Abhishek Bachchan had called Aishwarya Rai-starrer Ponniyin Selvan 1 a “masterpiece” when it had released in 2022. In 2023, Abhishek had even said that Ponniyin Selvan 2 is Aishwarya’s best work in her career.

Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai in Ponniyin Selvan

The 70th National Film Awards were announced on Friday, August 16. The 2022 Tamil epic historical action drama Ponniyin Selvan 1 sweeped the awards as it won the most honours, a total number of four. AR Rahman won Best Background Score, Ravi Varman won Best Cinemtography, Anand Krishnamoorthy won Best Sound Design, and the Mani Ratnam directorial was also awarded the Best Feature Film in Tamil.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan played Nandini, the wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, the chancellor of the Chola kingdom, in Ponniyin Selvan 1 and its sequel Ponniyin Selvan 2. Her powerful act as the scheming queen manipulating against the reigning emperor Sundara Chola and his three children, won the hearts of the audiences and critics, with many even calling it Aishwarya’s best performance in her entire career.

After Ponniyin Selvan 1’s big win at the 70th National Awards, Aishwarya’s husband and actor Abhishek Bachchan avoided congratulating his wife and the film’s team on his social media handles. In 2022, he had called the Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus a “masterpiece”. On the day of its release, Abhishek had shared a poster of PS 1 on his Instagram Stories and had written, “The day is finally here! #PS1 in theaters today, congratulations to the team who’ve put in years of hard work and excellence in making this masterpiece. Best wishes to #PonniyinSelvan1 #AishwaryaRaiBachchan #ManiRatnam.”