Mahendra Kapoor was an Indian playback singer. In a long career spanning decades, his repertoire included popular songs such as Chalo ekbaar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono (Gumrah) and Neele Gagan ke tale (Hamraaz). His name however became most closely associated with patriotic songs including Mere Desh Ki Dharti in Manoj Kumar's film Upkaar. He considered Mohammad Rafi as his Guru. In 1972, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. He lent his voice to actor Manoj Kumar in most of his films and had a lengthy association with director-producer Baldev Raj Chopra.
Gulshan Kumar Dua, was an Indian film and music producer and businessman who was the founder of the Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited music label in the Bollywood industry. After founding T-Series in 1983, Dua established it as a leading record label in the 1990s.
S. Ravi Varman is an Indian cinematographer, filmmaker, producer and writer. He predominantly works in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi film industries. Varman began his career in Malayalam cinema. He directed a romantic film in Tamil titled Moscowin Kavery (2010). He is an honorary member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AM-pass). He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022).
Bhushan Kumar Dua is an Indian film producer and music producer. He is the chairman and managing director of Super Cassettes Industries Limited, also known as T-Series. He is known for his work in Bollywood.
M. P. Michael, better known by his stage name Lal, is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, producer and distributor who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films and in a few Telugu films. Lal has won several awards, including a National Film Award – Special Mention for acting (2012), two Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, and a Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam (2008). He is the owner of Lal Media Arts, a post-production studio.
Ponniyin Selvan is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Radha Mohan. Produced by A. M. Ratnam, it stars his son Ravi Krishna, along with Gopika and Revathi, while Vidyasagar had composed the music for the film. The film is unrelated to the same-titled novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. It was released in Telugu as Muddula Koduku and additionally featured Uttej and Venu Madhav replacing the Tamil actors Elango Kumaravel and Mayilsamy, respectively.
Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited, doing business as T-Series, is an Indian music record label and film production company founded by Gulshan Kumar on 11 July 1983. It is primarily known for Hindi film soundtracks and Indi-pop music. T-Series is the largest music record label in India, with up to a 35% share of the Indian music market. As of October 2024, T-Series also owns and operates the most-viewed and the second most-subscribed YouTube channel, with over 278 million subscribers and 272 billion views. While best known as a music label, T-Series has produced more than 90 films, and is established a leading film production company of Hindi cinema.
Prince - It's Showtime! is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language science fiction action thriller film directed by Kookie Gulati. Co-produced by Kumar S. Taurani and Ramesh S. Taurani under the banner of Tips Industries, the film stars Vivek Oberoi as the titular amnesiac thief who races against time to find an antique coin and becomes surrounded by several people wanting the coin, including three women claiming to be his only girlfriend.
Ponniyin Selvan is a Tamil language historical fiction novel by Indian author Kalki Krishnamurthy. It was first serialised in the weekly editions of Kalki, a Tamil magazine, from 29 October 1950 to 16 May 1954 and later integrated into five volumes in 1955. In about 2,210 pages, it tells the story of early days of Chola prince Arulmozhivarman. Kalki visited Sri Lanka three times to gather information and for inspiration.
Subaskaran Allirajah is a British-Sri Lankan Tamil entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of Lycamobile, a telecommunications company and also its entertainment subsidiary called Lyca Productions, based in Chennai, India, and began the production with its first tamil film Kaththi (2014). It produced the science fiction thriller 2.0 (2018), which was India's most expensive film and the 5th most expensive non-English-language film at the time of its release. Lyca Productions has also produced Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023) which are both Tamil cinema releases.
Madurai Narasimha Achary Rajam is an Indian actress, who works mainly in Tamil cinema. She made her stage acting debut at the age of seven, and film acting debut as a child artist in 1949. Rajam played the vamp role in the Tamil classic Ratha Kanneer (1954), opposite M. R. Radha. Since then Rajam had acted with several leading actors including MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, M. R. Radha, S.S. Rajendran, M. N. Nambiar and N. S. Krishnan. She married popular Tamil playback singer A. L. Raghavan on 2 May 1960. Her performances in films like, Rathak Kaneer, Pennin Perumai, Pudhayal, Thanga Padumai, "Nadodi Mannan", "Pasa Malar", Thaali Bhagyam and "Arangetram" were critically acclaimed. She played supporting roles in films since 1970 to 1990. She started working in TV serials from 1995 and continues to work in films till 2014. In 1958 Rajam was booked by M. G. Ramachandran for his second directorial venture Ponniyin Selvan. One of the first screen adaptations of Kalki Krishnamurthy's Ponniyin Selvan, the film had a huge ensemble cast consisting of Vyjayanthimala, Savitri, Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Saroja Devi and Nagesh.. In the film, she was given the role of Nandhini, the wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar. However, in mid-1958 the film was shelved for unknown reasons.
Ashok Selvan is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He made his breakthrough playing one of the lead roles in Soodhu Kavvum (2013), before gaining critical acclaim for his performances in C. V. Kumar's productions Pizza II: Villa (2013) and Thegidi (2014).
Siva Ananth is an Indian film writer, producer, lyricist, director and actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Siva made his directorial debut with the Telugu film Chukkallo Chandrudu (2006). He later pursued career as a screenwriter, lyricist, executive producer and actor.
Pen Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Dr. Jayantilal Gada on 31 March 1987. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. In 1992, the business was restructured under the name Popular Entertainment Network, and began to acquire video rights for movies to be distributed over various media such as video cassettes, satellites, terrestrial platforms, etc. The company subsequently forayed into theatrical and distribution rights of movies.
Lyca Productions is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. A subgroup of Lycamobile, the production studio has been involved in the production and distribution of Tamil films, Hindi films, Telugu films and Malayalam films made in India. It has produced some of Tamil cinema's biggest budget films, such as 2.0 (2018), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023).
Ponniyin Selvan: I is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language epic action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote it with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. Produced by Ratnam and Subaskaran Allirajah under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, it is the first of two cinematic parts based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel, Ponniyin Selvan. The film stars an ensemble cast including Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, R. Parthiban, Rahman, Lal and Vikram Prabhu. The music was composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography by Ravi Varman, editing by A. Sreekar Prasad, and production design by Thota Tharani. Ponniyin Selvan: I dramatises the early life of Chola prince Arunmozhi Varman, who would become the renowned emperor Rajaraja I (947–1014). In the film, Vandiyathevan sets out to cross the Chola land to deliver a message from the crown prince Aditha Karikalan. Meanwhile, Kundavai attempts to establish political peace as vassals and petty chieftains plot against the throne.
Eka Lakhani is an Indian fashion costume designer, who has worked in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film industries. After beginning her career as an intern on the sets of Raavan (2010), she has become director Mani Ratnam's costume designer for his films since 2013. She has also worked in projects by directors Rajkumar Hirani, Karan Johar and Gautham Menon.
Ponniyin Selvan: I is the soundtrack album for 2022 Indian Tamil-language epic period drama film of the same name directed by Mani Ratnam which features an ensemble cast of Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban. The film’s soundtrack and score were composed by Ratnam's norm composer A. R. Rahman, marking the duo's 30th year collaborating.
Ponniyin Selvan: II is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language epic historical action drama film directed by Mani Ratnam, who co-wrote it with Elango Kumaravel and B. Jeyamohan. The film is produced by Mani Ratnam and Subaskaran Allirajah under Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions. The second of two cinematic parts based on the 1954 novel Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki Krishnamurthy, it serves as a direct sequel to Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022). The film stars an ensemble cast including Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Jayaram, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R. Parthiban. It continues to follow the prince Arulmozhi Varman and his family as they deal with threats to the Chola Empire.
Ponniyin Selvan: II is the soundtrack album for 2023 Indian Tamil-language epic period drama film of the same name directed by Mani Ratnam which features an ensemble cast of Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi. The film’s soundtrack and score were composed by Ratnam's norm composer A. R. Rahman.
