Readers of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan can be in doubt about the hero of the novel — whether it is Raja Raja I, the greatest among the Chola kings, or Vandhya Devan, his confidant and husband of his sister Kundhavai? Vandhya Devan dominates the entire narrative in such a way that he seems to overshadow Raja Raja I himself.
“It is easy for any novelist to mould a character not mentioned properly in history. Tamil Nadu has more inscriptions about Raja Raja I, and Kalki had to tread cautiously while portraying him,” says R. Kalaikolvan, an ophthalmologist and director, Dr. Rajamanickanar Centre for Historical Research.
The endless debate on the historicity of Kalki’s account would be revived as film-maker Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan hits the screen at September-end.
