Mani Ratnam

Mani Ratnam (1956 - ) is a leading movie maker (screen writer and director) of India. He consistently chooses realistic contemporary themes and complex plots for his movies in an industry often accused of making commercial, fairy-tale-like, formulaic movies (also called Masala Movies). His movies are generally in the Tamil language, but are usually also dubbed into other languages like Telugu and Hindi, owing to their national appeal. He has also made films in other languages like Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.

Mani Ratnam is widely known for his ability to tread the middle way between artistic cinema and commercial cinema, working out a perfect recipe for all kinds of audience. His movies are noted for their brilliance in technical aspects like art direction, cinematography and background score. Of late, his talent has come to be acknowledged at an international level also.

Contents

1 Filmography 2 Unique dialogues 3 See also 4 External links

Filmography

• Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983) : This was his debut movie in the Kannada language. Mani Ratnam approached the famous South Indian director Balu Mahendra and requested him to be the cinematographer for the movie. Balu Mahendra was said to have been won over by Mani Ratnam's "infectious enthusiasm". The film deals with an unconventional plot of a male in love with an older female. This movie also saw the debut of Anil Kapoor, a popular Bollywood actor.

• Pagal Nilavu (Day-time Moon) (1985) : This movie established Mani Ratnam as a director having significant talent. It is about a carefree youth caught between loyalty to a mafia don and love with a cop's sister.

• Ithaya Kovil (Temple of Heart) (1985) : This film is remembered for the enchanting music of Ilayaraaja.

• Mouna Raagam (The Silent Melody) (1986) : It was with this movie that Mani Ratnam found his trademark touch. Told through the viewpoint of a young woman torn between the memories of her dead lover and the love of her new husband, the movie is noted for its cinematography (by P.C.Sriram) and for its music (by Ilayaraaja).

• Nayagan (The Leadman/The Hero) (1987) : This movie saw Mani Ratnam become a well known name in the Tamil film industry. The movie portrays the epic story of an underworld don, played brilliantly by Kamal Hassan, and is loosely based on the story of Varadaraja Mudaliar, a don who operated in Mumbai in the 1960's. The movie bears many resemblances to Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972). This movie is one among the All Time Top 100 movies listed by the TIME magazine (the list (http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,nayakan,00.html))

• Agni Natchatiram (The hottest part of May in South India) (1988) : The movie is about two step sons who are continuously fighting for legitamacy. It's highlights include innovative lighting techniques in the picturisation of songs by P. C. Sriram.

• Geethanjali(Musical tribute) (1989) : The movie deals with love between two terminally sick persons.

• Anjali (Name of the lead character, literally means dedication) (1990) : The story of a dying autistic child and the emotional trauma of her family was handled with sensitivity in this film.

• Thalapathi (The commander) (1991) : A commercial movie made with Rajni Kanth in the lead role, the theme is that of friendship triumphing over filial ties. The movie is loosely based on the Indian epic Mahabharat. In 2002, the song "Rakkama Kaiya Thattu" from this movie stayed at the top of a BBC list of the best songs for quite a while, before finishing at 4th place (the list (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/features/topten))

• Roja (Name of the lead female character, literally meaning Rose) (1992) : Against the backdrop of terrorism in Kashmir, a South Indian wife fights to get her kidnapped husband freed. The movie was dubbed into Telugu and Hindi and catapulted Mani Ratnam to national acclaim. This movie's soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman, who would rise to become a nationally famous musician soon after. This soundtrack is among the All Time Top 10 soundtracks listed by TIME magazine (The list (http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,soundtracks,00.html)).

• Thiruda Thiruda (Thief Thief) (1993) : This is a comical movie, revolves around 2 theives and their search for Rs. 1000 crores. This was one of the first Indian movies which is reputed to have used cinematographic devices like such as Akela Cranes. The movie was scripted by Ram Gopal Varma, yet another iconic Indian film maker.

• Bombay (1995) : Dealing with the story of a Hindu-Muslim couple surviving the horrors of the 1992 communal riots in Mumbai in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition, this movie continues the exploration of national issues that Roja initiated. It generated a political controversy with the Indian right-wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena objecting to certain scenes in the film an derogatory portrayal of its leader Bal Thackeray.

• Iruvar (The Twosome) (1997) : Critically considered by some to be Mani Ratnam's best movie ever, the movie traces the lives of Tamil Nadu's political figures MG Ramachandran and Karunanidhi. The movie failed miserably at the box office, however.

• Dil Se (From the heart) Uyire (My Life) (1998) : With the theme of love blossoming between an All India Radio correspondent and a female militant separatist in violence-ridden North-East India, Mani Ratnam returned to the consideration of national issues. While it fared poorly at the box office, it surprisingly ran to packed houses in United Kingdom and made it to the UK Top 10.

• Alaipayuthe (Oh, the waves lash!/ Starting lines of a famous Carnatic lyric) (2000) : After a sequence of non-performers at the box office, Mani Ratnam returned to his traditional style with this movie and regained box office popularity. The film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love.

• Kannathil Muthamittal (When pecked on the cheek/A phrase from a famous Bharathiyar lyric) (2002) : Through the eyes of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage, who desires to meet her biological mother, Mani Ratnam explores war-ravaged Sri Lanka. This film was selected as India's official entry for Cannes film festival 2004.

• Ayutha Ezhuthu (Tamil alphabet represented by three dots), Yuva (Youth) (2004) : This bi-lingual which was shot in both Hindi and Tamil tells the tale of three completely different characters who happen to meet each other on a bridge, and how their lives change thereon. It calls for the involvement of the youth in the nation's highest decision making processes.

The characteristic elements of Mani Ratnam's films include memorable music by A. R. Rahman (earlier Ilayaraja), a strong story line, sharp dialogue and innovative cinematography and art direction. He has worked with the best cinematographers in the country - notably P. C. Sriram, Santosh Sivan, Ravi K. Chandran, Rajiv Menon and the likes.

Unique dialogues

A strong dialogue is usually part of the motif of a Mani Ratnam movie.

• neenga nallavara? kettavara? (are you a good person or bad person?) - Nayagan
• avana nirutha sollu, naan niruthuren (You ask him to stop, then I will) - Nayagan
• nee en nanban (Because, you are my friend) - Thalapathi
• enthiri anjali, enthiri (Wake up Anjali, wake up) -- Anjali
• en pondaatti oorukku poyittaa! (My wife has left the city!) - Agni Natchathiram
• Wasim Khanai viduthalai sei (Release Wasim Khan) - Roja
• Ennaku Unnai Pudikala... Aanna ithellam nadanthirumnu payama irrukku (I don't like you.. but i fear that I may like you) - Alaipayuthey
• Naalu peruku nalladhu panna, yedhum thapilla (There is nothing called as Sin if it helps others)

See also

• Indian film
• List of Indians
• List of movies by Mani Ratnam featuring A R Rahman

External links

• Internet movie database (IMDb) entry for Mani Ratnam (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0711745/)
• Largest Fans club of Maniratnam (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maniratnam/)
• Maniratnam's Interview  (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2002/04/12/stories/2002041201050100.htm)ta:மணிரத்னம்