PS 2 Hindi Review: Satisfactory sequel that has some interesting sequences but fails to create an impact due to confusing storyline and slow screenplay
PS2 Hindi Movie Rating: 2 Star
Just watched Tiku Weds Sheru movie on Prime Video. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Jayaram, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban
Director: Mani Ratnam
Release Date: 28th April 2023 in cinemas & 23rd June 2023 on Prime Video
Story: It is the sequel to Ponniyin Selvan which is based on the novel Ponniyin Selvan penned by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Set in the era of the Chola dynasty, the historical starts where the first part ended.
Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) and Vallavaraiyan Vandhiyadevudu (Karthi) who sank into the sea while fighting with Pandyas get saved by a mute woman Mandhakini (Aishwarya Rai). Both somehow reach Lanka. Arunmozhi is very ill and the Buddhist priests on the island heal him while secretly housing him in their monastery. Vandiyadevan get captured by Pandyas while trying to save Arunmozhi.
Aditya Karikalan (Vikram) is enraged on hearing about his brother’s death as he guesses that Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) is responsible for it. Madhurantakan (Rahman) continues his fight to claim the throne of the Chola Empire. Nandini devises a plan of killing Karikalan, his father Sunder Chol (Prakash Raj) and Arunmozhi, presuming he’s alive, on the same night, in order to avenge the death of Veer Pandya (Nasser).
What happened later? Who exactly is this Mandhakini? What’s the mystery behind Nandhini looking alike Mandhakini? Did Arunmozhi and Vallavaraiyan Vandhiyadevudu return to the Chola dynasty? Who had the upper hand finally? The movie has the answers.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Cinematography
3. Few moments
Negatives
1. Length
2. Climax
3. Direction
4. Music
5. Screenplay
6. Story
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie on OTT Premier as does not like part 1 and this is one also looks good in parts.
A plot to murder the king and the two princes of the Chola dynasty on the same day is underfoot. Can the Cholas survive the wrath of the Pandiya rebels, who are being led by the vengeful Nandini?
PS 2 story is based on the Cholas Dynasty. But screenplay suffers from the same problem which was prevalent in the first half and it’s too confusing. If one is not aware of this chapter in the history or the background, it becomes difficult to comprehend at several places what exactly is going on. Mani Ratnam’s direction fails to impress the audiences on an all-India level. The length (165 minutes) is an issue. Also, he should have simplified things so that the audiences outside the home state can also get involved in the storyline. For instance, in the second half, the conflict takes place in both Tanjore and Kadambur. The palaces in both places look similar and audiences will be scratching their heads wondering which character is in which town. Even if we keep this factor aside, the storyline and also the execution is not convincing. The enemies become friends and vice versa suddenly and even randomly. They don’t have solid grounds to switch sides. The much-hyped double role element of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan isn’t as enticing as intended.
On the positive side, Mani Ratnam has mounted the film on a grand scale. Several shots are creatively executed and look visually stunning. A few scenes also stand out like Vandiyadevan’s meeting with Nandini when the former is captured, the intermission point and Karikalan meeting Nandini in the secret passage. Lastly, he has extracted fine performances from the ensemble cast. The first part was heavily panned in other languages due to its convoluted screenplay and too many characters. But in part two, the screenplay is clear and straightforward without any confusion. All the unanswered questions of Ponniyin Selvan will be answered in this sequel. All the dots are nicely connected towards the end.
Overall movie is a satisfactory sequel that has some interesting and well-executed sequences. PS 2 is surely better than its predecessor, but to enjoy the film, one has to sit through the slow-paced narrative. It doesn’t have much to offer to the Hindi audiences due to its confusing and unconvincing storyline. My view on this movie Time pass only if you love watching period dramas.
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