Aananth Daksnamurthy

How ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ Exposes the Politics of Appropriating the Cholas

The highest-grossing Tamil film of last year, “Ponniyin Selvan,” based on a historical fiction novel by the celebrated author Kalki Krishnamurthy, told the story of the Chola King Rajaraja I, who ruled over regions in and around south India. While the film spotlighted the richness of historical fiction in Tamil literature, it also exposed the politics of appropriating history.