Amala Paul said no to Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan and she doesn’t regret it. This is why

Amala Paul revealed that she turned down Ponniyin Selvan as she was not in the mental state to take it up. She, however, does not regret her decision.

Mani Ratnam is gearing up for the release of Ponniyin Selvan, slated to hit the screens on September 30. The biggie has garnered a fair deal of attention due to its visually-appealing trailer. While almost everyone is aware of the efforts put in by the filmmaker to bring the film to life, not many may remember that Amala Paul was supposed to be part of the film. During a recent interview, the actress said that she does not regret turning down Ponniyin Selvan. She, however, made it clear that she has tremendous respect for Mani Ratnam's body of work.

Amala Paul, last seen in Cadaver, has opened up about her decision to turn down Ponniyin Selvan. The actress said that she does not regret saying 'no' to Mani Ratnam's magnum opus. She revealed that she was not in the right 'mental state' to commit to the project when the offer came her way.

" I am a huge fan of Mani sir and I was so excited for it. And that didn't happen at that time (after the first audition). I was so disappointed and sad. Then in 2021, he called me for the same project. And like I said, I was not in the mental state to do it, so I had to turn it down. If you ask me if I regret doing that, I won't, because certain things are just perfect. It's perfectly designed and I think it's just about how we look at.(sic)" Amala told the Times of India.

Ponniyin Selvan is a period drama produced by Mani Ratnam and Allirajah Subaskaran under the Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions banners, respectively. It has an ensemble cast headlined by Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, and Kishore among others. It is set to open in theatres on September 30.