Chennai, Oct 5 (IANS): Ace director S. Shankar, who is known for films like 'Robot', 'I' and 'Nayak',is the latest person to praise director Mani Ratnam's magnum opus, 'Ponniyin Selvan 1', which is based on the literary classic by eminent writer Kalki.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Shankar wrote: "'PS1' captivates. A quality Tamil historical film after years. Mani Ratnam sir's mastery in filmma'King' proven yet again (sic)."

He then went on to praise the film's technical team and said: "Hats off to cinematographer Ravi Varman's picturesque depiction. A R Rahman music riveting! Full three hours intrigue you for the sequel. Hail to the vast Army that made this epic!"

Shankar isn't the only one to be impressed by the magnum opus. Scores of people including celebrities like Telugu star Nagarjuna too have been impressed by the epic.The film, which released last Friday much to the delight of fans, has been receiving a thunderous welcome from audiences.

It grossed a worldwide sum of over Rs 80 crore on its very first day, thereby entering history books as the film with the biggest ever opening in Tamil cinema.

The film's brilliant story is based on the early life of prince Arun Mozhi Varman, who went on to be known as the great Raja Chozhan.

Called by Mani Ratnam as his dream project, the film features a host of top stars including actors Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Jayaram, Parthiban, Lal, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prabhu and Prakash Raj.