Mani Ratnam\'s \'Ponniyin Selvan-I\' raises Rs 200 crore worldwide in opening weekend

MUMBAI: Director Mani Ratnam's lavishly mounted film "Ponniyin Selvan-I" has earned Rs 200 crore in its worldwide gross box office collection in the first week of its release, the makers said on Monday.

Featuring a star-studded cast of Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Tamil historical drama hit the theatres last Friday.

Ratnam's Madras Productions, one of the banners behind the movie, took to Twitter to share the latest box office figures.

"Marching on and making history! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the audience who've been showering us with love. Catch #PS1 in theatres near you!" the production house captioned the post.

Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 historical fiction novel, "Ponniyin Selvan-I" chronicles the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman (played by Jayam Ravi), a powerful king of the south who went on to become the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I.

The much-anticipated film opened to positive response from both critics and audiences.

Also backed by Allirajah Subaskaran's banner Lyca Productions, "Ponniyin Selvan-I" released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.