PS 2 Review | Ponniyin Selvan 2 Review: PS2 is a Vikram, Aishwarya Rai show

Ponniyin Selvan 2 Review: Having set the plot in motion in the first part, with Ponniyin Selvan 2, Mani Ratnam dives right into the heart of the novel – the unrequited love between crown prince Aaditha Karikalan (Vikram) and Nandhini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). PS2 begins with a prelude that captures the romance between these two characters when they were young, and without saying too much in the form of dialogues, the director shows us the blossoming of love between a prince and an orphan girl and the heartache it leaves in the wake of them being separated by forces beyond their control.

In fact, right until the climax, this doomed romance is what sustains the tension in this tale and drives the characters to make decisions that have far-reaching impact. Even when he realises that an acceptance of an invitation to the Kadambur palace – a place where his own chieftains plotted against him – could be a folly, Karikalan is unable to turn it down. For his sister, Princess Kundhavai (Trisha), the mystery around Nandhini’s lineage drives her actions. And the young prince Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) ends up fending off the Pandiya rebels, who have sworn an oath to kill Karikalan, whose romance led to the murder of their king.

Up until the intermission, the film continues with the brisk narration that we got in the second half of the first film, proceeding more like a swashbuckler. We witness the daring attempts to murder Arulmozhi, who is recovering from an illness at a monastery, and Vandhiyathevan’s (Karthi) efforts to foil them. The latter half is more concerned with the fate of Karikalan. Mani Ratnam fills the much-anticipated moment between him and Nandhini with so much dread and pain that we even forget the rest of the characters for a brief while. And Vikram and Aishwarya are terrific in these portions, delivering performances that are so naked, adding to the vulnerability of their characters.

In fairness, the climactic portions are hugely impacted by this emotional high, as the events that follow Karikalan’s death cannot match the suspense and the drama the narrative held until then. And Mani Ratnam seems to realise this too, and decides to have a war scene in the end to amp up the drama to give us an adrenaline rush. But the more underwhelming moment is the climax. Even in Kalki’s book, we get a rather low-key ending, with one too many twists, but here, while the writers sensibly give us a more agreeable twist, they fail to pack a punch with the speech that Arulmozhi delivers in the end to make the ultimate sacrifice.