Mani Ratnam

Born into a family where both parents take pride in their South-Indian heritage and adore the direction geniuses of the South Indian movie industry, I grew up with many of Mani Ratnam’s movies. As a kid, I remember my Sunday evenings with the TV showing the chubby cheeked, ruffled haired, mentally disabled Anjali (1990). For Pongal, it was the story of the strong friendship between Rajnikanth and Mammooty in Dalapathi (1991). Roja (1992) was a ritual on Independence days (August 15th ) before Border came along. These are but a few masterpieces by ‘Mani Sir’, as everyone calls him.

Padma Shri¹ Mani Ratnam is known for a style heavily marked by a gamut of practical and contemporary themes; themes that were immensely researched upon, from familial and marital hardships, class and religious conflicts, to terrorism, war, and politics. He has gained acclaim for keeping emotional values intact whilst portraying such pressing issues. His works have always been beautified with background scores by maestros Ilayaraja and A.R.Rahman.

Ratnam was born G. Subramaniam in 1956 in Chennai, India. He has a family history of film makers – father Gopalratnam, a film producer and brother G.Venkateswaran, film distributor turned producer. Mani Ratnam graduated with a degree in commerce and MBA and lived a life of a management consultant before plunging into film direction.

From the start, he made his style statement with beautifully photographed songs and unique back lighting. His movies show the use of natural light and other elements at their best, making it realistically poignant and easy to relate to. They are some of the best works of art in the history of Indian film.

Anjali (1990) Photo Source

Alaipayuthey (2000) Photo Source

This talented director made twenty movies over his two decade career and won national awards for eight of them. He has made movies in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. His directorial debut was a Kannada film called Pallavi Anupallavi (1983), starring Anil Kapoor. Be it Mouna Ragam (1986) with Revathi as the dynamic woman who kept her marriage platonic when she was forced into it, or Nayakan (1987), which dealt with the complexities of a father-daughter relationship, Ratnam has proved his mettle. Movies such as Gitanjali (1989), where two young terminally-ill lovers in Ooty are living their last few months, and Bombay (1995) which dealt with romance between a Brahmin boy and a Muslim girl during the 1993 Bombay riots, should only be experienced and elucidated by emotions.

He has spread to the North through his marvelous Hindi works like Dil Se (1998), about a radio executive and a suicide bomber during a North-East Indian insurgence, and Yuva (2004), the powerful saga of three young men who fit into different niches of society and are brought together by an event which culminates with their entry into the Indian political scene.

His most recent venture, Guru (2007), is a story about a young village boy with ambitions of making it big, who later becomes a textile tycoon. The movie intends to inspire Indians to achieve their dreams and overcome all obstacles, no mater how formidable.

Mani Ratnam now lives in Chennai with his wife Suhasini (also actress, writer, director and producer) and their 12 year old, Nandan. The couple, as partners, established Madras Talkies, a Film and Television Production Company in 1995. The company has produced over 9 films and 6 television serials so far.

So if you are looking for meaningful South-Indian Cinema, look for a Mani Ratnam!

Footnote
¹Padma Shri is a title given by the Indian government to recognize the contributions of distinguished individuals.

Mani Ratnam Photo Courtesy

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