Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan-1' breaches Rs 500-cr mark in 50 days

Chennai, Nov 18 Fifty days after it was released on September 30, Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan-1' has grossed Rs 500 crore globally, making it only the second Tamil film to achieve the distinction after the Rajnikanth-starrer '2.0'. Understandably, the unit is ecstatic.

"50 Glorious days of #PonniyinSelvan & still going strong," tweeted Lyca Productions, the makers of the movie.

Chiyaan Vikram, who played a lead role in the ensemble cast, tweeted: "Somebody pls pinch me... & tell me this is not a dream. #PonniyinSelvan."

A historical saga chronicling the life and times of Tamil emperor Raja Raja Chola, the Mani Ratnam film was in the making for quite a long time and it had aroused all round curiosity over its fate at the box office. However, 'PS1' with its galaxy of big-ticket actors, including Aishwarya Rai, was lapped up by the audiences, young and old.

The movie now finds its place in the list of south Indian blockbusters the two 'Baahubali' films, 'RRR' and 'KGF Chapter 2' which have breached the Rs 500 crore barrier.

'PS-1' lags much behind 'RRR' and 'KGF2', both of which crossed the Rs 1,000-crore mark in 2022, but it is now firmly ensconced as this year's No. 3, ahead of 'Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva' and 'The Kashmir Files'.

With Mani Ratnam wrapping up shooting for both instalments of the movie in one go, the sequel to 'Ponniyin Selvan-1' is expected to be released within six to nine months.