“Every Actor Had To Train Horse-Riding And Sword-Fighting”, Rahman Talks About Ponniyin Selvan

Ponniyin Selvan is the dream project of Mani Ratnam which is going to hit screens on September 30 in different languages. Ponniyin Selvan is the latest project in which actor Rahman is performing. “Ponniyin Selvan was written decades ago and Mani sir told me how it’s a fictionalized fantasy. The work is a winner in the book world. So many people – from MGR and Sivaji Ganesan to Kamal Haasan and even Mani Ratnam – tried adapting it into a film. But it has become possible only now,” says the actor, adding that this was not the first time he was offered the adaptation. “About 10-15 years ago, a popular channel wanted to make it into a teleseries and had also roped in Manobala as the director. I was also roped in for the series. It was at that time that I read the English translation of the book. But the project didn’t take off because the channel felt the people in other states will not know the story and it won’t be financially viable,” he reveals.

Later, even after being contacted by the director Mani Ratnam, he was skeptical about the project, as this was planned and dropped several times. A movie restarting is a hectic task and it was made possible only because of Mani Ratnam, he says in the interview. While Rahman has restrictions to reveal details of his role, he says every actor had to train in two things — horse-riding and sword-fighting. “We don’t have a reference for our characters and we simply trusted and believed in the script. Mani sir was clear that he didn’t want dramatized performances from his artists. Our costumes belonged to a bygone era, but our acting had to be very realistic. He wanted us to bring out the body language of the character – be it a prince or a fisherman — but keep our expressions natural,” he says. Ponniyin Selvan part 1 is one of the biggest budget films in India and it is slated released on 30th September.