By: Mohnish Singh
Award-winning filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who has helmed several notable films in his illustrious career, resumed production on his next directorial offering Ponniyin Selvan on Wednesday in Hyderabad.
The filmmaker and his team returned to the sets almost nine months after all shooting activities came to a grinding halt in March 2020 due to the sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. The team resumed shooting at a magnificent set erected in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.
Ponniyin Selvan is a multi-starrer that boasts of actors from different film producing industries across India. The star-studded cast includes Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Vikram Prabhu, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Mohan Babu.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who began her acting career with Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar (1997), reunites with the celebrated filmmaker after a long gap of a decade. The duo last worked together on the 2010 film Raavan which also starred the actor’s husband Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role. She is expected to join the ongoing schedule of Ponniyin Selvan soon.
Ponniyin Selvan hit the shooting floor in Thailand in December 2019. The team wrapped up the first shooting schedule of over 90 days with Karthi, Jayam Ravi, and Aishwarya Lekshmi. After wrapping up the Thailand schedule, the team had to call off the next schedule due to the rising cases of Coronavirus and a host of restrictions it brought along.
The entire cast and crew got themselves tested for Covid-19 before commencing the shoot on 6th January in Hyderabad. It was after everybody tested negative for the novel Coronavirus, did the team began production.
Oscar-winning music director AR Rahman is composing music, while Ravi Varman is cinematographing the fictional historical drama. The film is being jointly produced by Mani Ratnam and Lyca Productions.
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