#ps:2

The relationship between Nandini and Veera Pandyan is something that has perplexed Ponniyin Selvan readers for almost 70 years. Were they married? Were they living together as lovers? Was Veera Pandyan Nandini's father? Were they in an incestuous relationship? Did they have a son?

There are enough reasons for this confusion. Nandini tells Karikalan that Veera Pandyan is her lover. Aabathudavigal too call her his wife and Queen. Nandini tells "Veera Pandyan's son' that she is his mother.

So, what was the relationship between Nandini and Veera Pandyan?

Nothing. It might be surprising, but there was absolutely no relationship between Nandini and Veera Pandyan when Veera Pandyan lived.

(There is a possibility that he was Nandini's father. Nandini believed so but any physically strong person could have taken advantage of a lonely heartbroken mute woman like Mandakini)

A little bit about Nandini's life before meeting Veera Pandyan . . .

Nandini never explains her life story to anyone. We get a picture of Nandini's life through others. Their stories are pretty consistent across the books, except some omissions like Alwarkadiyan not telling Vanthiyathevan that it was he himself who took newborn Nandini to his village.

After being forced to leave Aditha Karikalan, Nandini decided not to marry anyone else. Remember that Nandini was not a financially independent woman from a progressive family. There must have been immense pressure on her to get married, especially after the marriage of her sister (yes, she had an elder sister who is mentioned only once).

So Nandini took refuge in the only outlet she had - devotion. His sister becoming a saint like Andal was acceptable for Alwarkadiyan too. Nandini renounced worldly life, wandered with her brother and sang devotional hymns in different temples across Tamil Nadu.

One time, around the time of the sister's delivery, Nandini stays back at their home and Alwarkadian leaves for Thiruvenkadam (Tirupati). Pandya Aabathudavigal brought an injured Veera Pandyan to Nandini's hut. Nandini treated him for a few days.

Why do Aapathudaivikal call her their Queen and Veerapandyan's wife?

Veera Pandyan, injured and delirious, told everyone that Nandini is his queen, he is going to marry her and place her on the Pandya throne with him.

We know that Mandakini and Nandini shared a strong resemblance and Veera Pandyan had a connection with Mandakini. Karuthiruman later says that Veera Pandyan paid him a lot of money to bring Mandakini to Madurai. In his last days, Veera Pandyan was not in a condition to recognise that around twenty years have passed and the girl before him is a different person.

Hell, he was not in a state to get up from his bed when someone came to kill him.

Why was Nandini alone with Veera Pandyan?

Aapathudaivikal who were with Veera Pandyan somehow got last minute information that Aditha Karikalan is coming. Nandini, who felt pity, promised to save him and asked them to hide. She must have told them that Aditha Karikalan once loved her and wouldn't reject her request. Ravidasan, their ever pragmatic leader, recognised that letting the girl use her charm is better than all of them dying. As I said earlier, Veera Pandyan himself was grievously ill and couldn't move from his bed. 

Why does Nandini say that Veera Pandyan is her lover? Couldn't she have said that Veera Pandyan is her father?

Killing or defeating enemies and marrying their daughters was very common in that period. There is a living example in the Chola royal family itself - Sundara Cholan's mother Kalyani, whom Arinjayan married due to her unparalleled beauty was the daughter of a defeated vassal. Vanthiyathevan reminiscens about her when he thinks about the inconsistent enemity and friendship between royals.

Killing your own family wasn't uncommon either. The close relationship of Cholas and Rashtakutas turned into enemity because Paranthaka I was crowned as Aditya I's successor instead of Kannara Devan, the son of "munnam pugunda mita deviyar" (senior queen) Ilangon Pichchi, the daughter of the Rashtrakuta Emperor Krishna II.

Why did Aapathudaivikal try to burn her on Veera Pandyan's pyre?

They were angered by her failure to save Veera Pandyan and wanted to punish her.

Why does Nandini address Veera Pandyan's head as "my lover"? By now, Nandini had deducted that Veera Pandyan is her father. Still, why does she treat "him" like her lover?

Trauma

Some stranger with armed guards telling you indecent things when you are all alone with them in itself is pretty traumatic. After his murder, Nandini was destined to spend a lot of time with an even older man who sees her as a sexual object- Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, her husband.

He often asks her about living as 'husband and wife', but she uses saccharine words, empty promises and excuses to postpone their consummation. Then she realised that Veera Pandyan could have been her father which was even more traumatic.

What Nandini hears as Veera Pandyan's words are the result of her trauma - a mix of Veera Pandyan's own (mis)behaviour and Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar's constant questions about Nandini's reluctance to sleep with him. What she uses against him are only tools Nandini has in her arsenal against lecherous men - sweet words.

She has already decided to commit the murder-suicide. With "eyes gleaming with hate", she is asking what she sees as Veera Pandyan's ghost to leave her alone. Alright, she will kill Karikalan and die. Will Veera Pandyan leave then? There are many beautiful women in heaven. Can't he go to them?

They are the same words she use when Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar compels her to share bed him. There are many high born women in his anthapuram (Nandini is his 9th wife) , why can't he leave her alone?

Nandini was not Veera Pandyan's lover or wife. She wasn't proclaiming her undying love and loyalty. She was just desperately pleading him to leave her alone.

P.S. What about the young child who is crowned as the Pandya Emperor? Isn't Nandini his mother?

Nandini is manipulating the child so that he won't choose anyone else to kill Karikalan. It works- the child chooses Nandini.  Nandini has no idea about the identity of the child. Ravidasan brought the kid from somewhere and she just played along.

What do you say?

5. going to start this off by saying i'm so so sorry to Gulzar but it's something about the rhythm for me. the lyrics are lovely but the way they are lining up with the music in the Hindi version,,,,,,, or failing to in certain parts,,,,,, it's not it. it's not it. it does well in the first minute or so and then heads downhill from there, and tbh it's not his fault i think it's just the sheer amount of syllables that they have to fit in compared to the original? and with that in mind it's not going to sound the same, obviously, but what salvages it from being a complete disappointment is the way we got both Shreya Ghoshal and Kavita Krishnamurthy as a duet in this year of our Lord 2023. Kavita, who still sounds the same as she did on the Dil Se soundtrack singing Satrangi Re and the Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam soundtrack and the Devdas soundtrack and the Yaara Dildaara soundtrack and the K3G soundtrack with Bole Chudiyan and Shreya Ghoshal who is a pleasure to listen to on practically everything she touches (Bajirao Mastani and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and that aalap just before her verse with Kavita here i'm looking at you) and— *inhales* *exhales* ok. do appreciate them letting Kavita take the 'चुन चुन चुन चुन / जाली रे जाली चिंगारी' portion in the Hindi translation bc she sounded beautiful there. (she always reminded me of Lata in that regard i think, and for some inexplicable reason i've by extension connected the two of them to Zohra Sehgal in some of her roles)

favorite line — 'दुश्मन पे टूटे जब | बिजलियों का वीर' / 'dushman pe toote jab | bijilyon ka vaar'. this is one of those times where the rhythm works in their favor and works well, and it leads perfectly into the rest of the verse imo. also @ that one guy going 'योद्धा~~' / 'yodhaa~~' at the very end of the song ty for your service

3. in contrast to the rhythm problems of the Hindi the Kannada recording is very smooth? i don't know if that makes sense as someone who doesn't speak the language but it's like water. like water in a stream just one after another going over the stones in the riverbed as it passes or the waves lapping against the side of the ship or the gentle sound wind chimes make when they hit against each other in the lightest breeze—the phrasing doesn't feel forced (ty Jayant Kaikini sir) and the syllables match the music as well as the original. ofc Rakshita Suresh and Sivasri Skandaprasad have a part to play with their solos in this sounding as good as it does, despite its ranking on my list (which will be explained in the next entry), and while i expected nothing less from Rakshita after Kirunage, this is the first i'm hearing from Sivasri and she blew me away. i had to listen to it several times to be able to tell them apart, and i might still be wrong bc their voice color is very, very similar, but they took what Rahman gave them and made it their own. (is it Rakshita that starts and Sivasri that continues? i'm thinking that it alternates between them with Sivasri ending that portion)

favorite line — 'ಮಳೆಗರೆವಾಗ ಬಾಣ | ಅಡಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲಿ ತಾಣಾ' / 'malegarevaaga baana | adagalu elli thaana'. this is where the river analysis stands out to me bc this feels like putting pebbles said river into a tumbler and rolling them over and over until they come out smooth and polished and just. right. (i am using the word smooth a lot to talk about the Kannada version sksksksk but can you blame me)

3. technically Malayalam and Kannada tie for third place on here (there is no fourth place. there is 4.75th place rounded up to fifth place and that belongs to the Hindi entry as previously stated) but Malayalam has the slightest edge for me. in terms of sound/pronunciation it's the closest to the original—i know most scholars believe that Malayalam descended from Tamil and split early on, so that might have something to do with it, but it sounds like a perfect cross between the flow of Kannada and the strength of the Tamil and ugh. pair that with Srinivas featuring and Shweta Mohan taking on that solo (by herself!!! and eating that sh*t like it was a duet!!!) and Rafeeq Ahamed as the lyricist and i play it almost as often as i play the original. (i was almost half expecting to hear the extension at the end in this version, that's how good it was)

favorite line — 'കടലിൽ ചുഴലി പോലെ | തവ നൗക കളിരമ്പി' / 'kadalil chuzhali pole | thava noukakalirambi'. i am in love with what Shweta does here, especially with the latter half of the line ('... നൗക കളിരമ്പി' / 'noukakalirambi') since she just heads straight into the 'വൻകടൽ...' and for some reason that is so auditorily pleasing to me. i don't have any rational thoughts behind that that's just how it is. her aalap before her verse is also breathier/softer than Shreya's if that makes sense but it fits her perfectly

2. Telugu. holy f*ck, Telugu. you put Shankar Mahadevan (i don't think i've ever heard him sing a bad song. ever. at least not what i've heard) and Chinmayi (Tere Bina???? Mayya Mayya???? Titli???? i'm still not over any of them from her????) in the same song you make every f*cking verse rhyme almost exactly courtesy of Chandrabose if Kannada is the sound of water then Telugu is pure silk and honey and the feel of something melting in your mouth and you expect me to stay alive? the actual f*ck? admittedly i may be biased bc one of my OCs is Telugu and i have been putting Telugu covers from my Bollywood playlist on loop for inspo but uh Rahman what the f*ck. what the f*ck am i supposed to do with that kind of genius

favorite line(s) — 'సమరం శ్రుతించైరా శిఖరం స్పృశించైర' / 'samaram shruthinchaira shikharam spushinchaira' & 'విధిగా తెగించైర | విధినే వదించైర | విలయం దరించైర | విజయం వరించైర' / 'vidhigaa thegincheyraa | vidhine vadhincheyraa | vilayam dharincheyraa | vijayam varincheyraa'. the f*cking alliteration? hello? also the 'veera raja veera' at the end of this version in particular gives me full body chills bc there is someone going up with the harmonization every time there's a new line. i don't know who it is but he's (they're? could be multiple vocals) going up and i am crying shaking throwing up on the floor having a spiritual experience etc etc

and finally 1. the top spot. the place where everything has been leading through this long ass piece that i have put you to suffer through

and ykw Tamil is pretty much self-explanatory i think: we bring Shankar back as we should but this time K.S Chithra (Asoka!!! Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon!!! Bombay and Thoda Thoda from Indira/Priyanka and the live version of Jiya Jale that Rahman did in Dubai!!!) and Harini (also sang for Indira/Priyanka and featured on Varayo Thozhi from Jeans) are with him and Ilango Krishnan's lyrics take over and flatline me on the f*cking operating table. before it flatlines me however i break into goosebumps every time i hear it start, bc lbh it is impossible not to when you have the f*cking vocals coming in like 'காணீரோ? நீர் காண் | சோழ வெற்றி வாள் ஒன்றை காணீரோ? | ஓ அழகிய பூவே! செல்லுதியோ | மலரிடு போ சகி!' if you stay sane during that opening you are a liar get off my feed unfollow and block i don't want you anywhere near me for the next six years or however long it takes Mani Ratnam to make his next masterpiece. no coherent thoughts head empty MV playing on loop he and Rahman own me now they have the copyrights

favorite line (had to split everything into two blocks bc Tumblr was tryin to f*ck up my sh*t) — 'எம் தமிழ் வாழ்க வாழ்க! | வீர சோழம் வாழ்க! | நற்றமிழ் வாழ்க வாழ்க! | நல்லோர் தேசம் வாழ்க!' / 'em thamizh vaazhga vaazhga! | veera sozham vaazhga! | natramizh vaazhga vaazhga! | nallor thesam vaazhga!'. technically this isn't my favorite favorite line bc i have to do a seperate ranking for that below + it's exclusive to the Tamil version and i am trying to make this a wholistic review but. it's f*cking up there let's just say that. i think i mentioned in the tags of a different post of how i've been doing genealogy research and (in the process) tentatively confirmed the possibility of there being some South Asian descent from my dad's side, specifically Tamil or Telugu based on the stories/timeline of French occupation in the Caribbean and portions of the Indian subcontinent, and there's something in me that shifts every time we get down to the last twenty or so seconds and this hits. i don't know what it is, truly—maybe the remnants of the genes of my ancestors and their pride for their land, their language—but it's there and it's loud and if it's the right day at the right time i will start crying btw. full on sobbing like a little bitch. you didn't ask but i told you anyway

after all of *motions* that, i am also offering a bonus ranking of the section of VRV that makes me rewind every f*cking time it comes on in every language, bc it featured heavily in creating my eventual rankings and i would be remiss to not mention it. so here have this additional dive into my thought process during these trying times of hyperfixation rip

'आंधी से तेज़ | तूफ़ान से तेज़ | चुन चुन चुन चुन | जाली रे जाली चिंगारी | अंग अंग अंग अंग | लागे रे लागे अंगारे' / 'aandhi se tez | toofaan se tez | chun chun chun chun | jaali re jaali chingaari | ang ang ang ang | laagey re laagey angaare', Hindi — still at the bottom of the list here, but the inflection during the repetition ('chun chun chun chun' and 'ang ang ang ang') salvages it somewhat. nothing else to say it about it otherwise, since i already addressed Kavita's voice here earlier

'വാക്കാകെ നീ കാറ്റാക നീ | ശര ശര ശര ശരമേയ്ക | വേൽമഴ നെയ്തിട് | റ പറ പറ പറ വിറകൊൾക | പായട്ടെ പായ്വഞ്ചികൾ' / 'vaakkaaka nee kaattaaka nee | shara shara shara sharameyka | velmazha neythidu | para para para para virakolka | paayatte paayvanchikal', Malayalam — taking that third place as always, but its tied partner in the general rankings is higher up in this list for a change. i think the very last part ('പായട്ടെ പായ്വഞ്ചികൾ' / 'paayatte paayvanchikal') is what throws me off tho bc of the way they distributed the line, since on the first listen i was expecting them to go 'paayatte paayvan-chi-kal' and they chose 'paayatte pa-ay-van-chikal' instead. it's not like it decreases the overall quality of the song or anything it's just a very specific hang up i have. who knows maybe my preferred pronunciation would have f*cked with the meaning and we do not want that

'సుడిగాడ్పులా అడుగేయరా | సర సర సర సర | శరమే తనువే తాకగా | చర చర చర చర | చెలరేగాలి వేగంగా' / 'sudi gaadpulaa adugeyyaraa | sara sara sara sara | sharame thanuve thaakagaa | chara chara chara chara | chelaraegaali vegangaa', Telugu — this ties with Malayalam for third place and, much like it, my quirk is specfically with the last part ('చెలరేగాలి వేగంగా' / 'chelaregaali vegangaa'). my preferred is 'chelare-gaali ve-gan-gaa', they gave me 'chelare-gaa-li ve-gan-gaa'. again, not an issue, this is just me, i'm sure they knew what they were doing otherwise they wouldn't have recorded it like that in the first place

'ನೀ ಜ್ವಾಲೆಯು ನೀ ಗಾಳಿಯೂ | ಸರ ಸರ ಸುರಿವ | ಮಳೆಯಂತೆ ಶೂಲಗಳು | ಭರ ಭರ ಭರ ಭರನೆ | ಭೋರ್ಗರೆವ ಪಂಜುಗಳು' / 'nee jwaaleyu nee gaaliyuu | sara sara suriva | maleyanthe shoolagalu | bhara bhara bhara bharane | bhorgareva panjugalu', Kannada — there are at least two portions here that sound eerily similar to the original and that is why this version has moved up to spot two. it takes that water comparison i made and uses it to its advantage so much and it rotates in my mind like a rotisserie chicken at just at the right angle and it's just!!!! it's just!!!! God pls keep me from putting this in my mouth and biting it's too good

'கூற்றாகிச் செல்... | காற்றாகிச் செல்... | சர சர சர சரவெனவே | மழை தான் பெய்திட | பர பர பர பரவென | பாயட்டும் பாய்மரம்' / 'kootraagi sel... | kaatraagi sel... | sara sara sara saravena | velmazhai thaan peidhida | para para para paravena | paayattum paaimaram', Tamil — when this hits i blank out and come to at random intervals. cannot pinpoint the time the place etc but it happens and when it does i go f*cking feral. this one i am indeed putting in my mouth and biting bc the entire thing from 'para para...' onwards??? more alliteration more alliteration more f*cking alliteration. i remember someone making a post on here that said that certain parts of VRV sound like pearls bouncing off of the floor (was it @mizutaama? i apologize for the tag but i think that was you) and i think this is what they were referring to but my ears are that f*cking floor. i thank God every day for that

PS2 IS THE FIRST TAMIL FILM I WATCHED IN THE THEATRE AND SHIT I WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN!!!!!

Aditha Karikalan is hands down my favourite character, followed closely by Nandini and Kundavai.

The entire cast is so FREAKING BEAUTIFUL, LIKE HOW?!!!

Karthi, as usual, charming as ever!!!

Trisha, she slayed the role ofcccc

Vikram, oml I can't even put into words how nuanced his acting is! The man is a legend ❤

Aishhh, she's an evergreen beauty I swear. Her subtlety is just next level!

Jayam Ravi, such a strong presence this man has istg I can't 😩

And ofc every cast member was bloody amazing!!!

Now I'm on the hunt for ps1 and 2 fics on tumblr, but to no avail 😫

Pls help if you find any thanks 😀

We will destroy the Cholas.

You mean to oppose the emperor, destroy the kingdom? You want to divide the Chola kingdom? You’ll divide it? Dividing the kingdom is like dividing a mother’s heart.

I leave for Thanjavur today. The King has ordered that I shall accompany him to war. To war? At your age? I may not return for a year or two.

To forget her, I must first cut my heart out. She was mine since childhood.