Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is all set to make her comeback to the big screen with Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: 1. In the film, she will be essaying the role of Nandini, a Puzhavoor Princess and wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar.
With this project, Mani Ratnam would be venturing into the territory of the period action drama genre. The director has previously delivered some memorable masterpieces. Whether it was O Kadhal Kanmani or trilogy – Roja, Bombay and Dil Se, Mani Ratnam’s versatility as a storyteller has spanned over four decades and countless genres. Ponniyin Selvan: 1 would be yet another milestone for the director.
However, do you know Ponniyin Selvan will not be the first time that Aishwarya will be featuring in Mani Ratnam’s film? The actress has previously worked with Ratnam on three separate projects. Let’s take a look at some of the movies that the director-actress duo has done together in the past.
Iruvar (1997)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar. The movie aspired to depict a fictionalized account of the lives of 1980s Tamil Nadu political icons M. G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi and their continuing tryst between Tamil Cinema and Dravidian Politics.
Aishwarya Rai’s debut film #Iruvar pic.twitter.com/gkbKS1YKrA
— ѕஆ (@apisha2000) May 28, 2021
Mani Ratnam had also revealed in an interview that Aishwarya Rai was a ‘tremendous dancer and she exhibited a lot of potential.’ However, since Aishwarya was a Non-Tamil speaker, she had to work extra hard to gain command over the Language. The actress who appeared in two different characters received widespread recognition from the audience. Her iconic look in white saree and white flower wreath is still seared in the minds of avid cinephiles.
Guru (2007)
Aishwarya’s second project with Mani Ratnam was Guru, a movie that was said to be a biopic of Industrialist Tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani. In the film, Rai essayed the role of Sujata which was loosely inspired by Kokila Dhirubhai Ambani. The actress managed to effortlessly portray an intricately meek and innocent yet rebellious village girl.
[] Movie: Guru (2007), dir. by Mani Ratnam
Aishwarya Rai in the frame, from the song Ey Hairathe pic.twitter.com/1CI4wHDDld
— Anurag Shukla (@Anuraag_Shukla) March 15, 2022
Mani Ratnam was able to utilise the magnificence of Rai through two indelible songs. In ‘Tera Bina’, the actress gracefully danced in a stunning traditional Gujarati Saree alongside Abhishek Bachchan. The on-screen chemistry between the two actors that was elicited by the director managed to win fans over. Similarly, in another song ‘Barso Re’, Aishwarya was seen in a much simpler avatar as she grooved nonchalantly in the backdrop of pouring rain. Guru went on to become a massive blockbuster. For Aishwarya Rai, this movie also proved to be the beginning of her love story with Abhishek Bachchan.
Raavan (2010)
Mani Ratnam later weaved magic with Aishwarya Rai for his film Raavan. Borrowing the crux of the epic Ramayana embellished with a modern touch, the actress played Ragini Sharma (a character based on Sita) who was the wife of IPS Dev Pratap Sharma (played by Vikram) and was kidnapped by Beera (played by Abhishek Bachchan). Rai’s performance in the movie was exceptional as she managed to render complex emotions brimming inside her. In contrast to her character in Guru, Ragini was bold, fierce and gutsy. To be able to render a wide range of emotions on the same canvas and that too with ease was something that Aishwarya Rai deemed as challenging.
Aishwarya had even called the film ‘the most challenging role of her career’. During the music launch of that film, she said, “This is the most challenging role of my career. What is unique about Mani is that he draws you into his world through the narration. Ragini is a unique woman and a strong character which I personally can relate to.”
The director-actress duo is now coming together for the fourth time with Ponniyin Selvan-1. The promotional poster of Aishwarya Rai as a 10th-century Queen has already piqued the interest of fans and cinema lovers alike. The film is slated to release on September 30 later this year.
