Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan' to face a budget cut due to coronavirus pandemic?

Production company Lyca Productions which is credited with blockbusters like Kaththi, Vada Chennai, 2.0, Darbar, among others is reportedly in a financial downturn. According to reports, Lyca Productions' parent company, Lycamobile, based in the United Kingdom is facing a financial loss due to the coronavirus crisis, because of which, the production house has reportedly decided to cut down the budget of some of their on-floor projects. According to reports, the first movie to face the crunch is Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan.

The Mani Ratnam directorial's budget has reportedly been cut down. However, the producer has reportedly reduced the budget of the film without affecting the essential requirements of the film. Initially, the budget of the movie was reported to be 500 crores. 

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Ponniyin Selvan has an ensemble cast consisting of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Jayaram Ravi, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vikram Prabhu, among others in prominent roles. The Mani Ratnam directorial is currently under production. Originally, Ponniyin Selvan was slated to hit the marquee by the end of 2020, however, due to lockdown imposed owing to coronavirus, the movie, is reportedly shifted to next year. 

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Ponniyin Selvan speculated to be Mani Ratnam's dream project is based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel of the same name. The Mani Ratnam directorial is reported to be a two-part film, whose screenplay is adapted by theatre actor Elango Kumaravel and the director himself. Ponniyin Selvan's shooting began in 2019, and till now, the team has finished two shooting schedules. The forthcoming movie is co-produced by Subaskaran Allirajah and Mani Ratnam under their production banners Lyca Productions and Madras Talkies respectively. 

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Meanwhile, Lyca Productions is gearing up for some exciting projects next year. Besides Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan, the production house has Shankar's Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan and Kajal Aggarwal in the production. Lyca Productions also has two films- Panni Kutty and Raangi in post-production, and if all goes well, they might release the movies soon.