If condensing the five-volume novel Ponniyin Selvan into a two-hour film is a challenge, penning dialogues for the movie is a different beast altogether.
“This is my first film based on a historical novel, and a historical film today cannot imitate the dialogues of films starring Sivaji Ganesan. It is a challenge to avoid theatrical elements and artificiality,” says writer Jayamohan, who has penned the dialogues for the film. According to him, the big task would be to keep it real and authentic to the period as well. He says Ponniyin Selvan is more a fantasy novel than historical fiction, and fantasy has always suited the medium of cinema very well. “[Director] Mani Ratnam has narrated the story through visuals while keeping at a distance the theatrical elements, and I have had to write lines that would support the visuals. I also have the task of enriching the visuals,” Mr. Jayamohan explains. When asked how a motion picture could steer clear of the language used in historical films, since kings were believed to have spoken chaste Tamil, Mr. Jayamohan clarifies that Ponniyin Selvan also has the authentic court language. “But we have handled it in such a way that it would sound like everyday language,” he explains.
Mr. Jayamohan, who has been working on the project since it was conceived by Mr. Mani Ratnam in 2010, says there is no evidence to suggest that Tamil kings spoke a particular type of language. “Probably, they may have used the language found in the inscriptions. But we do not have the text. We also do not know their dressing style. It is purely imaginary,” he adds.
On the task of translating a novel into a film, he says, “If important incidents in a novel can be made into a film, Ponniyin Selvan has many such incidents. I have depended on these incidents for my work on the film.” He agrees that there is a need to delve deep into the minds of characters to study their confusions and oscillations, and in a film, this could be done through important incidents. “For instance, the relationship between Aditya Karikalan and Nandini runs to several pages, and in the film, it can be successfully explored through a strong incident,” he adds. He stresses that the dialogues of cinema completely differ from those of novels, and what cinema requires is dialogues that support the visuals. While Kalki had elevated Vandhya Devan to the status of a hero, often eclipsing Raja Raja, Mr. Jayamohan says only the director could explain the treatment given to each and every character in the film.
