Mani Ratnam has often said that his dream project is a live-action adaptation of a classic Tamil novel, written in 1955 by Kalki Krishnamurthy, the novel has inspired many writers and directors and is considered the greatest novel in Tamil literature.The first part of the film, which follows the lives of the Chola dynasty, begins in the 10th century and focuses on the crown prince Aditha Karikalan, played by Vikram, whom Karthi entrusts to his close friend Vallavarayan Vanthiyathevan to stop a conspiracy that threatens the empire.The trailer of this film was a bit misleading as they made the film into some kind of epic war between kingdoms movie like Baahubali but instead it stayed true to the source material Mani Ratnam co-wrote with Elango Kumaravel and B.Jeyamohan has made a film with real interesting court intrigues. Although the film has fight sequences and action sequences, the film really shines in the political maneuvering and backstabbing that it manages to masterfully show.In fact, when the film tries to add commercial elements to the plot, the agreement between these two elements is often muddled and slows down the film as it prevents the film from achieving its true potential.Especially since most of the action sequences feel generic and at times very poorly edited, there is only one sequence that stands out at the beginning of the second half when Arulmoshi Varman and his forces invade Sri Lanka and there is a very memorable battle. The Battle of Normandy Beach from Saving Private Ryan.Fortunately, the excellent acting on display distracts you from the film's problems and is the highlight of the film, this film has a great ensemble, however, the standout has to be Aishwarya Rai as Nandani is a treat to watch and one of the best. Her career performances, talking too much about her role in the film would spoil the experience, but it's nice to see the actress back in top form.Karthi as the endearing and sarcastic Vallavarayan Vanthiyathevan is the true heart of the film as Karthi's effortless performance elevates every scene he is in. Trisha as Princess Kundavai was stunning, the actress did a great job and was a scene stealer thanks to her very subtle and nuanced performance.Vikram is solid as Aditha Karikalan's crown prince but he never stands out, Jayaram Ravi Arulmoshi Varman also suits the part well and it is clear that he will play a bigger role in the second part. Finally, Jayaram adds some much-needed levity to the film as Aswarkadian Nambi, whose on-screen chemistry with Karthi was spot-on.A. R. Rahman's music never stood out and most of the background music felt like rehashes of various Hollywood films, Ravi Varman's cinematography was fine except for some action sequences. Overall Ponniyin Selvan is a faithful and enjoyable adaptation to experience on screen.