Chennai, Sep 8 (IANS): Well-known Tamil actor Parthiban has said that his character in director Mani Ratnam's much-awaited magnum opus, 'Ponniyin Selvan 1', might be small but it is as significant as a bookmark in a book.

Participating in the recently held audio and trailer launch of the film, in which he plays the significant character of Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar, the commander in-charge of the Tanjore fort, Parthiban said: "My character is as small and as significant as that of a page that serves as a bookmark."

Explaining what he meant by that, he said: "When we read a book, we usually fold the top corner of a page to let us know where we have stopped reading it. The mark, which usually helps a reader resume from that point on, actually splits the book into two parts. Similarly, my character in this film too, though small, will be significant."

The actor also went on to narrate a funny incident on the sets of 'Ponniyin Selvan'. He said: "Brimming with confidence gained from having spoken classical Tamil well in director Selvaraghavan's 'Aayirathil Oruvan', I tried to deliver a classical Tamil dialogue in a lengthy fashion to director Mani Ratnam.

"However, the director, who is known for his brevity, shot me down and instead asked me to keep it simple."

The actor, during the course of his speech, also congratulated actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who said he admired as Nandini on the sets of the film. "You have done a fabulous job," he complimented the actress.