The Chola Dynasty is in power in India during the 10th century, and leading the country to prosperity is Emperor Sundara Chozhar (Prakash Raj). His sons, Aditha Karikalan (Vikram) and Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi), referred to affectionately by the people as the titular Ponniyin Selvan, are expanding the reach of their father’s rule in hopes of winning his favor and eventual crown. Aditha catches wind of a plot to unseat their father and sends his friend, prince, Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan (Karthi) of the Vaanar Clan to warn the emperor before it is too late. His suspicions are correct as many of the ministers are planning a coup that will install the emperor’s brother, Madurantaka Chola (Rashin Rahman), on the throne. 

Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1955 novel of the same name, Ponniyin Selvan, shortened and stylized as PS: 1, is part one of a planned two-part adaptation of the sprawling historical epic. After three failed attempts since its publication to bring the story to the screen by various parties, the 167-minute spectacle, which saw a limited Imax release, was directed by Mani Ratnam, who also co-wrote the script with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. It was a joint production between Madras Talkies and Lyca and makes its streaming debut on Amazon Prime now that its highly successful and critically acclaimed theatrical window has closed which saw it crowned as the 4th highest-grossing Tamil-language film of all time and the 15th highest-grossing film from India of all time. 

There is no getting around the dense nature of the script, and for those familiar with the source material or the roots of history, they may find that Ratnam’s disinterest in holding the audience’s hand throughout the narrative a refreshing reward for their dedication to the material. For outsiders to the text, however, PS: 1 is a daunting task to unpack, unravel, and most importantly understand. The bare bones of the plot are easy enough to follow, but the extensive detail and the political machinations that help to texture the narrative require careful focus to get the most out of the intriguing narrative. 

Before breaking for intermission, a little over the halfway point of the film, PS: 1 is primarily focused on Vallavaraiyan as he journeys to the palace to warn the emperor of the plot to unseat him. Karthi fills the role with affable charm and charisma that makes for an energetic and lighthearted opening as he bounces along. Despite all this, he never feels too bumbling a hero as he faces both challenges and romances. There is never any doubt about Vallavaraiyan’s capabilities, it is just that he is discovering something much more sinister than anticipated while on what should have been a simple message run. He performs well in the song and dance numbers as well as the dramatic scenes and for much of this first half of the film, audiences feel happy and comfortable to be on this adventure with him. 

After the break, the film takes a considerable shift in characters and tone, focusing more on Aditha Karikalan as he grapples with a past love lost that inspires him to go to war and expand his territory and now this quest to find his brother who has gone into hiding after the war. In these final forty-five minutes or so, the film takes on an incredible amount of action with great skill and gusto. As with the first section, Ravi Varman’s opulent cinematography captures every beat and impact for editor A. Sreekar Prasad to splice together into a heart-pumping experience. While the pacing of the script does leave something to be desired, for example, Vallavaraiyan is not as key a player in the second half, and his exuberance is replaced by the brooding of the two brothers, the individual scenes on a visual and construction level are all top notch. Eyes are never struggling to see a detail, only overwhelmed by the amount of lavish visual information to take in on the screen. 

In the final large sequence of the film, Vallavaraiyan returns to importance as he and Ponniyin Selvan hatch a scheme to trade places and confuse the enemy. High-stake hijinks are soon to follow, and it is a relief to end on such a fun note that matches the tone of how PS: 1 opened. Knowing that it is not going to come to a full conclusion, Ratnam pulls out all the stops to ensure there is an exciting, sea-faring finale with hints of mystery surrounding a strange elephant rider, Oomai Rani (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) who keeps her face mostly shielded from view protecting her identity, but with clear inclinations to assist the heroes, though surely their safety is just a byproduct of her own inclinations. While the narrative is dizzying, audiences are left hungry for more of this grand adventure and that is hard to do when faced with a pseudo-conclusion; open-ended by necessity but it does not feel like a futile experience that built and led to nothing. Ratnam found what feels like a natural stopping point for the story so as not to cheat the audience from some form of closure, but there is still enough unresolved action that they will be eager to return for the second chapter, planned for release in 2023. 

PS: 1 is a massive undertaking by Ratnam and his crew, adapting a beloved novel that runs well over 2,000 pages in length. It is hard to call it a glowing success story because so much of the film’s narrative is so inaccessible in the initial viewing and it becomes very easy to get alienated by the political plot at play. It is not fair to factor it down to pure spectacle filmmaking, though, because even without a full understanding of the inner workings and motivations behind the action, the framework is still evident and clear enough to mostly follow along for the major set pieces. What is undeniable is that PS: 1 is a stunning work for the senses. The visuals and sound – both the score and the diegetic soundscape – are rich and the actors across the board are able to really focus on delivering strong and affecting performances as the world they are inhabiting is so fully realized. With production led by Thotta Tharani and costumes by Pooja Birhade, audiences are immediately transported back to 10th century India from when the first frame explodes with color onto the screen, and then from there, they are immersed in this resplendent world that, while based in fact, has the air of high fantasy about it that tickles the imagination and inspires wonder.