Ponnar Shankar (film)

Ponnar Shankar
File:Ponnar-Shankar-movie-poster.jpg Release Poster
Directed by	Thiagarajan
Written by	M. Karunanidhi
Produced by	Thiagarajan
Starring	Prashanth Prabhu Jayaram Napoleon Prakash Raj Raj Kiran Pooja Chopra Divya Parameshwaran Sneha
Cinematography	Shaji Kumar
Edited by	Don Max
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Production company	Lakshmi Shanthi Movies
Release date	9 April 2011 (2011-04-09)
Country	Template:Film India
Language	Tamil

Ponnar Shankar is an Indian epic film adapted from a novel of the same name by M. Karunanidhi, a fictionalized retelling of the Ponnar Shankar epic. The film is directed by Thiagarajan and features his son Prashanth in lead dual roles as warrior princes, portraying the titular characters, with actresses Pooja Chopra and Divya Parameshwaran making their film debuts as princesses. The film also features an extensive cast of supporting actors with Prabhu, Napoleon, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Sneha and Kushboo amongst others. The background score and soundtrack of the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, which released on 27 March 2011.

Discussions for the production of Ponnar Shankar had been ongoing since 2007 and filming started in August 2009. The film progressed through filming slowly due to the difficulty of fixing schedules to feature all the supporting cast together, alhtough post-production works were carried out simultaneously to the filming process. The film was released on April 9, 2011, four days before Karunanidhi contested in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election of 2011 and gained positive reviews from critics upon release.

Plot

The movie begins with the wedding of Thamarai (Kushboo), the daughter of King Periyamalaikozhundhu Gounder (Vijayakumar) arranged with Mandhiyappan (Prakashraj), a king of neighbouring country. Enters Nellaiyankondan (Jayaram), Thamarai's lover and he walks away with her.

Her parents disown her and drive her out of their kingdom.While leaving she throws a challenge at her brother Chinna Malaikozhundhu (Ponvannan) that he would come to their doors one day seeking to marry her two sons for his two daughters.

As years go by, Mayavar (Nasser), a chieftain in the village, comes across twin brothers Ponnar and Sankar (both Prashanth), who are students of Rakki (Raj Kiran). Good at heart, Ponnar and Sankar are valorous and they voice for the sufferings of poor.

One day, they save the sisters Muthayi (Pooja Chopra) and Pavalayi (Dhivya Parameshwaran) from death. Both happen to be daughters of Chinna Malaikozhundhu.

Impressed with their valour, their parents agree for their marriage with Ponnar and Sankar. A flashback reveals that Ponnar and Sankar are Thamarai's sons and Rakki had taken them with him to save them from Mandhiyappan when they were born.

Coming to know that Ponnar and Sankar are alive, Mandhiappan hatches a conspiracy and ensures that Kali Mannan (Nepolean) and Thamarai's father help him in killing them.

Eventually a war is fought. The intense battle ensures that good prevails over evil.

Cast

• Prashanth as Ponnar and Shankar
• Pooja Chopra as Muthaayi
• Divya Parameshwaran as Pavalaayi
• Sneha as Arukkaani Thangam
• Prakash Raj as Manthiappan
• Prabhu as the Chola King
• Jayaram as Nellian Kodan
• Kushboo as Thamarai Nachiyar
• Nassar as Mayavar
• Rajkiran as Raaki Annan
• Napoleon as Thalaiyoor Kaali
• Vijayakumar as Periyamalai Kozhundu
• Ponvannan as Chinnamalai Kozhundu
• Bharat Dabholkar as Thirumalai
• Riyaz Khan as Vaiyamperumal
• Lakshmi Ramakrishnan as Silambayi
• Seetha as Azhagu Nachiyar
• Sukumari as Vaanayi
• Ponnambalam as Thalapathi
• Raj Kapoor
• Santhana Bharathi
• Delhi Ganesh
• Bhanu in a special appearance

Production

Development

In early 2007, Thiagarajan approached M. Karunanidhi with the intention of making a film on his adaptation of the Ponnar Shankar epic which he had written in the 1960s, and he accepted their offer and approved of Thiagarajan's decision to cast his son, Prashanth in the dual lead roles. In July 2008, the project became officially announced, with a press meet being held. The film subsequently began pre-production, with Thyagarajan opting to produce the film under his Sri Lakshmi Shanthi Films banner. The preliminary stages of the production took more than one year, with storyboarding, costume designs and colossal set designs all being finalized. Prashanth revealed that extensive research about the time period only was done for one-and-a-half years.

At the launch of the film in July 2009, Thiagarajan announced that thirty six prominent actors would play lead roles with hundred others portraying supporting roles. The female lead roles were initially offered to leading actresses with Aishwarya Rai and Deepika Padukone, being approached unsuccessfully, before Miss India 2009 Pooja Chopra and model Divya Parameshwaran were signed on to portray the leading roles soon after. Moreover, about 5000 junior artists and 1000 artists from the annual Chennai Sangamam had reportedly been part of the film's shoot. In 2008, Thiagarajan approached A. R. Rahman to compose the music for the film, however, he opted not to sign on, with Ilaiyaraaja eventually replacing him. Muthuraj was selected as the art director for the film and Shaji Kumar as cinematographer, while Prashanth handled all the visual effects related to the film.

The film ran into production trouble in mid 2010 and was close to being shelved, with sources reporting that Thiagarajan sold the film to Santiago Martin to revive the project. However reports proved to be untrue, and Thiagarajan maintained that he still remained producer of the film. The film had began to become more expensive than initially planned, due to the casual nature of shoot and the difficulty of creating contemporary sets. The film ran into more trouble in February 2011, when environmentalists thronged the sets campaigning against the cutting down of trees by the producers. The first look of the film was unveiled publicly in February 2011 and the publicity campaign began thereafter.

Filming

The launch and the first schedule of the venture was held on July 12, 2009, at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai, inside which an entire ancient township film set with temples, forts, a lake and palaces was created. Scenes containing Napolean as historical figure, Thalaiyoor Kaali, were shot there first. Thereafter, scenes featuring Jayaram and Kushboo were shot with the pair being portrayed in roles considerably younger than they are in real life. In September 2009, scenes were canned in forests in Polichalur with elephants and horses, resembling the region in the 1500s. Prashanth revealed that portraying a dual role meant that he was forced to change his costumes up to forty times a day in order portray the twin brothers' differences correctly.

Karunanidhi visited the sets of the film in a Vadapalani studio in April 2010, to monitor its progress and the shooting then moved onto Guindy National Park in Chennai where Prashanth celebrated his birthday on the sets of the film. Sneha was roped in to play Arukaani, sister of the warrior twins in June 2010, and subsequently filmed her portions. In late 2010, scenes with the lead cast with Pooja Chopra were shot in Trichy. The climax scenes of the film were shot in the deserts of Rajasthan in February 2011. The battle sequences were also shot in Kerala and Karnataka, with one scene lasting 28 days with 30000 junior artists used as soldiers along with 3000 horses; another battle scene was shot underwater.

Release

Marketing

The film began its publicity campaign in February 2011 in aim of releasing the film during the period of the 2011 Tamil Nadu legislative assembly elections, with the film supposedly helping the campaign of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party who are led by the film's writer, M. Karunanidhi. The court case the film was involved in was dismissed the petition to stop the film, and the film was immediately released on April 9, 2011, a day after the Dhanush starrer, Maapillai.

Reviews

The film opened to predominantly positive reviews from critics who drew particular praise for the grandeur and the technical values of the project. A critic from The Hindu labelled the film an "alluring canvas" citing that there are many positives in the form of "pulent sets, mesmerising locations, rich costume, imposing cast". The film is described as "technically brilliant", and art direction from Muthuraj and cinematograpy by Shaji Kumar are labelled as "award-winning". However, the film received mixed response from The Hindu, for lacking "a powerful story which such celluloid magnificence warrants" and it is also claimed that "screenplay and direction don't help much either". In regard to performances, the critics praises Prashanth saying he "proves that he is fighting fit and all set for another innings" while "his agility in stunts is appreciable". Divya Parameshwaran in her debut is appreciated as making "a solid debut" and for being "cheerful-looking", while Pooja Chopra is creditted as being "attractive too, but expressions need some honing". Rajkiran and Nassar were also given particular praise by the critic amongst the large supporting cast.

A reviewer from Sify concluded that the film was an "entertainer" and that it "succeeds to a large extent". About the technical aspects, the reviewer claims that the film was "technically slick, count Muthuraj’s sets, Shaji’s camera work and Don Max’s editing" whilst adding that "music and re-recording of Ilaiyaraaja is a major plus". The critic also praises the lead actor claiming that "the film belongs to Prashanth", although mentions that "on the downside the film has no logic, weak storyline and there is continuity problem".

A reviewer from Behindwoods opens stating that "Ponnar Shankar is a good and a successful attempt at historic cinema", citing that Thiagarajan has done an "impressive job of adapting a historic story onto big screen", giving the film three out of five stars.

Rohit Ramachandran of nowrunning.com gave the film two and a half out of five stars stating that "Ponnar Shankar is a hollow gold cylinder. It is sturdy, attractive but empty inside. Technically, it achieves wonders but the screenplay is deeply flawed. To make a decent film out of a stupid story isn't easy. Director Thiagarajan has done just that."

A critic from the Times of India gave two on five stars and commented on its direction stating "the story of Ponnar and Shankar had the most potential, but inconsistent direction, editing and acting ensure that it doesn't fulfil any." and "Prashanth does little" praising the Camera and Art work saying "On the plus side is the terrific work by art director Muthuraj and cinematographer Shaji Kumar" and concluded that there were "Too many gaps in the story ensure that the movie never rises above its mediocrity and ends up being an epic disappointment."

Rediff also continued with two on five stars and said that "Nothing is historical about Ponnar Shankar" and "The biggest drawback is the fact that historical accuracy has been thrown to the winds." describing Prashant as "Shouldering the bulk of the movie, looks fit, trim and performs stunts with panache" and praising the music "Perhaps realising the futility of the project, Ilaiyaraja has just skimmed the bare bones of his usually fulfilling musical compositions. The tunes are all generic, and though the background score rises and falls in operatic fashion, none of it gels."

Box Office

The film had an average opening at the box office, collecting ₹14,30,349 in Chennai in the first three days. After two weeks it collected ₹39 Lakhs from Chennai.

Controversy

Prior to release, the film drew criticism from the Kongu Nadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) Party claiming that the film portrayed the traditional deities of the gounder community in a bad light. Leading figures from the party wrote to the central censor board to ban the film for portraying their deities, the characters of Ponnar and Shankar, to be "dancing with semi-nude women".

Soundtrack

Untitled

The soundtrack of the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The album was released on March 27, 2011 at the Prasad Lab Studios in Chennai, with the film's writer and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi being the chief guest at the event. The trailer and teasers were the film were also unveiled at the function, which was attended by several members of the cast and crew of the film. The soundtrack album consists of six tracks, with four of them notably featuring vocals by Shreya Ghoshal.

Tracklist

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Kodi Katti Koduthalum"	Haricharan, Sathyan Mahalingam	4:14
2.	"Annanmaar Kathai"	Madhu Balakrishnan, Hemambika, Anitha	9:04
3.	"Bavaani Varugira"	Shreya Ghoshal	7:36
4.	"Kannai Padithen"	Sriram Parthasarathy, Shreya Ghoshal	6:07
5.	"Thedi Vantha Devathai"	Kunal Ganjawala, Shreya Ghoshal	5:09
6.	"Malar Villile"	Darshana, Shreya Ghoshal	6:24
Total length:			38:34

External links

• Official website