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balladedutempsjadis · 11 months

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Ponniyin Selvan (The Book vs. Movie edition)

I've just today finished the five volumes of Kalki Krishnamurthy's epic historical novel Ponniyin Selvan, which was the basis for the two-movie series of the same name which I ADORED after I watched the first movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago. And ... I have some thoughts on the books and on the adaptation of the books. First of all, some general thoughts about the books:

I really wish I could read this in the original Tamil. In my understanding, these books are a beloved modern classic of Tamil literature, and the English translation, though perfectly fine and serviceable in terms of explicating the plot, rarely has memorable language.

Perhaps this is a function of the translation, or a different literary tradition, or the author's style (and I'll never really know which), but there is a lot of stuff that I can best describe as static. Actions and events are often described after they occur so as a reader, I felt distanced from what was going on in several scenes.

There are a LOT of coincidences (the entire Sembian Amuthan plotline is heavily based on coincidences) and repetition.

Even if I didn't know this was serialized, I would have guessed because of the repetition mentioned above, frequent flashbacks, and the padding out of some of the scenes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (it reminds me of Dickens' novels, which I happen to be quite fond of) but it's definitely a hallmark of the novels.

I felt sometimes that Kalki was having a bit of a struggle with the historical characters having to do what they did in history versus his fictional characters like Nandini being able to do what they wanted. So sometimes I felt the characterizations were a bit lacking (and I definitely skipped some of Sembian Mahadevi's musings, SORRY!)

Now for the differences between the books and film versions (SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS AND BOTH FILMS BELOW).

In general, with one exception I'll talk about later, I think the scriptwriters did an amazing job of adapting this immense series to film. In fact, for a number of things, I think they improved the pacing of the narrative and cut out extraneous stuff that detracted from the momentum of the main story - these were things that may have worked in a serialized novel but would have drowned even a gigantic six hour film series. All that follows is just my opinion, of course!

First of all, a fair number of characters were just cut out of the story, which I thought tightened up the narrative. (For example, Manimeghalai was completely unnecessary IMO for the story to proceed and she really detracted from the scene between Aditha Karikalan and Nandini when Karikalan dies; the intensity of that scene would have suffered from having anyone else observe it.) Poonghuzhali's brother and father (her sister-in-law Rakkamal is still there but not related) are gone in the film version. And that's all fine, I think it would have made things more confusing and I don't even think a tv series would have been able to use ALL these characters. (Also, I think I like that Poonghzhali seems more stable in the movie.)

I also liked that they cut out the astrologer. I thought the book relied way too heavily on the astrologer's predictions and while that may have been an accurate portrayal of 10th century Chola society, it also removed the jeopardy from the characters. If Arulmozhi Varman's sister would be confident that nothing terrible could happen to him because of the lines on his palm, then it was really hard to generate suspense about him within the story. (I mean obviously as readers/moviegoers we might know that he became Rajaraja Chola and therefore survived the assassination attempts, but his contemporaries and the fictional characters in-universe didn't know that he would end up being a great king.)

For me, it was more powerful to see how much the kingdom mourned him and his family mourned him than to have his sister shrug and be like "oh well, the stars don't say he dies so he's probably alive." And the way that they mourned him also helped develop their characters (To be fair, I also can't figure out what Kalki believed re:astrology either, because occasionally the author's voice is very skeptical about the astrologer as well.)

More controversially, I think they were right to cut out the whole Senthan Amuthan storyline about being the real son of Sembian Mahadevi and the previous king etc. etc. The hidden identity heir business was just way too melodramatic for me even in the book, and I don't think it would have worked at all for me in the movies. I mean, SA doesn't really even have much characterization in the book anyway (he's there a lot and helps out when he can but other than the fact that he loves Poonguzhali and has a nice voice, I couldn't tell you much about him.) Plus that would necessitate that Fake!Madhurantaka be Nandini's twin etc. and that would also have not been believable.

Now ... onto the main characters books vs. movie:

Aditha Karikalan: I honestly liked him much more in the movies than in the books. He was the tragic hero of the movie, with a clear arc, and Vikram brought oodles of charisma to his role. But in the books, he was a lot more opaque to me (his love for Nandini is not his focus - so he maybe falls in love with Manimegalai? - and that moment where he chooses to die isn't as crystal clear.) Also, Book!Aditha is a bit of an asshole towards all of his friends, frankly, which movie Aditha is not.

His chief faults in the movie are that he's ruled by his emotions (which is both why he sins against Nandini by beheading an unarmed man - Veera Pandyan - in a fit of rage that Nandini is pleading for his life AND why he tries to atone for that sin by committing suicide, which of course doesn't actually solve anything and in fact embroils innocent people like Vandiyathevan in a horrible situation).I still think he wouldn't have made a good king, not least because he would not listen to ANYONE'S advice, whether that someone was his grandfather, his friend, or his brother or his sister.

Book!Aditha might have made a better King - he actually goes to Kadambur not just to see Nandini, but partly in order to find out and allay the different Chola clans and possibly cement one of their loyalties by marriage to MM, so I thought that made for an interesting contrast. Even in the books, though, Kalki compares how the people mourned Aditha (as a great warrior whose absence threatened their kingdom's survival) and how they mourned Arulmozhi when he was believed to be dead (as a beloved son/brother even if they didn't know him personally.) The book (and movie though to a lesser degree because it's so preoccupied with Nandini/Aditha) has a lot to say about power and responsibility (so there are constant contrasts between not just Aditha and Arulmozhi but between the Pazhuvettarayar brothers and Arulmozhi - for example, over whether the Chola kingdom should supply the army in Elangai or whether they should live off the land. AMV is much more farsighted and knows how important it is to not make a conquered populace feel subjugated because they will rebel.)

Nandini: I feel like she was a lot more fleshed out in the film than Book!Nandini, and as she and Aditha were the emotional focal point of the movies, it makes more sense. Her motivations seemed clearer to me, and I also appreciated that we actually found out what happened to her, and she didn't just disappear off the page. I also liked, as mentioned above, that they didn't bother with the False!Madhuranthakan who was actually Nandini's twin etc. I liked that they fleshed out the love story between her and Aditha and gave Kundavai a role and also showed how it was Aditha's impulsive declaration that she would be THE Chola Queen that directly led to Nandini - who had done nothing wrong - being unceremoniously bundled off to wherever. (Would I also have liked a little more of how Aditha reacted to his family's banishment of Nandini? I think I would. Like we got a little bit of that in PS1 when he blames Kundavai for being jealous but not much more than that?)

Kundavai was very awesome in both book and film, but she had a lot less to do in the second movie. As I mentioned above, I loved that she actually believed her beloved younger brother to be dead so we got to see her reaction compared to Aditha's. (Aditha basically goes into beast mode and is like “I can fight whoever to avenge my little brother” and Kundavai is, as usual, a lot more rational even in the depths of grief.) I also really liked that brief scene the film gave us with all three siblings together which was a nice addition to the story. I felt there were not very many differences between Book! and Movie!Kundavai - although the book definitely played up her influence over her younger brother a bit more. She is the mirror to Nandini and maybe Nandini would have been like Kundavai if she had not had such struggles in her early life? I do like that in both books and movie, the female characters are so strong (I mean, well-characterized) and different from one another.

Vandiyadevan is just a great character! His resemblance to D'Artagnan was even stronger in the books (he had time for even more adventures) and his verbal sparring with Nambi was great and nicely translated to screen, I thought. I did think his presence in Kadambur and his (partial) witnessing of Aditha's death and aftermath was handled with more pace and worked better for me in the film (again, no Manimegalai was a great decision. And the picnic that Nandini goes on with Aditha and Vandiyadevan and MM and others (I think?) It was late at night when I was reading and I was like WTF so I might be misremembering it) dilutes the Aditha/Nandini meeting a lot. Anyway, back to Vandiyadevan - still sooooo charming. I loved Karthi in this role and am going to watch Kaatru Velliyadai (although I understand he's very different in that one!) sometime this week. But I found Book!Vandiyadevan lovely as well. I think his character translated perfectly from book to screen.

Arulmozhi Varman - I thought the books would focus more on him than they did, given that he's the title character. And I was a little surprised that he still wasn't the main focus of the books (though there's more focus on him in the later volumes), but there were some nice little character moments that I wish could have come into the movie. (Though there were a couple of things in the movie that I also really liked which showed his character beautifully.)

I read Kalki's afterword about how the pivotal scene in all of the books is Arulmozhi Varman's sacrifice of his crown, because that is an amazing thing for any ruler to do, to voluntarily give up his own power and step back. The books talk about the Chola ancestor Sibi, who was willing to give up his own life to protect a pigeon from an eagle because the pigeon was under his protection. I believe we are meant to understand Arulmozhi's sacrifice in a similar light. He is all about protecting the realm, even if it means sacrificing his own ambitions and that makes him Sibi's worthy heir. (In the Mahabharata, Arjuna is the peerless warrior prince, but his brother Yudhishtira is the Dharmaraja - the best of all; and I think we are meant to see echoes of Arjuna (and his son Abhimanyu, alone in the midst of his enemies) in Aditha and echoes of Yudhishtira in Arulmozhi.)

The books and the movie handle this immense sacrifice a little differently; in the book, we get a lot more motivation for that action: AMV is steeped in the history of the Singhalese kingdom and horrified by how bloody their succession battles were (he references fathers killing sons and vice versa more than once) and he is super clear that he doesn't want to bring that mess to the Chola kingdom or cause a civil war or anything like that. But there are two more elements as well, that I mostly got from the book: he truly loves Vanathi and she has sworn an oath that she doesn't want to be empress, so he can't have both Vanathi and the throne (but it's also a political decision, since if he's King, and marries Vanathi, then he'll be seen as privileging her clan above all others unless he marries a bunch of other girls as well). I also genuinely think he also wants to go hang out with Vandiyadevan and have adventures (while also doing the necessary jobs of fighting pirates and expanding trade and all that other stuff.)

The movies don't make that explanation as explicit, but there is this golden thread of self-sacrifice that runs through Arulmozhi's scenes in the movies as well: first of all, he refuses to take the throne of Elangai, though it is offered to him by the monks who crowned all the kings of the island. (This happens in both the books and the movie, but the books make this a more political decision - AMV says Elangai is too small for the scope of his vision, and that he doesn't want it to look like he's setting up a parallel second kingdom to the Cholas in opposition to his brother - whereas in the movies, it is clearly a matter of dharma. And the movie really sells that.)

Then Arulmozhi jumps into a stormy sea to swim to a ship full of people who want to kill him, in order to save Vandiyadevan. (I mean also some breathtaking confidence in himself that he and Vandiyadevan by themselves can defeat the Pandya rebels. He definitely does not lack for confidence :)) I cannot believe I actually forgot about this and had to come back and edit this post.I guess I am too used for Arulmozhi being awesome for this even to register on the scale?

The third self-sacrifice is when Arulmozhi is recovering from his life-threatening fever amidst the Buddhist monks at Nagapattinam. In the movie, somehow the Pandya assassins find out he's there and rile up the crowd which threatens to destroy the monastery which they claim is hiding their beloved prince from them. Although AMV is encouraged to slip away to escape the Pandya assassins, he refuses to repay his hosts by allowing their monastery to be destroyed. So he goes out to face the crowd, despite knowing that he's putting his life in danger by doing this. In the movie, he makes a choice to reveal himself and once again we see that Arulmozhi will always privilege the good of the people under his protection (the people of Elangai, Vandiyadevan, the monks, and ultimately the whole populace of the Chola Kingdom) over his own desires, and even his own life if need be. Over and over again, he shows himself to be the true heir of Sibi. (I also thought the elephant-goad plot was REALLY well done in the movie; even knowing obviously that AMV survived this, I was SO tense during that entire sequence. The book version just wasn’t as tense. Anyway …) So in the movie we keep seeing WHY Arulmozhi will be the great king he becomes but also why he will not take the crown at the end - and by not taking it, he makes himself all the more worthy of it.

In the book, in contrast, he leaves the monastery because there's about to be a devastating cyclone and it's not safe there any more. His disguise is revealed against his will by Rakammal hailing him as the prince; he's not given any choice in the matter. And he has very good and valid reasons for not wanting to reveal who he is which are also an excellent lead-up to his giving up the throne. Book!Arulmozhi wants to avoid a civil war over the succession at all possible costs. And he knows the public is fickle and easily swayed (there’s a whole subplot about there are rumors that HE had Vandiyadevan kill Aditha Karikalan so he - AMV - could be crowned, which only one character says in the film and everyone ELSE is like “Arulmozhi would NEVER!” But in the books more people seem like they are could be swayed by that thought - and giving up the throne to his father’s cousin is one spectacular way to give the lie to those rumors. And here’s also me, getting so angry on behalf of a fictional /historical character ;))

I think the movie version and the book version of this event both work really well for their respective media in terms of establishing who this man is, and what his character is, which lead up to his ultimate sacrifice.

The last sacrifice is, of course, that he give up the kingdom that *everyone* wants him to have. I think in both the books and the films, it's clear that the weird succession situation from his great-uncle Gandaraditha's day (where the throne when to the younger brothers of the king, and then to Sundara Chola - AMV's father - Gandarathia's nephew - rather than to Gandaraditha's own son) was bound to create a locus for discontent and coups egged on by the enemies of the Chola Kingdom. And that internecine strife is, from Kundavai's and AMV's perspective, what killed their brother and even put AMV in line to the throne at all. (They don't know all the backstory about Nandini and Aditha's guilt and his essential suicide. Also, I think it’s an interesting contrast between Aditha Karikalan who offers to give up the throne - once to the council of plotters where he says he’d do it if he had an army to go get himself another kingdom, and once when he proposes to Nandini that they just run off together. Arulmozhi had his chance at a kingdom won by force of arms - Elangai - and said no, and when he gives up the throne at the end of the books/movies it’s for love of the country he was expected to rule, not for love of an individual.)

The one thing I wish the movies had done was flesh out the Kundavai/Vandiyadevan and Vanathi/Arulmozhi connections. The actors did a lovely job with what they were given just from facial expressions and eyes (Vandiyadevan looks hopeless in love in the course of a single conversation when he's dressed as Krishna's uncle) and I bought into Vanathi and Arulmozhi's love for each other with nothing more than him reading her message in PS1 and a couple of times they looked at each other (so much love for Jayam Ravi and Shobita Dhulipala's facial expressions which sold the connection), but IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE FOR BOTH THESE COUPLES TO HAVE A CONVERSATION! But I realize I've seen a couple of Mani Ratnam's Hindi films (Dil Se, and Raavan - though I really want to watch the Tamil version of that) and he does doomed romance very adroitly. (Although from reading the plots of his several other films, apparently he also does do happy endings sometimes and I sort of wish we could have shifted the focus from Nandini/Aditha A LITTLE BIT to maybe just get a tiny conversation between these two other couples the I also loved. But at least I got some crumbs in terms of the full videos of the songs of "Veera Raja Veera" (for AMV/Vanathi) and "Aga Naga" (for Kundavai/Vandiyadevan. (FYI, the Veera Raja Veera video song is super hot - Rajaraja Chola is looking at his beloved while she dances as though she is an extremely tasty snack he can't wait to sample :P)

ALSO, if anyone wants to make PS3 with these actors I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER. In my head, it would be about Vandiyadevan doing wild stuff and flirting with EVERYBODY while Arunmozhi Varman sort of sighs and goes along with him to try and exercise some control over him* because Kundavai will kill him if anything happens to her boo, and they keep getting embroiled in weirder stuff and getting hit on the head (Vandiyadevan) and chilling out looking at Buddhist cave art and talking to elephants (AMV) and Kundavai just sits back and continues to run the kingdom (because she knows that AMV will not let anything happen to her boo). And of course, Nambi would be keeping an eye on both of them as well. Meanwhile, Vanathi is doing lots of dancing and going on some of the art tours with her husband, and also hanging out with Kundavai and rolling their eyes over their husbands. That would be totally fine!

*one of the things I loved in the books was that Vandiyadevan is influenced by Arulmozhi to be more truthful and upstanding, while Arulmozhi gets more devious after he meets Vandiyadevan. I feel this dynamic (along with the real-life bromance of Karthi and Jayam Ravi - every interview I've seen with them is the two of them having a great time!) would be AWESOME.

OK, this is insanely LONG again but I really enjoyed the novels and the movies - each medium enhanced the other for me, and in my head, the version of Ponniyin Selvan is what takes the parts I liked the best in movies and film. So Movie!Aditha and Movie!Nandini, BOTH the Vandiyadevans, Kundavais, Arulmozhi Varmans and Vanathis live in my heart :D

And I've also acquired Anirudh Kanisetti's Lords of the Deccan (which is more about the Cholas' predecessors and opponents like the Rashtrakutas and the Chalukyas) and Kamini Dandapani's Rajaraja Chola, which is about Ponniyin Selvan (but also about his predecessors and successors.)

#ponniyin selvan #Ponniyin Selvan 2 #aditha karikalan #arulmozhi varman #kundavai #vandiyadevan #vanathi #aishwarya rai bachchan #vikram #trisha #jayam ravi #shobita dhulipala #mani ratnam

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nature-writes29 · 2 months

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An Oath fulfilled |Vanathi × Ponniyin Selvan

It was a quiet, silent Night. The city of Thanjai was getting ready to sleep. It has been 6 weeks since Sendhan Ammudhan's death. The throne was widowed within a night. With no Chakravarti to rule the place, the whole chola kingdom faced quite a threat from other kingdoms. Everyone knew that Ponniyin Selvan would ascend the throne sooner or later. It was inevitable and everyone knew it. The whole palace had started preparations for the coronation. Everyone seemed to be in the festive mood, exept the person who was about to get coronated.

Arulmozhi knew that one day he will ascend the throne. At first he didn't even had many problems with it, but now, it seemed impossible for him to do so. 13 years back, when he was to be coronated, he had faced a problem similar to his current one. Vanathi and her her oath.

He wanted to deny the fact that she had taken the oath, but he just couldn't. He wanted her to stay with him till his last breath. He wanted to hold hands with her even at an old age. He wanted to close his eyes with her face infront of him, giving him the last goodbye, and not the way around. He wanted her.

Yet, he found himself catching her fall after she fainted between a pooja 1-2 weeks ago. Yet he found himself tending to her high fever. Yet he found himself holding her hair as she vomited like there was no tomorrow. Yet he found himself comforting and cuddling her as she shivered from a non existent cold. Yet he found himself listening to the Vaidya say that she was getting nearer to see Vaikuntha (heaven). Yet he found himself being comforted by his Akka and Vanthyathevan as he cried like a baby after hearing the news.

Yet he found himself alone in their chambers with her . The night was quite and chill. Arulmozhi was laying beside Vanathi as she slept. His strong hands running through her now weakened and frailed hair. He hated how she looked right now. Her skin was almost sticked to her bones. Her usual bright doe eyes were sulking. Her hair were withered. And what he hated the most was, how sick she looked. He hated seeing her in pain, but he wasn't ready to let her go yet. A bit selfish? Yes. But she was just too precious for him. She was his brain, she was his heart. She was his soul. She was in every breath he took. She was a part of him. Inseparable.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt her stire beneath him. He quickly but cautiously pulled out his hand from her hair, as if she were a really fragile piece of glass.

Vanathi slowly opened her eyes. She felt someone was there beside her and looked over. There she saw her husband, her Ponniyin Selvan, her yaanai paagan beside her. He had a serious and... What was it? Sad expression of his face. She knew that he knew, and he knew that she knew. And since today morning she had been feeling that weird feeling far more strongly that it had in many days. She knew that her time was almost finished.

She looked at him, studying his face. His beautiful face, the same one she had fallen so hard for. But right now, there was something glistening around his eyes and cheeks. Then she understood, he had been crying. For her. Because of her actually. She felt bad for this.

"Swami-" Vanathi croaked out. Even slight talking was starting to feel like a big task to her. Arulmozhi quickly grabbed the glass which had her drinking water in it and he slowly made her sit a bit with his other hand, and started to feed her water little by little.

After she was done drinking, she quitly asked him.

"Swami.. Why are there tears on your cheeks? She asked in a low voice

" Tears? -" Arulmozhi hadn't even realized that he had started to cry. He quickly wiped them away but Vanathi stoped him and tried to do it herself.

"It's actually nothing chellam, I wasn't crying" He started.

"Swami, I know that I am not actually able to think properly right now, but, I do know when you are sad" She said. He looked at her more intensely after this. What had he done to deserve her?

"Aay.. Forget it, look what I got you few hours back." He pointed at the table beside her. It was a flock of Kodupul flowers. These flowers had always been the symbol of their love. He had gotten then for her in all of their milestones as a couple, or when he had gotten a bit too romantic.

"Kodupul? " She smiled a bit saying this. Remembering all those beautiful times. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Arulmozhi was quick to notice it.

"Kanne, why are you crying? " He asked slowly tilting her head towards his.

"It's nothing" She said. But she didn't wipe it. She didn't think that she had enough strength remaining for that. Amv took her hands into his own.

"Tell me, please. Don't hide what you are thinking, please. " He said with plea written all over his face.

"It's just... I was thinking of all our memories which are tied with this flower." She said. Her tone was getting lower and lower. He smiled at the thought. She continued. But it was evident that talking was getting harder for her. Yet she wasn't stopping. It seemed like she sense that this was going to be it.

"How many times you bought these for me... One time you even climbed a tree right? Just to give me these before our wedding. Our every single moment was tied with this flower in one way or another. Till now. It was great wasn't it? " She said while looking at him. More tears were forming under her eyes.

"Haan- wait- was great? Dear, we are going to have those moments again. We just have to wait till your sickness goes away! Look! you are improving! There is no need to say anything like this Chellam! " He said. Vanathi smiled sadly at this statement.

"Natha, I think we both know that I don't have much time left-"

"Don't say anything like that! You are going to recover. I know it!" Amv interrupted her.

"Natha, there is a thin line between what we want and the facts-"

"Vanu-"

"No! Let me finish. I have been wanting to tell you this Swami from a few days. I heard what the Vaidhya said. And I am also feeling myself slipping away. Initially I was scared of the very thought of leaving you. I want to stay with you for an eternity. I really do. B-"

"You can Vanathi, You can! Please listen to me,-" He took her hand in both of his palms "-I can't live without you! I want to listen to your laughter, I want to see your eyes in mine, I want to hold hands with you like this, I just... Just want you Chellam! " His voice croaked at the last word. Why was this happening to them, why was this happening to her! Why does parmeshawara opt to take the bestest of people first along with them! Why?

"Swami, pleased don't make this difficult for me, I also don't want to die, but it is fate swami, fate! And I have also taken the oath-"

"To hell with your oath! I don't care about your oath Vanathi! I. Just. Care. About. You!! And the very thought of you- yo- not-" He fully broke down. His head bended down in defeat and rested on their hands. He wasn't able to comprehend this fact. He knew that she was telling the truth, but it. was. just. too. much!

Vanathi's heart broke down seeing this. She didn't wanted to die, but she knew that her life was going to be short the day she took the oath. So she had excepted this fact long ago, and used to cherish every single moment she had with him. Today morning when her Akka had visited her ( she used to be there in the morning and he used to be there for her at night time. ) she was also holding back her tears. Vanthyatevan had also been there and he was already in the crying state.

"Swami.. " She gently kept her free palm on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"We can't do anything about the oath, and I knew that this day was going to come. But now, I will have to take my leave-" She said breaking down a bit herself. Arulmozhi quickly stoped her by placing one of his hand on her mouth.

"Please don't say anything like this Vanathi. Please. We are supposed to get old together! And what about Madhu! He needs a mother. We were supposed to see his marriage together! When he first goes to battle, when he will be crowned the next prince, when he will become the chakravarti, whe were supposed to see all this together Priye! " After listening to this Vanathi grabbed his hand pulled it down. And said quietly.

�� "Do you really think that I will leave you that easily Swami? I will always stand with you, whether I am there or not. I will always look for your back, be there with you. And in the end we will meet again right? I will always wait for you Natha" She said with a weak smile. Arulmozhi just looked at her. Impressed by how greatly she was handling it.

He then took her completely in his arms so that one of her hand rested on his heart and his on her shoulders. One of both their arms were interlocked together. They were looking at each other. Comfortable in their positions.

He was comforted by the fact that she will at last be free of all of her pains. All he wanted now was for her to be happy. He quickly pecked her and looked at her with an expression which can only depict love, sadness, excepted fact, and adoration.

"I love and will always love you my Vanu" He said just after giving her a deep kiss.

This was all she wanted to hear. This is what made her heart free of every burden, worry and questions she was carrying. Her family will be okay. She will meet him again in few decades and she was sure about it.

"I love you, My Yaanai Paagan.. " She said in a soft voice. She knew she only had a few moments left. All of her energy was drained.

He looked at her peaceful expression as she closed her eyes. Her last thought being of him. The last thing she saw, was him. Her last breath was of his name. Her heart beated for the last time with only him in it. She was his, and she will always be his. For an eternity.

He stared at her lifeless body. Tears building up in his throat. His Vanu, his Kadhal, his Chellam, his Kadambur illavarasi was gone. He held her more closely. He bought her shoulders close to him and kissed her forehead.

"Vanu, you not only did just leave me, but you also took my peace, my love, my brain, my heart, the half of me, my soul with you Kanne. You took a big part of me with you chellam, you did. " He said hugging her close. She had left him to deal with this world alone, without her love, without her enchanting doe eyes, without her laughter, without.... Her. He had no one now to come home back too. She had taken his life away along with her.

_Epilogue_

Kundavai came rushing into the room after hearing the noises. Only to find the scene which shattered her heart beyond anything. Vanthyatevan came rushing behind her, just in time to catch her as she fell down crying. Her sweet best friend, her thozhi, his maya kanan had left them.

The night was filled with cries as Amv's other 2 wives were crying too. They also loved their Akka. Madhu's cries were the loudest, as he had lost his mother at the tender age of 12.

Arulmozhi didn't make any sound, but his grief made the loudest sound. He and his Akka, after some time, we're only starting into the abyss. Vanthyatevan was trying to console Kundavai but Arulmozhi had no one.

He was the one who had given fire to her. The whole country was in awe and shock... For the queen had completed her oath, but at the cost of her life. After persistent requests from his Akka, he did proceed with the coronation. He did it 'cause he knew that this is what his Vanathi wanted. His other queen sat on the throne with him, but in his heart, Vanathi was the only queen he ever lived for.

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( A/N )

Ha ha ha, I made you all cry, didn't I? This is the longest OS I have written standing at 2300+ words. And of course, the saddest on also. I started writing this yesterday instead of studying for my Marathi exam. (It went well), and here I am completing this. Please tell me your thought on this. I hope that you guys liked this one shot. Instances mentioned are from the book. If any confusion let me know! :)

Any suggestions and feedback appreciated.

If you want to read more from my works, visit my wattpad page. Same Id name.

∆ Requests Accepted ∆

_ All work is original. Do not copy _

( I usually do not mention anyone unless it's an request, but, I want to hear your feedback :) and I got some of your id's from a fellow writter. And I won't tell who, but they told me to tag people, so it reaches to more ps lovers. )

@nspwriteups @thelekhikawrites @dr-scribbler @kovaipaavai @dosai-maavu @matka-kulfi @curiousgalacticsoul @harinishivaa @chiyaanvikram @celestesinsight @thegleamingmoon @ragkee @inlovewithfictionalbeings @voidsteffy @whippersnappersbookworm @hollogramhallucination @thereader-radhika @sowlspace @favcolourrvibgior @ponniyin-selvan @ponniyinselvann-blog

please tell me I made you cry :)

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eenadu-varthalu · 1 year

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Okay, review of Ponniyin Selvan 2 incoming (whether you like it or not) (and again, this is my personal opinion about the movie so please don’t kill me if you don’t agree).

I don’t know what to say. I really don’t. *proceeds to write essay*

Is it a good movie? Yes, hell yes, 100%

But will I be religiously rewatching this like I did part one? Maybe not.

Part 2 is a different vibe than part one. Like a complete script flip. It's a different movie (I guess one can figure that out from how different the album of the second movie is to the first). The drama (more like angst, ngl) amongst the characters is intensified while the story just seems to be something running in the background. We learn a lot more about some of the characters-- we see a different side to them: let it be the vulnerable side of Nandini or a more humanized form of Adhitha. Some of the prominent questions from part 1 are answered in part 2 (point to note: we are given the backstory of adhita and nandini which I think is a fantastic addition) but yeah I still don’t really know how to clearly explain this movie. It’s like one of those pieces of art that you have to see to cherish, to understand why people are going crazy about it.

There are moments that just make you want to go “what the actual hell” but there are others where you’re just sitting there, with your mouth wide open and/or tears welling up in your eyes. And it does not help that oftentimes this movie becomes a pendulum between these feelings.

The acting and the actors are a saving grace. Everyone is PERFECTLY cast and the scenes are such that even if there is a small hiccup, it's going to look like a big joke. The chemistry the cast has with each other is insane. Off the charts. (and I'm coining this right now, Chiyan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, and Karthi are going to SWEEP all the awards). The scenes between the lovers, let it be kundavai and vanthiyadevan or nandini and adhitha is some of the best acting I have seen.

The music is also another savior in disguise. Let it be the first 10 minutes of the movie with the three songs back to back, or let it be using Veera Raja Veera on three separate occasions to highlight three different moments in the movie-- Rahman really killed it with this one (although I am a bit disappointed that NONE of the songs were used in their entirety— someone pull the editor out of the editing room asap).

The cinematography? *chefs kiss* Give Ravi Varman a National Award right now.

I think the most disappointing aspect for me is that Mani sir was never really given the chance to fully explore the characters, the themes, the subplots, or just the book in general. Don’t get me wrong, this is one of the most genuine book-to-movie adaptations I’ve seen and although Mani Ratnam was insistent that Ponniyin Selvan is something that truly deserves to be on the big screen, I think it would’ve worked absolute wonders if it were a series. I would totally not be opposed to a director's cut (trust me I will watch it even if it ends up being a seven-hour movie) if it gives us an opportunity to see Mani sir's strengths and the usual magic in his other films shine through more because the restriction of time is taken out.

#ponniyin selvan #ps2 #mani ratnam #ar rahman #karthi #chiyaan vikram #jayam ravi #trisha #aishwariya rai bachchan #aishwarya lekshmi #shobita dhulipala

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egyptian-sun-god · 2 years

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GUESS WHO’S ON THE PONNIYIN SELVAN HYPE TRAIN??

Me. I am.

I fucking love this movie already, all the actors interviews are on point, the songs and the trailer looks fucking fantastic. Man it does NOT get more Tamil than this.

Like this movie is literally like our Harry Potter in some ways. It’s like a timeless classic with fucking great characters and interesting settings. Like this do be the fairytale.

I’m so pumped for it, I hope the rest of my South Indian ppl can be hype for this movie as well, I hope it does great and paves a new interest in our stories.

So yeah since Vandiyathevan is like my favourite character, I decided fuck it and drew Karthi in a couple of stills from the song Raatchasa Maamaney. (I added the process shots as well)

- AAdhi

#ponniyin selvan #ponniyin selvan song #raatchasa maamaney #karthi #shobita dhulipala #shobita #vallavarayan vandiyathevan #vaanathi #mani rantnam #ar rahman #tamil cinema #kollywood #fanart #tamil

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sampigehoovu · 10 months

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I want to sit in a room with Vikram and Shobita and just chat. Every interview, both of them have such great insights.

One interviewer asks about, "telling our stories" and Shobita has this wonderful answer about asking what is our story, cause even colonial history is ours, 9th century Chola kingdom extended to South East Asia, so for them it was ours, that borders are porus. I am blown away by how well she articulated that response.

In some random Mumbai pressmeet, they kept getting asked about pan-indian stories and Vikram went into this whole analysis of Kantara, and how the culture exists in along the coast, different in Karnataka and Kerala, but also related. It was so great to hear someone speak about how nuanced this country is, how different cultures can be even 10kilometers away.

Aside from their acting, I want pick their brains about random things.

#chiyaan vikram #shobita dhulipala #and their brains #i want to chat pls

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messcinemagala · 3 months

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#shobita dhulipala

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actressi · 8 months

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Shobitha

#shobita dhulipala

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multi-fandom-imagines · 1 year

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Kaveri, naked in the bath: Shelly shampoo!

Shailendra Rungta: She means champagne. Can you please give her glass?

*Awkward silence*

*Aditya Roy Kapoor looking at Anil kapoor as if uski dono kidney maang li ho.*

#the night manager #aditya roy kapoor #anil kapoor #shobita dhulipala #hotstar #disney plus hotstar

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harinishivaa · 1 year

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I feel robbed of VanMozhi scenes!!!!!

Shobita Dhulipala and Jayam Ravi have such a beautiful chemistry, and despite the other two main pairs taking over a lot of the space, their love is too beautifully subtle to really miss.

Someone please write fanfiction on them!!!!!

#ponniyin selvan #arulmozhi #vanathi #vanathiarulmozhi #vanthiyathevan #kundavai #karikalan #nandini

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eenadu-varthalu · 2 years

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Ponniyin Selvan has been watched (at a rather very late time last night) so here’s my review? (though I am in no position to review a mani ratnam film)

(I would like to emphasize this is my personal opinion and I would not like to start a war. There’s already one happening on Twitter if you’d like to go pick a bone)

Would I say this is the best Mani Ratnam film I’ve watched? No.

Would I say it’s his best from the past decade?. Heck yeah!

The movie (like one kind person said on this app) is fast paced and slow paced. If you’ve read atleast the first book, you’ll realize how jam packed the scenes are but if you’re clueless as to who the heck even the cholas are, this is gonna be one heck of a slow ride for you.

This movie is COMPLETELY different from the rajamouli periodic films (because some idiots on Twitter are comparing it to baahubali). There are barely any elevations, and the actors are very simply, just there when it’s time (in fact the only character that gets “a proper intro” is Aditya Karikalan, and it’s literally just him riding his horse through mist). Everything is super subtle and more pleasing on the aesthetic side. It’s more like an art film, like the ones of Kurosawa, than it is a commercial one like Rajamouli’s.

(Although, I actually am very interested to see how rajamouli would utilize a LOADED story like ponniyin selvan)

If you are planning on watching this movie, I would recommend reading the character descriptions on Wikipedia, because guess what? Mani sir does it again. Like in Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, every character has an important role, but mani sir is practically running out of time to explore the characters deep enough, so we just get mere glances into who they actually are.

BUT THE ACTING (my lord the acting) does HEAVILY compensate for that. Simple glances, body language, voice modulations, if one observes carefully, they can understand what type of a person said character is.

For me personally, Karthi (my man), Trisha, and Aishwarya Rai SWEPT ME OFF MY FEET. Karthi is AMAZING as Vandiyadevan. Trisha and Aishwarya Rai can step on me and I WILL APOLOGIZE. My god. Their initial face off scene is one of, if not the best scene for me in the movie. (Also Vandiyadevan is one hell of a mood for simping over literally EVERYONE in this movie).

In the very little screen time that is given, Chiyaan Vikram is ABSOLUTELY fantastic (pleaseeee more characters where he actually acts and not just shows is skill of being versatile) and so is the rest of the main cast, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Shobitha. They’re on for very little, but when they are, you will not be able to take your eyes off of them.

And finally. The man of the hour. The person who literally carried this movie like Ponni did Arul Mozhi Varman. ISAI PUYAL AR RAHMAN. My god what did we do to deserve him? Many said the songs slowed down the pace, but honestly it kind of worked for me. And the BACKGROUND SCORE. HOLY CRAP IM GONNA NEED THAT OST. Super unique score and it kind of reminded me of Thiruda Thiruda (Donga Donga) Rahman where he just experiments with different styles and it works wonders. My personal favorite has to be the one that plays during the entire act of Kundavai and Nandini meeting for the first time. Some others are definitely when Vandiyadevan and Kundavai meet (and, of course, Vandiyadevan falls for her) and the ending of Chola Chola.

That is all. Sorry it’s ridiculously long.

#ponniyin selvan #mani ratnam #ar rahman #karthi #aishwarya rai #trisha #chiyaan vikram #jayam ravi #aishwarya lekshmi #shobita dhulipala

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flixadda · 2 years

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Ouch! Is Naga Chaitanya annoyed about the rumours of him dating Sobhita Dhulipala?

MUMBAI: Samantha and Naga Chaitanya officially announced their separation after there was months of speculation in the media that all is not well between the couple. From affairs to Samantha getting an abortion as she never wanted a baby, rumour mills have been working overtime to guess the reasons. Now, the latest buzz is about Naga Chaitanya dating actress Shobita Dhulipala. There have been…

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#actors #Entertainment #Film Industry #MADE IN HEAVEN #movie news #Naga Chaitanya #Pushpa #Samantha Ruth Prabhu #Sobhita Dhulipala #South News #TellyChakkar

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sion5 · 2 years

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