Ajay Devgn to narrate the Hindi version of Aishwarya Rai’s Ponniyin Selvan: Part-1
Ponniyin Selvan: Part-1, a highly anticipated movie from Mani Ratnam, is about to hit theatres, and anticipation is strong. He is after all regarded as one of Indian cinema’s best directors. Although the popularity of crossover movies has increased recently, his films have been well received in Hindi-speaking regions ever since Roja (1992). Ponniyin Selvan: Part-1, which will be released on September 30, has a chance to succeed not only in the Southern markets but also in the Hindi-speaking regions.
On September 24, Mani Ratnam held a major press conference for the movie in Mumbai, which was also attended by the cast members (Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, and Trisha), as well as the music director, AR Rahman. Ajay Devgn’s narration for the movie was announced by him at this event. He disclosed this and complimented the talented actor, with whom he had previously collaborated on Yuva (2004). Anil Kapoor was also acknowledged for providing the Hindi voiceover for the theatrical trailer.
Mani Ratnam said, “PS (Ponniyin Selvan) has been a dream for a very long time, since the time I first read the book during my school days. I neither thought I’d ever get into films nor did I think I’d make it. But it’s always been my calling to be made. It’s so spectacular as a story and as an adventure. Several people had tried to do this before. They couldn’t for various reasons. Maybe they wanted to leave it for me! I am so happy and so glad that I got a chance to make it, that too at this point in time when the technology has improved tremendously.”
“Hence, we were able to make it with a lot more comfort and authenticity. To be able to do it with this kind of cast and crew, with actors who are not just right for the role but also care for the film, is very special. I’d like to thank each one of them. I’d also like to thank the producer (Allirajah Subaskaran) who trusted us and gave us the money to go ahead and make it.”
The filmmaker then added, “I have two more people thank. They are from the Hindi film industry. One is Anil Kapoor. It was his voice in the trailer. And the other is Ajay Devgn. It will be his voice in the film.”
He said, “This is the film that M G Ramachandran wanted to make. And I thought of making it after my film Nayakan (1987) with Kamal Haasan. We both wanted to do this film. At that time, we had not started casting. We just had Kamal as the hero and we were working on the script. And it didn’t materialize because it’s too big. We couldn’t put the whole story into a single film. Also, we couldn’t afford it.”
