Mani Ratnam's highly anticipated historical epic, Ponniyin Selvan is all set for its grand theatrical release tomorrow (September 30) and several years of wait will finally come to an end by tonight. Ahead of the movie release, Baradwaj Rangan, the Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus interviewed the man himself, Mani Ratnam, and discussed in detail about the filmmaker's journey, his likes and dislikes on various aspects of cinema. During the interaction, Mani Ratnam was asked about his most favourite benchmark period historical films, since he has currently made a historical epic. The ace filmmaker indeed had an interesting reply.

He said, "I remember seeing Ondanondu Kaladalli (Kannada) just before my first film. I loved the film. In fact, I went looking out for those locations near Chikkamagaluru. Many years later, I met AK Bir (cinematographer) and told that I am a great fan of the film. So brilliantly done and beautifully shot. Utsav was also pathbreaking. Gold standard. The ambience was beautifully created, the way the film was lit, the way it was costumed, all details were to the point. It was just outstanding, amazing work. Umrao Jaan, which again was spectacular. These are some of the strong benchmark films".

Talking about Ponniyin Selvan, the film is set to release tomorrow on a record number of screens and a blockbuster opening is on the cards. Bankrolled by Lyca Productions in association with Madras Talkies, Ponniyin Selvan has been made as two parts and the second part will release during the summer of next year. Chiyaan Vikram, Karthi, Trisha, Jayam Ravi, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead roles, while the supporting cast includes the likes of Prakash Raj, Sarath Kumar, Prabhu, Rahman, Jayaram, Parthiban, Lal, Riyaz Khan, Kishore, Vikram Prabhu, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Chidambaram, and others. PS 1 has music composed by A.R.Rahman and cinematography handled by Ravi Varman.