Not Aishwarya Rai Bachchan but THIS ageless beauty was first choice as Nandini in Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan

Ever since the trailer of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvan was unveiled, fans were enthralled by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ’s character. As Nandini, a vengeful Pazhuvoor kingdom queen, she left a mark with her beauty and acting prowess that fans can’t wait to watch the actor’s powerful comeback after the 2018 film Fanney Khan. Interestingly, Mani recently revealed that he wanted to work with another actress for the same character, and it is none other than our ageless beauty Rekha . Can you believe it?

Well, Mani’s long-dream of adapting the beloved Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan 1 by Kalki Krishnamurthy has been fulfilled after two failed attempts. He tried making Ponniyin Selvan in 1994 and 2011, but it could not happen. In a recent media interaction, he opened up about casting for the project. He revealed that in the past the only other actor he had wanted to work with for the same character in the past was Rekha. “Before Aishwarya, I wanted to work with Rekha for the same character. Didn’t have any other actors in mind for this role,” he was quoted as saying. To note, Aishwarya is playing dual roles in the upcoming movie, one of Nandini and the other of her mother Mandakini.

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Besides Aishwarya, the film boasts of an amazing ensemble cast including Trisha Krishnan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, and Vikram among others. Further, Mani also spoke about how he got all the stars together for the project. “I didn’t look at it that way, they were all very keen to be a part of it, and they were wonderful. Practically it’s a whole industry coming together so that’s wonderful.”

Meanwhile, the Ponniyin Selvan follows the power battles between factions inside the Chola empire, with enemies of the state acting as catalysts in the tenth century. It will be released in two parts. The first installment will release on September 30.