First thing first.. PS1 & PS2 are NOT for people who do not know basic history/ story of Rajaraja Chola. And, for North Indian viewers, it is not easy to remember Tamil names of persons & places. You will have to overcome these factors yourself... Then only you will be able to appreciate what a great epic on celluloid you are missing. I had to revise my childhood comic book "Amar Chitra Katha" before I went to watch PS1.
I just loved PS1 .. and loved PS2 even more!! Hats off to Mani Ratnam.