I have read this novel.
There could be variances in review from tamil audience vs others and it’s understandable. Maniratnam has tried 100% to satisfy 7 crore unique tamil imaginative minds about this novel which is majestic.
For Non Tamils, keep your mind fresh and follow every names and dialogues more closely to get a feel of how Chola kingdom enthralled 1000 years ago by overcoming tons of revenge plots from Pandyas. This is not a charismatic heroic oriented movie like Bahubali where you see some majestic war and heroic scenes. Rather This movie is raw and realistically made and not a melodrama.
ARR|Ravi Varman|Mani Ratnam’s show!!!