Ponniyin Selvan, Kalki Krishnamurthy’s magnum opus, has been the talk of the town for the past few months. With just a week left for the release of Mani Ratnam’s film, people’s interest in the story has reached a feverish pitch and reflects Kalki’s skill in weaving a story of multiple genres. Lakshmi Natarajan, CEO, Kalki Group, agrees.
“As Kalki’s family, isn’t the responsibility of bringing his work to life lie foremost with us?” she asked at a press meeting to launch the group’s documentary on the novel on Friday.
The travel documentary, Paraak Paraak, or ‘the supreme is coming’ is a 16-part series that follows the journey of Vandhiyathevan, who many consider the novel’s hero, as he navigates politics and intrigue in the Chola empire.
T.A. Narasimhan, former journalist and historical writer, rides a horse, sails in a boat and travels on foot always with a copy of the book in hand to narrate the story and some interesting facts. “If I can mount a horse and feel like Vandhiyathevan, anyone can and it truly feels like you are the hero of the story”, he said.
A video on the making of the documentary, which contained stunning aerial views of coastal and inland Tamil Nadu as well as fun bloopers of Narasimhan and crew members as they dealt with temple crowds and nature was shown on the occasion. Locals were asked how they related to the story and a boatman said he was named after Raja Raja Chola.
“Kalki considered Arunmozhi Varman the real hero as he made the ultimate sacrifice of offering his crown to Madhuranthakan”, said Seetha Ravi, Kalki group. According to her, Kalki would write each week’s episode in one night and for three-and-a-half-years, readers were regaled with the tales from Chola period.
Thangam Thennarasu, Minister for Industries, Tamil Official Language, Tamil Culture and Archaeology, expressed his desire to visit the places mentioned in the book. “I am here as a fan and it is only Kalki’s genius that could have kept it alive for all these years”, he said.
The Minister officially launched the first episode of the series which will be available on Kalki Online’s YouTube channel from the September 24 with one episode being released each day for 16 days.
