Mani Ratnam thanks SS Rajamouli: If Baahubali was not made, Ponniyin Selvan would not have been made

Ponniyan Selvan could run because Baahubali walked. This was reiterated by filmmaker Mani Ratnam at a recent event in Hyderabad, where he and the cast of PS-2 gathered to promote the film which is up for release on April 28. Ratnam, while speaking about the film, thanked director SS Rajamouli and said if he had not made Baahubali and that too in two parts, Ratnam would not have been able to make Ponniyan Selvan. Ratnam admitted that Baahubali created a path for Ponniyin Selvan to be made in two parts.

Ponniyin Selvan 2, the second part in the franchise, is set to release in theatres on April 28. The team was in Hyderabad on Sunday as part of their promotional tour.

Director Mani Ratnam explained how Baahubali paved the way for Ponniyin Selvan films to be made. “I’d like to thank Subaskaran (producer) sir first. Sir, because of you, Ponniyin Selvan was possible. I’ve said this before and I’m saying this again. I want to thank Rajamouli. If Baahubali was not made. And not made in two parts. Ponniyin Selvan would not have been made. So we owe him a big thanks,” Ratnam said.

He added, “I’ve called him, met him and told him this. And I want to say here that it created the path for me to be able to mount Ponniyin Selvan in two parts. It gave confidence to the entire industry to do historical (projects) and he opened a huge passage for a lot of Indian history to be converted into films.”

#PS2 Director #ManiRatnam: "If #Baahubali was not made, And not made in 2 parts, #PonniyinSelvan wouldn't have been made". Thanks Rajamouli for Opening the doors!! pic.twitter.com/ZYvXy1Y0bK

The video of Ratnam's speech was shared on social media and lauded by fans. Many even lauded Telugu cinema. One user wrote on Twitter, “Proud feeling. Some kind of unexplainable happiness (sic).” Another user wrote: “SS Rajamouli deserves this much appreciation (sic).”

Mani Ratnam had attempted to make film Ponniyin Selvan which is based on Kalki's 5 part novel series twice before. Once in 1994 and then in 2011, but both times the project didn’t take off as planned.

The film features Jayam Ravi in the role of Prince Arulmozhivarman while Vikram, Karthi, Trisha and Aishwarya Rai play key roles. PS-1 grossed over ₹500 crore globally and emerged as the highest-grossing film ever in Tamil Nadu. PS-2 will release on April 28 worldwide.