One of the important loophole left unattended in PS is PP (Periya Pazhavettaraiyar)'s role in Nandhini's drama as OomaiRani's Aavi in front of Sundara Cholar.
1. Initially, when VD escapes from Nandhini's Palace through an under-ground tunnel, he sees Nandhini and PP going to the SundaraCholar's Palace.
2. Vanathi sees Nandhini in SundarCholar's room and him screaming at her in a pathetic voice. Also, PP hiding behind a pillar.
So, I think Kalki would have planned to link PP with Nandhini's conspiracy and later he changed his mind as the story proceeded.
* At that point of time, he is actually conspiring againt Karikalan, so it could be assumed he could have be convinced that the drama was related to tha conspiracy. * But i don't remember that PP was hiding behind the pillar during the Ghost drama.
I always used to think PS was the greatest book and Kalki as inhuman. But the discussions at the group seems to prove after all Kalki too is human.
-Hi vanathi sees this drama once and as usual wants to faint. but doesnt. perhaps pp wants to know the root cause of sundara getting scared by nandini. but when he dies pp is made out to be a martyr. could be a turn around kalki thought of later.
Vanathi faints for the first time. She sees both PP and Nandhini inside Sundara's room and she faints.
Only while seeing for the second time, she resists herself from fainting.
Actually, I am reading PS from the beginning and right now in second volume; just crossed this chapter.
Moreover, in the first volume, Nandhini tells PP that she is not interested to let Madhurantaka to rule Chola land instead she wants to ascend the throne with PP. (This scene comes just after VD leaves her Palace).
And in the second volume also, when she nurses KandhaMaran, PP tells her that her dream of them( PP & Nandhini) ascending the throne would come true very soon. After this is when, Vanathi sees them in Sundara's room and fainting.
I am pretty sure that Kalki had different conspiracy plans and twisted them later down the line.
Nandhini is only using PP for her own ends, and it is to kill Aditya Karikalan(primary goal-nandhini's personal interest) for the Pandya abathuthavis and if so possible to get to overthrow the colas(secondary goal - for panyda spies)
Her goals can be acheived, if she was able to get PP to dance to her tunes(avar aadinaar!!!)... At first she needs to enable choas to rule in the ruling clan, with too many people vying for the throne, which results in civil war and can lead to massacre, either way many will get killed
So the plot remains as it is.. Even when Nandhini fakes a ghostly look in sundara's palace, she does not realize what is making him to shiver in her presence.. So she never realizes her birth secret(neither do we also as to who the father is??).
1. On his coronation day, looking at OomaiRani in the crowd. 2. When kid Arumozhi was saved by OomaiRani in Cauvery river. 3. During AadithaKarikalan's coronotion as a CrownPrince looking at Nandini.
Nandhini doesn't know why Sundara is fainting when he sees her.
Kalki would have planned that PP would have been interested to know the secret behind Sundara's faints. So, he would let Nandhini in Sundara's room and wait for him to spill some secrets on his own. Nandhini would have also been interested to know the reasons and hence would have agreed to give fake ghost effects.
But, during the course of the story Kalki has completely forgotten or changed this thread.
Before Karikalan's murder, when VD is talking to Nandini he will mention that he has found the real reason for her appearance before Kandhamaran is stabbed is to act as ghost before sundara.
During coronation she would not have known the fact the Sundara fainted by seeing her, but at the palace she does it deliberately.
Dear Sukanya, While it is not right to claim that Ponniyin Selvan is flawless, given the complexity of the plot and the lack of information about the assasins of Aaditya Karikaalan, anyone would agree that it is not an easy job to make it flawless. Remember that the story was written on a weekly basis and was not available in full, to be reviewed.
Also things which appeared inconsistent during my first reading, I later realized, were because of my lack of attention to the details. Infact I had exactly the same question that you have posed now. I found out during my second reading that this is not inconsistent. To see this refer to the 39th Adhyayam of the 4th volume. Here Nandhini herself talks about the drama she enacted infront of Parantaka So(l)ar which was witnessed by Pa(l)uvettarayar.
During Aadithya Karikaalan's visit to Kadambur Pa(l)uvettarayar wants to go to Thanjavur to bring Madhurantakan. He doesn't want to leave Nandhini alone in the company of 3 youths. So he wants her to come with him. But Nandhini wants to stay back as the planned time of assasination is fast approaching. A dialogue in this context between Nandhini and Pa(l)uvettarayar is as follows ....
If you read the sentence in quotes it is clear that Nandhini allowed Pa(l)uvettarayar to witness the drama to prove that she has found the dirty secret of Sundara So(l)ar by her power of magic.