Malayalam actor Lal is set to play an aged warrior in Mani Ratnam's upcoming film, Ponniyin Selvan. Talking about the film, in an interview to Manorama Online, Lal revealed that he has been nursing dreams of working with Mani Ratnam for a long time, and once came close to appearing in Kadal, but couldn't commit to it due to scheduling conflicts.

Lal, who was recently seen in Saaho, added that he is undergoing horseriding training for Ponniyin Selvan. Based on the famous Tamil novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, the ambitious cinematic adaptation is said to feature a galaxy of stars in its ensemble cast, including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Karthi, Jayaram, Jayam Ravi, and Ashwin Kakumanu. 

Meanwhile, Lal will also be part of Dhanush's film with Pariyerum Perumal director Mari Selvaraj.