When Mani Ratnam Refused To Cast Rajinikanth In Ponniyin Selvan

Did you know director Mani Ratnam refused to cast Superstar Rajinikanth in his magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan despite his request? A grand audio and trailer launch of the film took place in Chennai yesterday. Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan joined hands to release the much-awaited songs composed by AR Rahman.

However, the highlight of the event was Rajinikanth's speech. 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."

Check out who plays what in Ponniyin Selvan here!

Interestingly, it was late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who first said that Rajinikanth would be an apt person to play the role of Vanthiyathevan. "In a magazine, J Jayalalithaa had said Rajinikanth would be suitable for Vanthiyathevan. I was so happy. That's when I took the book to read. I went to Kalki's house and fell at his feet. What a story!" the superstar further added.

Rajinikanth also added that when he read the story he imagined Kamal as Arunmozhi Varman, Sridevi as Kundavai, Vijaykanth as Aditya Karikalan, and Sathyaraj as Pazhuvettaraiyar.

Another interesting fact was when he revealed that the character Nandini is the inspiration for the epic role of Neelaambari (played by Ramya Krishnan) in Padayappa. "Ponniyin Selvan is not about Arunmozhi Varman, it's about Nandini. It's Ponniyin Selvi. What a character! No one can see such characters these days. That's the inspiration for Neelambari," he stated.

Set in the 9th century, the film revolves around the early life of Chola Prince Arulmozhi Varman who was later known as the great Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola. The film is all set to hit the screens on September 30.