During the audio launch of Ponniyin Selvan, Superstar jokingly said how Mani Ratnam refused to cast him in the film despite his request. The Kabali star revealed that he asked Mani Ratnam for the role of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar but was refused.

"I wanted to be part of Ponniyin Selvan and I asked Mani Ratnam to give me Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar. I said I'll do a special appearance. Mani replied 'Do you want me to get bashed by your fans?' Anyone else would have agreed, but Mani didn't. That's Mani Ratnam," he said.

Nelson Dilipkumar to direct superstar Rajinikanth's next film
Nelson Dilipkumar to direct superstar Rajinikanth's next filmIANS

However, there is a buzz now that the Thalapathy duo (after 32 years)  might team up for a project after the release of Ponniyin Selvan 2. It has been reported that Mani Ratnam narrated a one-liner and Superstar is impressed. Rajinikanth is currently busy with his Nelson-directorial Jailer, which is likely to hit the screens in 2023.

Mani Ratnam and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Mani Ratnam and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan during the promotional event of Raavanan.PR Handout

Meanwhile, Ponniyin Selvan is having a dream run at the box office. The film has entered the Rs. 400 crore  club worldwide and is marching towards the Rs. 450 crore club. There is also a buzz that PS1 will make its OTT debut on November 4. Producer Lyca has reportedly sold the streaming rights to Amazon Prime for a record Rs.125 crore.

Ponniyin Selvan is a two-part historical fiction based on writer Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel of the same name. The original book was a five-part series.

It has a huge star cast that includes Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Jayaram, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Ashwin Kakumanu, R. Sarathkumar, R. Parthiban, Prabhu, Prakash Raj and Rahman. AR Rahman is the music director.

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