Kamal Haasan watched Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan with Chiyaan Vikram and Karthi. However, he started a controversy by claiming that Raja Raja Chola wasn’t a Hindu king.
Kamal Haasan on PS-1
Ponniyin Selvan aka PS-1, the Tamil historical drama, was released to great reviews. Boasting an ensemble cast with names like Vikram, Karthi, Trisha, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan associated with it, the film has been made on a big scale. While superstars like Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth have appreciated the efforts behind the film, the Vikram actor had an interesting anecdote to share about the era in which the film was based on.
Previously, National award-winning Tamil director Vetrimaaran sparked controversy by claiming that Raja Raja Chola wasn’t a Hindu king. 
Raja Raja Chola not a Tamil Hindu king?
The film features Raja Raja Chola as a Tamil Hindu king, which according to Vetrimaaran and Kamal Haasan was not a concept that lived during these historical times. Speaking about the PS-1, the South filmmaker had said at an event in Chennai, “The art is for the people, and reflecting the people is the art. So we should properly handle this art form if we don’t… already many of our identities are being erased. Be it cladding Thiruvalluvar in saffron, or presenting Rajaraja Cholan as a Hindu king, such things keep happening (in our society). This will also happen in cinema and many identities are (already) removed from the cinema. We should protect our identities,”
Supporting the statement, Kamal Haasan responded by saying, “There was no such thing as ‘Hindu religion’ during Rajaraja Cholan’s period. There was Vainavam, Shivam, and Samanam, and the Britishers gave us that name (Hindu) as they didn’t know how to refer to us collectively.” He added, “We had different religions. It was Adhishankarar in the 8th century who established Shanmata Sthapana. That’s all history and we should not talk about that here. Because we are celebrating a historical film! Let us not exaggerate or twist history or bring language issues into this.”
Meanwhile, the Vikram actor watched Ponniyin Selvan at Jazz Cinemas in Chennai along with Chiyaan Vikram and Karthi. The trio then met the media and spoke in detail about the film. Kamal Haasan said, “I am meeting the media as a fan of Tamil cinema and as a producer. I am jealous of Chiyaan Vikram, Karthi, and the other actors who acted in the film. I am happy with the exceptional response that Ponniyin Selvan has been receiving. I was awestruck seeing the film and I feel that every Tamilian would have felt the same pride,” reported India Today.
