7. PONNIYIN SELVAN-1

Language: Tamil

Genre: Period Drama

Ponniyan Selavan, directed by Maniratnam is  a  cinematic adaptation based on the same-titled book by Kalki Krishna Moorthy.  And I can confidently state that PS-1 is a near-perfect adaptation of the source material. Personally, I felt Maniratnam's method for dealing with periodic drama is a bit different from others'. With PS-1, the director created a rather enigmatic environment, familiarised us with the central conflict and protagonists, and concluded on a cliffhanger. In this way, PS-1 accomplished what it set out to do.

Instead of scale and grandeur, PS-1 focuses more on the craft and the art of storytelling. And there is not even a single actor in PS-1 that didn't feel invested in the character they played. Additionally, the magnificent soundtrack of AR Rahman gives PS- 1 even more splendour. The production design is another aspect of the movie that deserve applause for being utterly authentic. It would be simple to criticise PS-1 for its simplistic action scenes that lack excitement. In  another sense, however, it's Maniratnam's strategy for keeping the film realistically loyal to its inspiration and for making the characters as  humane  as possible.

PS-1 is without a doubt a masterpiece for fans of high drama who enjoy following the characters' journeys, speculating about their motivations, and piecing together the puzzle pieces as they go. It might not be the cup of tea, coffee, or whatever; for those who expect high-octane combat scenes and need instant adrenaline rush; nonetheless.

My opinion: Pure Class. 

NB: try to watch  PS-1 from the theaters that have eng subtitles. The Tamil dialect used in the movie is a bit hard to follow.