Another Ponniyin Selvan adaptation: A 125-episode series with music by Ilaiyaraaja

Kalki's classic historical novel Ponniyin Selvan is going to be made into a web series by Ajay Pratheeb. The director has penned the screenplay and will also helm the camera for this 125-episode series. Titled Chiranjeevi Ponniyin Selvan, the series will have music by Ilaiyaraaja. Ajay, for whom this project has been a 20-year dream, tells us, "Ilaiyaraaja sir agreed to compose music for it immediately after listening to the script."  

"It took me six years to write the script, which will cover the entire novel as well as the life history of Raja Raja Chozhan till he built the Brihadeeswara Temple," he continues. "The cast of the series will be announced on April 14 this year, and the first episode will be out on April 14, 2022. We plan to release it as nine seasons with hour-long episodes. We will shoot the series in Tamil and then dub it in all South Indian languages as well as in Hindi," he adds.

Chiranjeevi Ponniyin Selvan will go on floors on August 18 and will be shot in Hyderabad, Mysore, Kerala, and Sri Lanka. Sabu Cyril and Antony have been roped in to handle the art direction and editing, respectively, for the series that is jointly produced by Eternitee Motion Krafte Pvt Ltd and Eterneity Star. The streaming platform to host the series is expected to be announced soon.