Yaathisai director Dharani Rasendran: We don't want to compete with Ponniyin Selvan

Just a week before the release of Mani Ratnam's epic saga Ponniyin Selvan II, a fictional story of the Chola dynasty, Yaathisai, a film about a Pandiya King, directed by debutant Dharani Rasendran, is set to hit the theatres on April 21. 

Ahead of the release, speaking at the press meet on Monday, the director stated that even though Yaathisai is about Pandiyas while Ponniyin Selvan is about the Cholas, he does not see the former as a contender with the latter. "We do not want to compete with Ponniyin Selvan in any way. Both our ideas are different," he said.

About why he chose to debut with a historical period film, Dharani said that not many people had written stories or made films on Pandiya's history. "I decided to make a fictional film from the life of Ranadheera Pandiya, as I wanted to represent that kingdom as well. The film is about Tamil history and Tamil pride. If there were more works on the Pandiyas, then I might have made a film on Cheras or Pallavas, which again is not explored much," he added.

Apart from Dharani, his team of 28 assistant directors and the cast and crew are predominantly newcomers. Actor Shakthi Mithran, who plays the lead role, Ranadheera Pandiyan, is elated as his debut film gives a lot of significance to Tamil history. "Randheera Pandiyan is to Pandiyan history just as Aditha Karikalan and Arunmozhi Varman were prominent princes in the Chola dynasty," he added.

KJ Ganesh of Venus Infotainment with Six Star Entertainment is producing Yaathisai. Speaking at the event, Ganesh, who has debuted as a film producer with Yaathisai, said, "I did not listen to the story entirely as the story of Yaathisai cannot be grasped through narration. I decided to produce this film mainly because of the positive vibe and confidence of the entire cast and crew."

Yaathisai, set in the 7th century, will revolve around the reign of Ranadheera Pandiya. The film will focus on the Einar clan revolting against the Pandiyas and will also focus on the lives of Devaradiyars. The film's technical crew includes cinematographer Akilesh Kathamuthu, editor Mahendran Ganesan, music composer Chakravarthy and art director Ranjith Kumar.