Mani Ratnam focuses more on the grief the characters go through in this sequel and one can see how emotionally strong the narrative gets. The conspiring enemies have allied to draw the Cholas out and eliminate them. With Nandini pulling the strings, Karikalan gives in while making it clear, he would never let the kingdom fall. With the news of Arunmozhi's drowning spreading like wildfire, the internal conspiracies intensify along with the Pandyan rebels. Would Nandini succeed in taking her revenge? How does the Cholas survive this threat? Who actually is the mysterious Mandakini, the mute princess? The sequel answers all of it.
Special appreciation for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's commendable performance. This time both Chiyaan Vikram's Aditha Karikalan and Aishwarya's Nandini / Mandakini get prioritized while others take the backseat. Even Prakash Raj's Sundara Cholan aces in two crucial scenes. The narrative is slow paced and once again Karthi's Vallavarayan takes the onus of providing the much needed entertainment. The face off between Karikalan and Nandini lives up to the hype.
With strong performances, Mani Ratnam comes up with a decent sequel. I definitely felt making this a three part film would've given Mani Ratnam a better opportunity to narrate this story. The third act had lesser impact for me as it felt rushed. Be it a character's change of heart or the murder trial, this segment deserved a little more time. Guess the final battle sequence was more commercially appealing. Despite these blemishes, Mani Ratnam's forte is capturing human drama and he aces that.
Special appreciation for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's commendable performance. This time both Chiyaan Vikram's Aditha Karikalan and Aishwarya's Nandini / Mandakini get prioritized while others take the backseat. Even Prakash Raj's Sundara Cholan aces in two crucial scenes. The narrative is slow paced and once again Karthi's Vallavarayan takes the onus of providing the much needed entertainment. The face off between Karikalan and Nandini lives up to the hype.
With strong performances, Mani Ratnam comes up with a decent sequel. I definitely felt making this a three part film would've given Mani Ratnam a better opportunity to narrate this story. The third act had lesser impact for me as it felt rushed. Be it a character's change of heart or the murder trial, this segment deserved a little more time. Guess the final battle sequence was more commercially appealing. Despite these blemishes, Mani Ratnam's forte is capturing human drama and he aces that.