Filmmaker Mani Ratnam has been hospitalised after testing positive for Covid-19, said TV reports. The hospital where the filmmaker is under treatment, is yet to release a statement on his clinical condition. Mani Ratnam made a public appearance a few days ago when he attended the funeral of filmmaker-actor Pratap Pothen, who passed away last week at the age of 70. Earlier this month, he also presided over the teaser launch event of his upcoming movie Ponniyin Selvan: 1 in Chennai. The event was attended by all the main cast and crew members of the movie. Ponniyin Selvan is based on the five-volume novel of the same name that narrates the story of Arulmozhi Varman, who eventually became Rajaraja Chola I. Mani Ratnam has split the epic novel into a two-part movie. Before he tested positive for the virus, he was busy with the post-production work of Ponniyin Selvan: 1. Touted to be his most ambitious film yet, the film is due to arrive in cinemas on September 20. The big screen adaptation of Ponniyin Selvan has a sprawling star cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman and R Parthiban. The period drama which is set against the backdrop of the Chola dynasty will release in multiple languages. The teaser gave us a glimpse of the grand production value, including war sequences, which seem to be among the highlights of this movie. The film also recently made headlines after it was slapped with a court notice by a lawyer, who has accused Mani Ratnam of distorting facts about the Cholas.
