based on one of India’s greatest emperors, is considered by many to be the best novel ever written in the Tamil language.
It was the name given by loyal subjects to Rajaraja Chola – whose name means ‘king of kings’ – of the Chola dynasty, which ruled the Tamil land from the 9th century to the 13th century.
Raja Raja was not the first of the Chola dynasty but he led their empire to its peak – from a relatively small kingdom to the dominant empire in India. His political influence extended to Sri Lanka, Maldives, Sumatra, Thailand and parts of Malaysia and he had diplomatic relations with China.
Historian Sunil Khulnani has written that Raja Raja “did something no Indian ruler had done before: he commanded merchant ships, launched wooden ships and sea expeditions, far from Daraz’s wealth was brought back home.”
The star-studded film, which cost $70m (£62m) to make, revolves around Ponniyin Selvan’s ascension to the throne as her father, the ailing king, retreats from royal duties.
