Ponnar Shankar (film)

Ponnar Shankar
Release poster
Directed by	Thiagarajan
Produced by	Thiagarajan
Written by	M. Karunanidhi
Based on	Ponnar Shankar by M. Karunanidhi
Starring	Prashanth Prabhu Jayaram Napoleon Prakash Raj Raj Kiran Pooja Chopra Divya Parameshwaran Sneha
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography	Shaji Kumar
Edited by	Don Max
Production company	Lakshmi Shanthi Movies
Distributed by	Lakshmi Shanthi Movies
Release date	9 April 2011 (2011-04-09)
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Ponnar Shankar is a 2011 Indian epic historical drama film produced and directed by Thiagarajan. It is a fictionalised account of the Ponnar Shankar epic, adapted from M. Karunanidhi's novel of the same name. It features Thiagarajan's son Prashanth in lead dual roles as warrior princes, portraying the title characters, with actresses Pooja Chopra and Divya Parameshwaran making their film debut as princesses. The film also features an extensive cast of supporting actors with Prabhu, Napoleon, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Sneha and Kushboo amongst others. The background score and soundtrack of the film, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, was released on 27 March 2011.

Filming, although significantly delayed, began in August 2009 at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai, where an ancient township film set with temples, forts, a lake and palaces had been built. The film's producers encountered difficulties in making prompt payments to its crew that consisted of more than 1000 members during the filming in the forests of Pollachi. The filming then shifted to Guindy National Park in Chennai, with the battle sequences shot in Kerala and Karnataka.

Prior to its release, the film drew criticism from the Kongu Nadu Munnetra Kazhagam (KMK) Party with an unsuccessful petition filed at Madras High Court seeking a ban on the film, claiming that it portrayed the traditional deities of the gounder community in a bad light. The film was released on 9 April 2011 to a mixed response from critics. Although praised for its cinematography and art direction, it was criticised for having a weak plot and character deficiencies. The film was later dubbed and released as Prashanth Veer in Hindi and then as Rajakota Rahasyam in Telugu in 2012 and 2013 respectively.