Ponniyin Selvan 1, directed by Mani Ratnam, hit the theatres on September 30 in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi languages. Before witnessing the period action drama unfold on the big screen, knowing about the prominent characters in the film will give a better understanding about the epic drama.
One of the leading characters in Ponniyin Selvan 1 is Nandini, the daughter of Mandakini Devi. Those, who have not read the novel, would be surprised to know that cinematic adaptation of the movie revolves around Nandini’s revenge on the Chola empire. Nandini wishes to avenge the death of her lover Veerapandiyan, king of the Pandyan dynasty.
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It is believed that a battle was fought between the Chola and Pandyan armies. The Chola army emerged victorious in this battle and mercilessly killed the Pandyan army. However, Veerapandiyan somehow managed to save his life and went into hiding. He was accompanied by princess Nandini, who was adopted and brought up by Azhwarkadiyan Nambi.
Veerapandiyan was smitten by Nandini’s beauty and wished to marry her. However, their love story ended on a tragic note. Veerapandiyan’s hideout was soon discovered by Aditha Karikalan. Aditha killed him and severed his head in front of Nandini. A shattered Nandini then vowed to take revenge on Aditha. With this aim, she tied the knot with Periya Pazhuvetarayar.
Periya was the chancellor and treasurer of the Chola empire. He was much older than Nandini. Audiences may initially feel that she is trapped in her marriage with Periya. But, it is soon revealed that she got married to him only to seek revenge from the Cholas. Nandini had placed an essential condition before him to get married, which was her desire to become the queen of the Chola kingdom. Periya, who holds the most powerful position in the Chola empire, then plans a treacherous strategy to ensure that Nandini’s dream comes to fruition.
The novel mentioned yet another reason why Nandini went against the Chola empire. It is said that she lived with Azhwarkadiyan’s family in Palayarai, the capital of the Chola dynasty. Nandini got the chance to meet prince Aditha Karikalan and princess Kundavai Nachiyar there. It is believed that Kundavai was jealous of Nandini’s looks and she got the Azhwarkadiyan family banished from Palayarai after learning about Nandini’s affair with Aditha.
In Ponniyin Selvan 1, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plays the role of Nandini while Nassar essays the character of Veerapandiyan. Tamil star Chiyaan Vikram plays the role of Aditha Karikalan and R Sarathkumar portrays the character Periya Pazhuvetarayar.
