Chennai, Jul 16 (IANS): The unit of director Mani Ratnam's much-awaited magnum opus, "Ponniyin Selvan" on Saturday released a video clip in which historians, writers and experts explained about the history of the Cholas, considered to be the golden age of the Tamils.

The first part of the film, based on the classic Tamil novel "Ponniyin Selvan" by eminent writer Kalki, is scheduled to hit screens on September 30 this year.

The brilliant story, that revolves around the early life of prince Arulmozhi Varman, who later on went on to be known as the great Raja Raja Chozhan, is one of a kind.

Historian S. Ramachandran, writer S. Ramakrishnan and S. Jayakumar, a researcher on cultural history, are among those who talk about the administration of the Cholas, their conquests, and their contributions to art and culture in the video clip.

The film, which Mani Ratnam describes as his dream project, has a host of big stars, notably Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, Parthiban, Lal, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prabhu, and Prakash Raj. Reported to have been made on a budget of Rs 500 crore, it will be among the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the country.

A.R. Rahman is scoring the music for this epic historical and cinematography is by Ravi Varman. National Award winning art director Thotta Tharani is in charge of production design while Mani Ratnam's trusted editor Sreekar Prasad is handling its editing.