Ponniyin Selvan: Part I

Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (2022) is a Tamil historical epic you can watch online on iFILM. Director Mani Ratnam adapts Kalki Krishnamurthy's beloved novel about the 10th-century Chola dynasty, following the messenger Vandiyathevan as he rides across the empire carrying a letter from the crown prince.

The Chola throne is squeezed from inside and out. Crown prince Aaditha Karikalan, his younger brother Arunmozhi Varman and the emperor himself are scattered apart by circumstance, and the kingdom's survival rests on one rider who keeps moving. Standing against him is Nandhini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), the prince's former love, who plays a long, icy game aimed at bringing the whole empire down. Vikram, Karthi and Trisha Krishnan fill out a sprawling cast, and the naval crossings and battlefield set pieces are mounted on a scale Tamil cinema rarely attempts.

This is the first half of a two-part saga, so don't expect tidy endings here — the stakes just keep climbing. If you love big costume history in the vein of Gladiator, the dense court intrigue, A. R. Rahman's score and the sheer craft of the production will pull you in. Stream Ponniyin Selvan: Part I (2022) online on iFILM.