This weekend, the cast of Ponniyin Selvan: 1 (PS:1) will make their appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show. When the curious host asked the actors if they had to read all five volumes of Kalki Krishnamurthy’s book, on which Mani Ratnam’s epic period drama is based, Chiyaan Vikram jested, “Half the payment was for reading the book,” much to everyone’s amusement. Trisha Krishnan shared that when they began filming, the entire world was hit by the pandemic, and the subsequent lockdowns. “During that time, I read all the five volumes of the novel. I used to believe that historic fictional novels are hard to read, but this was interesting,” revealed Trisha. She added, “It is so intriguing that the minute you finish one book, you will be compelled to pick the next.” Those who’ve seen the film claim it’s beyond imagination how Mani has beautifully summarised five volumes in the two-part movie, which he completed shooting in about 120 days.

SLB planning a casting coup?