Mani Ratnam tests COVID-19 positive; admitted to Chennai hospital
Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to a Chennai hospital for treatment. According to media reports, he is currently stable, recovering well, and is being attended by a medical team. An official statement about his health condition has not been made public by the director or the hospital authorities. We pray for his speedy recovery.
Ratnam attended Prathap Pothen's funeral recently
Recently, Ratnam was spotted paying his last respect to late actor Prathap Pothen at his residence in Chennai on July 15. Ratnam had also taken part in the teaser launch of his upcoming film Ponniyin Selvan I on July 8. The event was attended by other cast members of the film including Trisha Krishnan, Jayam Ravi, and Karthi, to name a few.
He was busy with post-production work for 'Ponniyin Selvan'
Before testing COVID-19 positive, it is reported that Ratnam was working on the post-production schedule of Ponniyin Selvan I with the film's crew members. The O Kadhal Kanmani filmmaker is co-producing the project under his Madras Talkies banner. As soon as the news about him contracting the virus surfaced online, fans showered the filmmaker with their prayers and thoughts for his speedy recovery.
Recently, Ratnam spoke about several attempts at making 'Ponniyin Selvan'
During the teaser launch, the Iruvar filmmaker had spoken about his previous attempts at directing Ponniyin Selvan. He said, "Makkal Thilagam MGR sir was supposed to do the film after Nadodi Mannan. I have tried working on this project thrice: in the 1980s, in 2000, and then in 2010, but it did not fall into place." PS I will be releasing on September 30.
'Ponniyin Selvan' star Vikram was hospitalized with high fever
Based on the Tamil novel of the same name written by Kalki, Ponniyin Selvan is a historical fiction, based on real-life incidents revolving around the lives of Chola kings. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is on board the project to play a lead role. To recall, "Chiyan" Vikram, one of the lead actors in the project, was hospitalized due to a high fever.