Aishwarya Rai has reportedly been signed on for Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film, an adaptation of Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan (The Son of Ponni) written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. The film will be based on the life of Arulmozhivarman, aka Rajaraja Chola I, and will be set during the 10th and 11th centuries. It is allegedly being planned as a multi-lingual big budget production, along the lines of Baahubali.
Aishwarya will play the role of Nandini, the wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, who served as the chancellor and treasurer of the Chola kingdom, reports mid-day. Her character takes revenge on the Cholas by manipulating her husband to plan the downfall of the Chola empire. The publication quoted a source as saying, “Aishwarya was approached for the project last year. But she bid her time, understanding the layers of her character before giving the nod last month.”
It was earlier rumoured that Amitabh Bachchan had been approached for a role opposite Aishwarya but Big B will not be a part of the film. Telugu actor Mohan Babu will reportedly play her husband. Mani Ratnam has also reportedly roped in actors such as Vikram, Simbu and Jayam Ravi.
Aishwarya made her debut in Mani Ratnam’s 1997 film Iruvar and has since acted in other titles by the director such as Guru and Raavan. She was last seen with Rajkummar Rao and Anil Kapoor in Atul Manjrekar’s comedy Fanney Khan.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)