(Spoiler-free, mostly)
The much anticipated Ponniyin Selvan-2 movie release draws closer! For those who can't imagine watching the movie adaptation without reading the book — here are multiple ways to catch up and knowingly talk about the context and nuance the movie misses. See also helpful shortcuts/cheat ways if it's hard to finish this massive five-part Chola empire based magnum opus following the fortunes of Arunmozhi Varman aka Ponniyin Selvan aka Rajaraja Chozhan, brother Aditya Karikalan, sister-Kundavai and oh so many more interesting and important characters. Catch up on the palace intrigue (What is Nandini up to and what is Kundavai’s beef with her?), adventures — on land and in sea (pirates, Arabians, sorcerers!) and all the drama, action and romance. If you don't want spoilers, stop with volume 1 (and a teeny bit of volume 2) for a recap of the first movie.
The Original
Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy was written in Tamil and published weekly in the magazine Kalki, from 1950 to 1954. Illustrations by Maniam added to the appeal and made this a wildly popular series. Many fans painstakingly collected and bound parts for over four years to make their complete set. Today, the easiest way to get the original Tamil version with Maniam’s illustrations would be from Vikatan books, which released a compilation. In 1955, Ponniyin Selvan was published as a novel in Tamil by Mangala Noolagam. This and many other Tamil versions now exist and are faithful to the original serialised work including inconsistencies (for example a character Mugalayar, who was introduced as mute in the beginning delivers entire monologues). You can get a beautiful hardback or paperback — either in five individual volumes or combined, from multiple publishers — the more popular ones being — Nakheeran, Giri Trading Agencies or Karpagam Puthakalayam.
English translations
For those who can't read Tamil, there are multiple English translations (and Malayalam, Hindi and other languages too). The popular English ones are by Pavithra Srinivasan, Sumita Manikandan and CV Karthik Narayan, which are more or less faithful translations and retain the same structure that provides for cliff-hanger chapter endings. Read reviews and samples to see which translation is more your style. Another excellent translation is a more literal one by Indira Neelameggham which is also available for free at www.projectmadurai.org. It is an excellent companion if you want to have a go at the original tamil one or are listening to Tamil audio version.
Retellings and comics
The Tiger Throne by Preetha Raja Kannan, offers a bite-sized concise version. It keeps the key plot points and retains the exciting pacing but does not quite capture the expansive sprawl of the original. My favourite re-telling is the five-volume comic version by Nila Comics (in English and Tamil). While the comic is simpler than the novel, it remains true to the original work and even captures its light tone with some irreverent translation. The characters call each other “bro” and Kalki himself pops up regularly to provide asides and background as he does in the novel. The comic does make it difficult to follow all the complexity of the plot, but is still a quick and fun read.
Audio versions
For those who can't read but understand Tamil, try the Tamil audiobook. Even with a poetic style and with exaggerated descriptions of geographical and physical features, the original work has a light, breezy and conversational tone. The audiobook is easy to follow and does not require any understanding or familiarity with classical or old-school Tamil. My favourite is on Spotify narrated by “Sri” (from the San Francisco Bay Area). There is almost no other information on credits. The narration is excellent through all 77 hours, with clear and concise pacing. The narrator artfully does character voices without turning it into caricature. The narrator wisely does not burst into song when the characters do but conveys the mix of verse and prose beautifully. Another Tamil version narrated by "Bombay Kannan" is also available on Audible. This version has better production value with interesting background score and sound effects, but is not free or included within the standard audible subscription. The biggest advantage of doing the Tamil audio book is that you will be pronouncing Vallavaraiyan Vandiyadevan and Azhwarkadiyan Nambi correctly at the end of your 77-80-hour listen. The individual chapters all last between 15-30 minutes, so it isn't a slog. Lastly, there is also the English audiobooks of Pavithra Srinivasan's English translation narrated by Amit Bhargha.
Besides these, there are also animated versions of the work, including a complete but unreleased version by Rewinda Toons and a partial series on YouTube on Little Arts channel. Nila Comics, too, now has its own web-series on YouTube.
Whether you prefer to read in Tamil or English or prefer to listen to the audiobook or catch up on different retellings, there is no better time to dive into the world of Ponniyin Selvan (including watching movie PS-1) and prepare for the cinematic journey that awaits.
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