Director Maniratnam who had last scored a superhit with his multistarrer movie Chekka Chivantha Vaanam is currently getting ready to start his next big budget multistarrer movie Ponniyin Selvan, the film version of the cult classic novel penned by renowned author Kalki Krishnamoorthy.

This movie is said to be produced by Reliance Entertainment and Madras Talkies, and is said to feature a huge star cast including Chiyaan Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai, Keerthy Suresh, Amala Paul, Mohan Babu and many others, and recently it was announced that actor Elango Kumaravel will pen the screenplay with Maniratnam.

The latest news making rounds is that Malayalam actor Jayaram, who is a regular in Kamal Haasan's movies, might be roped in to play a key role in Ponniyin selvan. Reportedly the team has discussed with the actor, and is waiting for his nod. It is to be seen if the actor will join the team which begins shooting in August.