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Throwback: When Chiyaan Vikram refused to be part of Kamal Haasan’s planned Ponniyin Selvan television series
Let’s revisit the time when Chiyaan Vikram declined an offer from Kamal Haasan, who had planned to adapt Ponniyin Selvan into a television series.
The Ponniyin Selvan film franchise remains one of Chiyaan Vikram's most stellar performances, especially as he celebrates his 59th birthday today. However, did you know that the actor once turned down the same project when Kamal Haasan offered to turn it into a television series? Yes, you heard that right.
To put things into perspective, before Mani Ratnam directed Ponniyin Selvan, the rights for the remake of the novel-based film were first acquired by veteran actor MGR, who announced it back in 1959. After his passing in 1987, the legendary actor passed on the rights to Kamal Haasan.
When it came to the Thug Life actor, Kamal Haasan initially planned to turn Ponniyin Selvan into a two-part film starring Rajinikanth, Sathyaraj, and Prabhu—a plan that ultimately didn’t materialize. Later, Kamal Haasan approached Chiyaan Vikram to play the lead in a television adaptation of the film.
However, Vikram turned down the offer. In a later interview with News18, he shared, "Kamal sir called me to his office and told me that he wanted to produce Ponniyin Selvan. He wanted to do it for television. He said, 'I would like you to do a role… You can do whichever role you want.'"
Chiyaan Vikram further added, "The next day, I got back to him and told him I would wait for it to come to the big screen. It’s very strange that I’ve always been on somebody’s mind for Ponniyin Selvan. But it’s a nice thought."
Of course, Vikram later went on to lead both parts of Ponniyin Selvan, directed by Mani Ratnam. The film franchise also featured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ravi Mohan, Trisha Krishnan, Karthi, Prabhu, R Sarathkumar, and others.
On the work front, Vikram's latest release was the Tamil action thriller Veera Dheera Sooran, which became a success at the box office. His portrayal of a rugged on-screen character earned him praise from both fans and critics alike.
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