Mani Ratnam & Lyca Productions collaborate with Snapchat to create a special augmented reality experience for the eagerly anticipated Ponniyin Selvan

Legendary filmmaker Maniratnam is all set to finally take the highly anticipated magnus opus movie of the year, Ponniyin Selvan: 1, to theaters across India. The movie Ponniyin Selvan: I, is gearing towards an augmented twist as it ropes in Snap Inc. as its exclusive AR (augmented reality) partner to engage with the Gen Z Snapchatters. With this collaboration, fans can get a sneak into the world of Kingdom Chola through highly engaging and lifelike AR experiences.

The film industry has been actively leveraging the immersive and innovative power of augmented reality to drive intrigue and fan engagement in the run-up to launch. For the release of Maniratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan, Snapchat is introducing an AR motion poster lens created by Snap Lens Network Ambassador Kavin Kumar from Coimbatore for the movie. The lens brings the grand poster alive through 2.5D animation where users can scan the poster and the elements of the poster come alive.

Commenting on this innovative movie promotion, Ponniyin Selvan director Mani Ratnam said “I had read the book a long time ago when I was in school. I was fascinated by it even then. It is meant to be up there, on the big screen. The way Kalki writes, it feels like he is personally narrating the story to you. It’s vivid, the spectacle is there in front of you.”

This historical epic, which features multi-talented actors Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Karthi, and Trisha Krishnan amongst others, has already captured people’ attention with its aesthetically arresting trailer and captivating soundtrack. On September 30, the movie is scheduled for a multilingual release in five different languages