Lyca Mobile is the world’s leading international mobile virtual network operator, serving over 16 million customers globally, with a new customer joining the network every two seconds. Lycatel combines the power of affordability with connectivity, with its phone plans boasting a plethora of club benefits, including high data and international calls.
This article will look at Lyca Productions (part of the Lyca Group), which has established several impressive records, including producing the highest-grossing Tamil-language movie in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Released in 2022, Ponniyin Selvan: I, also known as PS:I, is an Indian historical fiction film produced in the Tamil language. Written by Kalik Krishnamurthy, produced by Allirajah Subaskaran, and co-produced and directed by Mani Ratnam, the film stars Vikram, Karthi, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
It follows the story of Vandiyathevan and his journey across Chola land to deliver a message from the Crown Prince. Meanwhile, Kundavai attempts to establish peace as petty chieftains plot against the throne. Falling within the historical fiction genre, the story reflects on power struggles during the rule of the Chozha between 900 and 950 AD.
Released in 2023, Ponniyin Selvan: II, also known as PS-II, also stars Vikram, Karthi and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Revisiting the story of Crown Prince Arulmozhi Varman and his family tribulations dealing with threats to the Chola dynasty, the production was halted twice during COVID-19, wrapping up in September 2021. Ponniyin Selvan: II was released in theatres around the world on 28th April 2023 in standard, 4DX, EPIQ and IMAX formats, and it received very positive reviews from critics. A direct sequel to Ponniyin Selvan: I, the movie ranks as the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023 and one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time.
In 2022, Lyca Productions released RRR, an action drama movie telling the fictitious story of two legendary revolutionaries and their experiences fighting for their country. The film grossed $14.5 million globally, scoring 7.8 stars on IMDB.
Lyca Productions released Pushpa: The Rise – Part 1 in 2021, relating the tale of a laborer rising through the ranks of a smuggling syndicate and his run-ins with various powerful enemies he made in the process.
Chennai-based Lyca Productions and London-based Lyca Mobile were both founded by British Tamil Allirajah Subaskaran. In November 2022, he celebrated the success of his movie Ponniyin Selvan: I after it broke box records, becoming the second highest-grossing Tamil-language film within the space of just a few short months of the film’s release. At a special party staged in Chennai that was attended by the who’s who of Tamil moviemaking, Allirajah Subaskaran pledged Rs 1 crore, the equivalent of £103,000, to the Kalki Krishnamoorthy Memorial Trust.
In the wake of the huge success of Ponniyin Selvan: I, accolades flooded in for Allirajah Subaskaran, the British Tamil business leader and entrepreneur who produced this magnificent film under the Lyca Productions banner. Astoundingly, Allirajah Subaskaran’s decision to fund the film was made after a conversation with the director that lasted for just five minutes.
With a box office revenue of circa $60 million, half of which was generated in Tamil Nadu, Ponniyin Selvan: I set new records as the highest-grossing Tamil movie in the United States, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia. Overseas markets accounted for more than $21 million, making the Chola legacy not only a regional hit but an international extravaganza.
In May 2023, following a special screening of the movie Ponniyin Selvan: II in Chennai, narrator Kamal Haasan described the film’s success as a sign that ‘Tamil cinema is moving towards [a] golden age.’ After watching the concluding part of Mani Ratnam’s adaptation, Kamal Haasan described himself as an artist, film producer, and director but pointed out that his first proclaimed identity was as a cinema fan and Tamilian. Joined by the ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam for the screening, as well as composer Devi Sri Prasad, Kamal Haasan expressed his pride at the unique talent and technical expertise of Tamil filmmakers, which is now in the spotlight for all the world to see.
Lyca Productions movies currently in the pipeline include Mission: Chapter 1 Achcham Enbadhu Illayae, an action thriller starring Arun Vijay. The story follows the tale of a prisoner in a jail filled with criminals from all over the world who is desperate to meet his daughter, who has been diagnosed with a disease, with the protagonist striving to find his way back despite all the odds.
Chandramukhi 2 is another upcoming Lyca Productions release. The movie centers around the story of a woman with a dissociative identity disorder that is taking a considerable toll on her family. Starring Kangana Ranaut, Vadivelu, Sathyaraj, and Sudha Chandran, the Tamil-language comedy horror was written and directed by P. Vasu and produced by Allirajah Subaskaran.
