FIlmmaker Mani Ratnam was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday, July 19. Speaking to TNM, the director’s publicist confirmed that the director was checked for coronavirus but has tested negative. Speaking to TNM, the director’s publicist confirmed that the director was checked for coronavirus but has tested negative. An official statement pertaining to the health of the filmmaker is awaited from the hospital. The 66-year-old director had recently attended the funeral of actor and filmmaker Pratap Pothen, who died on July 15. Mani Ratnam had also taken part in the teaser launch of his upcoming period drama Ponniyin Selvan I, which was held on July 8 in the city.
Speaking at the teaser launch about his magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, which is based on writer Kalki’s historical novel of the same title, the filmmaker said, “Makkal Thilagam MGR sir was supposed to do the film after Naadodi Mannan. I have tried working on this project thrice – in the 1980s, in 2000 and then in 2010, but it did not fall into place,” while adding that he understands the responsibility that comes with the film since the Ponniyin Selvan novel is well-liked by Tamil readers.
Bankrolled by Lyca Productions, the film is set to release on September 30. The cast of the much-anticipated period drama includes Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, Parthiban, Lal, Prabhu, Vikram Prabhu and Prakash Raj. It is reportedly one of the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the country.
The technical crew includes AR Rahman as the music composer, Ravi Varman as the cinematographer, national award winning art director Thotta Tharani handling the production design and Sreekar Prasad as the editor. The teaser of the film, which was unveiled on July 8, was shared by several celebrities including Mohanlal, Amitabh Bachchan, Suriya and Rakshit Shetty, among others.
Prior to Ponniyin Selvan I, Mani Ratnam had co-created the Netflix anthology Navarasa, which opened to a mixed response from audiences and critics alike.