Jayam Ravi’s Arulmozhivarman and his loyal companion Vandiyadevan, played by Karthi, must figure out their next move after surviving a sea storm in the trailer of Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2 (PS-II), dropped yesterday evening, even as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Nandini is hell-bent on finishing the Chola lineage.

The trailer was launched along with the film’s audio at a gala event in Chennai, with Kamal Haasan as the chief guest. A.R. Rahman, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Chiyaan Vikram, Trisha Krishnan, Jayam Ravi and Sobhita Dhulipala were present.

The official Twitter handle of Madras Talkies, co-producers of PS-II, shared the trailer of the movie on social media. “Here to reclaim all their glory! The #CholasAreBack,” the tweet said.

The trailer picks up the threads of the story from the previous instalment and gives the audience a glimpse of the majestic Chola empire. It is full of grandeur and breathtaking visuals of war. Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1 (PS-I) ended with a cliffhanger as Arulmozhivarman disappeared in the ocean after being hit by a storm.

In the new trailer, the southern horizon darkens with the prospect of a violent power struggle as Arulmozhivarman’s disappearance is shown to have sparked a game of thrones in the Chola empire. Arulmozhivarman’s brother Aditha (Chiyaan Vikram) is now making his way towards the capital, while the ministers seek to partition the kingdom and claim a part for Madhurantakan (Rahman). Meanwhile, his sister Kundavai (Trisha Krishnan) is making an effort to keep the kingdom united.

PS-I depicted the early life of Arulmozhivarman, who would become the Chola emperor Rajaraja 1. The blockbuster went on to gross Rs 500 crore at the worldwide box office.