Thailand likely location for Ponniyin Selvan, thanks to its temples and forests

Hyderabad: After Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, which released in Telugu as Nawab, Mani Ratnam hadn’t announced anything on his upcoming film, Ponniyin Selvan. Fans of the iconic director are awaiting updates of the multi-starrer.

Reportedly, the director is busy with the location scouting of Ponniyin Selvan, which will feature an ensemble cast, including Aishwarya Bachchan, Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Keerthy Suresh, Karthi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Malayalam actor Jayaram and others in important roles. This multi-starrer hasn’t gone to floors yet, as it is still in the pre-production stage.

Meanwhile, Mani Ratnam is busy scouting locations for the film. The director and Bollywood stunt choreographer Sham Kaushal have travelled to Thailand in search of a good location for the former’s project. A photograph from their journey has gone viral on social media for all the right reasons and fans can’t wait to know more about the project. Besides, they want to know what is special about this film, that it has been Mani Ratnam’s dream project for quite some time.

Ponniyin Selvan is a historical Tamil novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. In five volumes, or about 2,400 pages, it tells the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great Chola emperor, Rajaraja Chola I

Reportedly, a major part of the film might be shot in Thailand. Sources claim that the director chose Thailand and Indonesia thanks to its rich forests, and because its temples resemble the 9th century feel, in which the story is set.

Vikram will be seen playing a beastie role in this film, which will have Jayam Ravi in the lead. Aishwarya Rai and Vikram have teamed up once before in Raavanan, which was directed by Mani Ratnam.