Karthi took me along for equestrian training at 3 am: Jayam Ravi

CHENNAI: The first single from the much-awaited Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-I dropped on Sunday. Titled Ponni Nadhi, the event happened at a mall in Chennai, where a huge crowd witnessed the single launch.

The song crooned by AR Rahman has lyrics by Ilango Krishnan and was open to a rousing reception from the packed crowd.

Ponni Nadhi is touted to be the intro song of the film where Vanthiyathevan rides his horse along the Cauvery river bank to reach Kadambur palace on the auspicious 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi. The event was graced by actors Karthi Sivakumar, Jayam Ravi and Jayaram, who play Vanthiyathevan, Ponniyin Selvan and Azhwarkadiyan Nambi in the film respectively.

Actor Karthi Sivakumar took to the stage and said, “This is a dream-come-true moment for me and listening to AR Rahman sir is a magician. We were shattered as Covid struck when we started the shoot of Ponniyin Selvan. But Mani sir made it possible and we finished shooting for both the parts of the franchise in 120 days. That is not about it. Ponniyin Selvan will exceed the epic film Chandralekha in terms of grandeur.”

Jayam Ravi on seeing the visuals of the song reminisced the scene where Karthi was riding on a horse that was shot in Krabi, Thailand in the first schedule. “I was nervous when it came to handling the horse whereas Karthi is a veteran in it. Our schedule was such that the day starts as early as 3 a m and begins with equestrian training. It was Karthi, who took me with him and taught me the skill,” he said sporting a huge smile.

Ponni Nadhi, which would go down as one of AR Rahman and Sivamani’s best collaboration in coming days, crossed over 7 lakh views within an hour of its release. Ponniyin Selvan-I will hit the screens on September 30 across Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

We were shattered as Covid struck when we started the shoot of Ponniyin Selvan. But Mani sir made it possible and we finished shooting for both the parts of the franchise in 120 days. That is not about it. Ponniyin Selvan will exceed the epic film Chandralekha in terms of grandeur