Ponniyin Selvan director Mani Ratnam hospitalized after testing positive for Covid-19

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who is gearing up for the release of his much-anticipated Ponniyin Selvan part 1, was admitted to a private hospital on Tuesday after he experienced some Covid-related symptoms over the last few days. As per reports, Ratnam has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital. Also read: Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 teaser: Mani Ratnam’s film matches Baahubali standards

Mani Ratnam, who recently made a public appearance at the teaser launch of his film Ponniyin Selvan, has been admitted to Apollo hospital in Chennai. Film trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai took to Twitter to share the news. He wrote, “#ManiRatnam tested positive for #COVID19 , admitted to Apollo Hospital, Chennai.”

Ponniyin Selvan, based on the eponymous epic novel by Kalki, has been produced by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies. Lyca Productions will be releasing the film. The first part will be released in cinemas worldwide on September 30. The film’s teaser was released earlier this month in a grand launch event in Chennai.

The teaser made it evident that this could be undoubtedly the most expensive film in Mani Ratnam’s career. All the lead characters were given equal importance in the teaser while Aishwarya Rai appears to be playing dual roles. In the film, Aishwarya will be seen in the character of Nandini, the wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, and her mother, Queen Mandakini Devi. The film also stars Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lakshmi and Sarath Kumar among others.

Ponniyin Selvan has music by AR Rahman while Ravi Varman handled cinematography. Sreekar Prasad has done the editing and Thota Tharani was roped in for production design and writer Jeyamohan for dialogues. Sharing credits for the screenplay along with Mani Ratnam is actor Kumaravel.

The film’s title poster was unveiled in January 2020. Immediately, the film went on floors in Thailand where a major portion of the first schedule was shot before it was suspended due to the outbreak of Covid-19. The poster features a sword with a golden hilt and it bears the emblem of the Chola kingdom along with the words ‘Beginning of the Golden Era’.