Can poetry be converted into song? Or whether song can become a poem? As if to answer these questions, Vairamuthu had released his poems in song form in a cassette.

Twelve Poems have been selected from many books of Poem written by Vairamuthu, and have been converted into songs with music. The music is scored by, Iniyan in a light music melody. Mass Audios have produced this cassette. The cassette release function was held at Good luck Theatre yesterday evening.

In this function, Mani Ratnam and M S Vishwanathan have participated and had expressed their well wishes briefly in one or two sentences. Towards the end, Vairamuthu had addressed the gathering in a way of acceptance speech. In this, he talked for full half- an-hour and gave vent to his feelings in his usual emotional manner.

A few 'droplets' from that speech:

"Many people are asking me for a long time, whether poem can be converted into songs. This cassette 'Kavidaiye Padalaga' had answered those questions.

In this function, M S Vishwanathan honored me by his presence and Mani Ratnam who have created name and fame for Tamil Cinema at all India level have also came here. This makes me feel doubly happy. Mani Ratnam spoke, he said that, "now that you have made poems into songs, do not forget about us". I will never go out of the film field, through which, my thinking had reached the Tamizhian living in remote villages. I do prostrate before the Angel called Tamil Cinema.

Bharathi Raja had given me an opening in the film field. Mani Ratnam had given me the second lease of life in Tamil film field. In that sense, it is only fitting and correct that Mani Ratnam should participate in this function to wish me"!

A friend of mine, Karthi, did forward the above pic with a subject - Mani Ratnam's New Film, Aalayam.

I probably wanted to verify the source and then post this. Am not posting this to make a scoop out of it or to bring in a speculation. Infact, going by previous instances this isn't the way Mani Ratnam unleashes his new movie. Because I believe the movie shooting hasn't started yet and many a time such teaser posters get released only when post-production works are in progress.

This could be true on one reason. K Sera Sera production house's name is there on the list. Maybe K Sera Sera is co-producing the film along with Madras Talkies. But be it a spoof or a scoop, am posting it just because I am happy for the way the poster is designed. He/She must have been a Mani Ratnam fan. The font and the collage of pics at the background just makes it for a Mani Ratnam flick. Just couple of small mistakes, Mani Ratnam usually makes sure that he has the crew names written in Tamil when its a poster for Tamil movie. Also silly statements like With an International Cast never happen on a Mani Ratnam flick banners. I am sure.

Anyone with the details on the source of this so-called-Mani-Ratnam-poster gets a warm applause in the next post.

Update 1 - Koushik, got inspired by this poster above, created one more using the same poster. Check it out here.

Guru Subramanian

Priya V, Mani Ratnam�s assistant is making her debut as a director with Kanda Naal Muthal.

This film will be produced by actor Prakash Raj under his Duet Films banner. It is a triangular love story told in a candy floss manner and has Prasanna, Laila and Karthik Kumar (of Vaanam Vasappadum fame) with Revathy in a pivotal role.

Mani�s one time favorites, like P C Sreeram is the cameraman and Thotta Tharani is the art director. Editing will be by Sreekar Prasad and the only outsider will be music director Yuvan Shankar Raja. Says Prakash Raj: �Priya is extremely talented and when I heard the story from her, I readily agreed to fund the project�.

Now Duet films is producing Kanda Naal Muthal which is being directed by Mani Ratnam�s former assistant Priya V. Along with Prasanna, Prakash Raj is also giving a break to Karthik Kumar whose debut film Vaanam Vasappadum directed by P C Sreeram was critically acclaimed.

Mani Ratnam who was hospitalised in Goa during the IFFI for acute chest pain is now back in Chennai.

Accompanied by wife Suhasini, Mani looked cheerful at the Chennai airport and said: �I am fully fit and there is nothing to worry about. I am back to my regular chores�.

According to sources close to the director, he is writing a script for a Tamil film for which he plans to start shoot by April 2005 with all new comers.

India�s finest director, Mani Ratnam was taken to hospital in Goa following chest pain on the concluding day of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) today (9 Dec). 
Mani Sir as he is affectionately called, was rushed to Appolo Victor hospital after he complained of chest pain minutes before he was to announce the awards, as the jury chief of Asian competitive section at IFFI. 

In fact this is his third attack for the 49 years old director. In 2001, during the making of Kannathil Muthamittal he had his first attack on location in Kerala and had to be rushed back to Chennai where he was hospitalised for a month. The second attack happened last year on Howrah Bridge in Kolkata where he was shooting for Yuva. 

Doctors in Goa has said that his condition is stable. Uday Kanolkar, his doctor says: "He experienced chest pain due to exertion and high blood pressure but that has now been brought under control through medicines. Ratnam would be confined to the ICU for the next two days".


Panaji: Eminent film maker Mani Ratnam on Thursday suffered chest pain shortly before the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India and was admitted to a hospital where doctors described his condition as stable. 

"He is stable now. He experienced chest pain due to exertion and high blood pressure but that has now been brought under control through medicines. Ratnam would be confined to the ICU for the next two days," Uday Kanolkar, who examined the 48-year old director at the Apollo Victor Hospital in Margao told PTI here. 

Confirming the initial diagnosis of Angina, Kanolkar said, "Yes, it was Angina which was caused due to extreme exertion. I have also had a look at the initial ECG and there is no sign to point to heart attack. We shall have to assess his condition and then decide whether he can be moved out of the ICU." 

Ratnam was rushed to the hospital after he complained of chest pain minutes before he was to announce the awards as the jury chief of Asian competitive section at IFFI here. 

His initial ECG showed an irregular heartbeat and doctors attending on him suspected that it could lead to a heart attack. 

"He was cold and sweating and I suspected that it would be angina where the supply of blood to the heart stops for a moment or two. He was therefore taken to Apollo Victor hospital by a team of doctors," a doctor, who did not wish to be named told PTI earlier. 

Ratnam has had a history of heart trouble and had done all medical tests just a month ago, the doctor said adding his blood pressure was very high when he was examined at the venue of the closing ceremony. 

"Although he insisted that he would like to sit through the entire closing ceremony, I was apprehensive and told him that he would be better off with proper medical care," he added.

More Info

Mumbai, Dec 9 (IANS) There was a time when south Indian filmmakers functioned with marginal success in Bollywood.

Big names from Tamil and Telugu cinema like S.S. Vasan, L.V. Prasad and A. Subba Rao made many successful films during the 1950s and 60s.

In the 1980s, faithful recycling of Tamil and Telugu flicks by K. Raghavendra Rao and K. Bappiah, most of them featuring Jeetendra in the lead, were the order of the day. But none succeeded to the extent that they could threaten the hegemony of the Mumbai stalwarts.

In the recent past, big names from southern Indian cinema like K. Balachander, Bharathi Raja and Bapu who have virtually re-written the codes of Tamil-Talugu couldn't establish themselves as names to reckon with in Mumbai.

Even the mighty Mani Ratnam who is considered by many movie aficionados to be the ultimate Indian moviemaker faltered badly in Hindi. First the admirable "Dil Se" and then the rich and fascinating "Yuva" both slumped at the box office, leaving Ratnam awfully confused about his supposed supremacy as a visionary.

If Ratnam is really the best, how come Hindi-speaking audiences don't find him good enough to give his films a thumbs-up all over the country?

Another southern Indian filmmaker has emerged a clear winner in the nationwide sweepstakes.

Priyadarshan has an interestingly chequered career in Hindi. Though earlier on he made remarkably textured Hindi films like "Muskurahat", "Kala Pani" and "Saat Rang Ke Sapne", success came to him in Bollywood    a few years ago with the freak comic hit "Hera Pheri".

At a time when everyone thought comedies don't click Priyadarshan has proved the cynics wrong not just once but thrice over. After "Hera Pheri" and "Hungama", Priyadarshan has just delivered more mirth.

"Hulchal" is all set to be one of the biggest hits of the year. It completes a hat trick of comic hits for Priyadarshan. But his next venture tentatively titled "Rang" isn't a comic film.

Featuring the director's new favourite Kareena Kapoor with Salman Khan, it's going to a serious look at the relationship between a doctor and her mentally disturbed patient.

Says an actor who has worked repeatedly with Priyadarshan: "It's stupid of him to move away from comedy when farce is obviously his forte. No one will accept him in a non-comedy mould now."

Famous southern Indian filmmakers of the past, however, were known and recognised for their versatility. No two films of L.V. Prasad were similar in content.

Should Priyadarshan tow the line only to cling on to his hard-found success? Will he remain our only successful southern Indian filmmaker in Bollywood?

The rule of the Punjabi brigade of filmmakers in Bollywood has been broken only by Ram Gopal Varma in the true sense so far. The filmmaker from Hyderabad not only broke all the ground rules of Bollywood but also invented his own rules of success.

His new dream film "Naach" didn't do well. But Varma is going right ahead making the kind of films he believes in.

Would Priyadarshan exercise the same kind of creative freedom to join Varma as the only successful Hindi filmmaker from the south in recent years?

Selvaraghavan�s mobile has not stop ringing since the release of 7-G Rainbow Colony, which has been declared a blockbuster by the trade.

Selva has been getting accolade from all quarters including parents, teachers and students who are calling him up or waiting outside his office to congratulate him for making a film that has a message for the youth of today. He has also getting a lot of offers from Bollywood producers to do a remake of the film.

But the young director is unperturbed by all this new found attention and says that �This is all part of success trappings. I have to take it in my stride and not get carried away with it�.

But a call from noted director Mani Ratnam came as a pleasant surprise to Selva. Mani had seen the film at the Mayajaal multiplex with the public and wanted to congratulate Selva for making a good film.

Said Selva: �Mani sir seemed to have liked the film and truly my day was made when �the master� himself made a call which has made me proud and happy�.

CHENNAI, Oct 11: Ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar will take part in the shooting of a documentary film, scripted and directed by Mani Ratnam, here on Tuesday to promote the cause of physically challenged persons.

The film, being made for city-based Shakthi Foundation which works for the cause of physically challenged and underprivileged sections, seeks to sensitize people on the issue of providing ramps in public places to ensure a barrier-free environment for physically challenged persons.

"Seeing the struggle of a child in a wheelchair devoid of movement left an impact in my mind, which propelled me to want to form a human network strong enough to lobby for ramps," Tendulkar said in a message.

The batting maestro also appealed to fellow citizens to support the foundation in its efforts to help more children come out and live a quality life.

The batsman, recuperating from a tennis elbow, will be here in the city for the second Test match between India and Australia starting on Thursday.

Tendulkar, along with the other members of the Indian team, had mingled with over 100 physically challenged persons here in August last.

Vasanth Raghuvir, the woman behind the foundation, told PTI that the Persons With Disability Act made it mandatory for public places such as shopping malls and hotels to have ramp facility. But only 47 buildings in the city had ramps.

She said the Tamil Nadu Government had been helpful in this regard.

Mani Ratnam and Sachin come together

Sachin Tendulkar may not be playing the Chennai test against Australia. But he is certainly appearing in Mani Ratnam's documentary for a social organisation called Shakthi Foundation on physically challenged kids. Seems like Mani Ratnam wished Sachin to be a part of this documentary and Sachin had agreed instantly. It's reported in today's dailies that the documentary is set to be shot from today in Chennai.

While it came as a surprise to me as I have been looking around and guessing what will be Mani Ratnam's next project after Aayitha Ezhuthu. And a big plus when you know Sachin is also contributing to it. I am not speculating here but only hope Ilayaraaja would tune for it. Then this event would be a great catalyst to bring together Mani Ratnam and Ilayaraja, after a long time.

Update: The shoot is scheduled to held at SAF Tennis Stadium, Nungambakkam.

Sachin lends a helping hand

By Karthik Subramanian

CHENNAI, OCT. 12. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, filmmaker Mani Ratnam and music director A R Rahman have come together for a promotion on ramps for the disabled in public places.

On Tuesday, the master batsman took some time off from his schedule in Chennai, where India will meet Australia in the second Test match from October 14, to act in a TV campaign directed by Mr. Mani Ratnam. The shooting took place at the Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium. International wheelchair tennis champion, Boniface Prabhu, from Bangalore was also present.

The film is being made for the Shakti Foundation, a Chennai-based non-governmental organisation working for the physically challenged. Representatives of the organisation said Mr. Rahman had agreed to score the music for the campaign.

In the film, Mr. Tendulkar speaks out on the need for ramps for the handicapped. "Give the champion what he deserves," he says, as he helps a wheelchair-bound tennis champion receive his trophy. The winner was not able to get his wheelchair on the podium.

Mr. Mani Ratnam told some of the onlookers after the shoot that Mr. Tendulkar was pretty good at facing the camera. "He was able to complete most shots in a few attempts.

With the stadium locked up during the shoot, a few students climbed the compound wall to catch a glimpse of Mr. Tendulkar. Students of a nearby government school were waiting by the gate. When he left the venue after the shoot, Mr. Tendulkar waved to them and was greeted with cheers.

Letter to Foundation

In a letter to the Shakti Foundation, Mr. Tendulkar recalled that he once saw a child confined to a wheelchair. "A thought process was stirred in my mind as to how important access and barrier-free environment is. How does one who cannot walk, see or has mobility problem enter a building where there are steps?

Seeing the struggle left an impact on my mind, which propelled me to want to form a human network strong enough to lobby for ramps." He congratulated the foundation on its fundraiser and rounded off with the question: "Could we please give ramps serious thought?"

A mother's gratitude

Vasanth Raghuvir, mother of the Shakti Foundation's founder, Velan Raghuvir, was in tears, describing the "spontaneous" gesture by Mr. Tendulkar, Mr. Mani Ratnam and Mr. Boniface Prabhu. "They are all celebrities in their own right. I am really moved that Sachin was able to spend four hours for the shooting. I am glad he feels so much for the cause," she said.

Ms. Raghuvir said she lost her son, who was physically challenged. He was not able to realise his dreams.

"He was so full of life... I only hope that no other physically challenged child faces the troubles that he faced," she said.

Mr. Boniface Prabhu, who recently inaugurated a wheelchair tennis academy in Bangalore, said ramps were most important in schools, colleges and places of worship.

"I had to give up my dream of becoming a doctor because none of the colleges I applied to even wanted to enroll me. They were not prepared to shift all the classes to the groundfloor for just one student."

Leg spinner Anil Kumble appeared in a campaign earlier for the Shakti Foundation.

The whole world is smitten by Aishwarya Rai but there is one person that Aish is very impressed with- director Mani Ratnam and his works. An English magazine had recently conducted a survey to find out the most beautiful face in the world. In spite of all the years that had passed since her winning the crown, Aish was still listed as the most beautiful one.

But she dismisses it as a joke. She says, "The love that my fans and well wishers have for me made them select me as the most beautiful face." Humility! Such a popular person like Aish is still so thrilled that she got a chance to work with Mani Ratnam in Iruvar. "It was a special experience to act in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar. I still haven't come across a story like that!" she says.

Mani Ratnam is not al that happy with the way his film Aayitha Ezhuthu/Yuva was received by the audience. But, such compliments from celebrities will surely cheer him up.

This is how Kansas City Star has rated Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal [A Peck on the Cheek], which is being featured in this year's Kansas Film Festival. Though with small mis-informations, this small preview, would make Kannathil Muthamittal get a warm welcome in the fest.

�A Peck on the Cheek�: This recent Bollywood hit from writer/director Mani Ratnam stars the adorable P S Keerthana as a young girl who, upon learning from her Indian parents that she was adopted, begins a journey to strife-torn Sri Lanka to find out who her biological parents are.

Part war film, part domestic tearjerker and part musical (if it doesn't have singing and dancing, it isn't Bollywood), this winning entry should provide local audiences with a fitting introduction to one of the most popular cinema styles in the world today.

Also read about the review of other films which are to be screened in the Kansas Film Festival 2004.

Here is another review of Kannathil Muthamittal made in the Toronto Film Festival 2002.

By Guru Subramanian

A Peck on the Cheek
Director: Mani Ratnam
Country: India
Year: 2002

CAST:
Madhavan, Simran, Prakash Raj, Nandita Das, P S Keerthana

Upon entering the theatre to view a Mani Ratnam film, one has certain expectations: a riveting story, breathtaking cinematography, a pulsating score, and well-defined, complex characters. A lot to ask of a film, you may say, but not when it comes to Ratnam.

Mani Ratnam is one of the few Indian filmmakers, others include Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, and Mira Nair, who is recognized both artistically and commercially in India. His films fit into the Bollywood genre, yet also possess the depth and complexity which liken them to art-house cinema. Like many of his films, A Peck on the Cheek uses contemporary politics as a background to familial and romantic relationships. The extreme circumstances of war and terroristic activity bring families and individuals to situations where raw emotion comes to the surface.

Peck, a Tamil film subtitled in English, begins with the fairy-tale marriage of two Sri Lankan youths, the beautiful and innocent Madhavan (Nandita Das) and Dileepan, a committed activist opposed to the invasion and military dictatorship in his country. Their nuptial bliss is shattered prematurely when Dileepan runs away to oppose the military and leaves Madhavan alone and pregnant in a refugee camp.

Here, the film shifts to the domestic bliss of another family in Chennai. Indra (Simran) and Thiru (Madhavan) are the proud parents of three boisterous children. Of the three kids, Amudha (P.S. Keerthana), the effervescent eight-year old daughter, is the shining light in the family. Amudha is charming, intelligent and perceptive enough to know how to wrap her parents around her petite fingers. The most spectacular musical number in the film revolves around Amudha and her schoolfriends and pays tribute to the beauty, energy and innocence of children of that age.

Above the happiness of Thiru's family lies a shadow of the past: Amudha is adopted; she is the abandoned child of Madhavan and Dileepan. Thiru and Indra, liberal educated parents who raise their children with respect and integrity, tell Amudha the truth about her birth. Amudha responds with a multitude of emotions, beautifully captured by Keerthana, a sixth-grade student with no previous training or experience as an actress. Amudha's emotional deluge culminates in a desire to find her mother and confront her with questions. Thiru decides to attempt to fulfill Amudha's wish, knowing that in order for his family to move on, he will need to banish the ghosts of the past and give closure to his daughter's angst.

The final phase of the film takes the audience back to war-torn Sri Lanka where Ratnam places Thiru's family in the midst of political and ethnic strife. Suicide bombers, children with guns, and ravaged homes and villages colour the screen as the audience becomes witness to the savagery that has become routine in our times. What shines on the screen is the love between parent and child; Thiru and Indra are willing to face anything for the happiness of their child and it is this love that carries the entire film. The audience shares Amudha's pain and longing for her mother as the family combs rural Sri Lanka looking for a trace of the elusive Madhavan.

Unlike most Bollywood films, where many of the song sequences chronicle romantic love, Peck's songs passionately address parental love and childhood fantasy. The multi-talented A R Rahman has produced a joyous soundtrack for the film; the various melodies correspond perfectly to the changing moods and desires of the characters, and Rahman has incorporated the traditional Sri Lankan "bayla" beat into his music to capture a true Sri Lankan feeling. Peck is a breathtaking cinematic achievment that takes the viewer on a sensual and emotional journey. In this film, Ratnam succeeds in creating a film with mainstream appeal while illustrating true artistic genius. Bravo!

While the Kannada film industry is dead against screening films of other languages, it doesn�t seem to have any qualms about remaking films of other languages. 

http://telugu.cinesouth.com/english/masala/hotnews/new/23082004-2.shtml

Vijay is riding a wave of popularity these days in Tamil films with a series of super hits to his credit. Actor Vijay had acted in the films of many young and upcoming directors, but in spite of having been in the cine industry for such a long time, why is he not starring in films of directors like Shankar and Mani Ratnam? We decided to ask him.

He said,

"I have been asked that question many times before. Is there an actor in the film industry who wouldn't want to act in films of these directors? Even people from remote villages who come to Chennai looking for chances would love to act in films of Shankar and Mani Ratnam. They are technical geniuses. Even an occasional filmgoer knows this fact. "Any actor who claims that he is a director's actor would love to act in their films. These are directors who are capable of changing an actor's image and bringing out hidden potentials. "They haven't approached me yet with any story. Maybe they don't have one that suits me. When the do, they will surely get in touch with me. I have faith. There is still lot of time ahead".

Director Mani Ratnam's next film....

It is yet another proud moment for Mani Ratnam. His Kannathil Muthamittal is the only Indian movie selected under the feature film category to be screened in the �World Cinema Naples� Film Festival, Florida 2004. The festival is from April 22 � 25. The film to be screened under the short film category is the English film Anand�s No Exit. Anand Alagappan, an Indian produces, directs and has written the screen play for the film.

Take part in the poll @ Cine South.com

All those hoping to be heroine of Mani Ratnam's next film can give up their dreams coz the next heroine has already been selected. Santosh Sivan who recommended Madhavan to Mani Ratnam has this time asked Mani to see Maahi Vij the Delhi based model. After the screen test she has been selected. Maahi is currently acting in Santosh's brother's Malayalam film and also in Cholliyattam, another Malayalam film. While the film, Aayitha Ezhuthu and Yuva in Hindi directed by Mani Ratnam is shrouded as usual in mystery, the buyers are flocking to grab the distribution rights. The Telugu rights were already sold for a big price stating that it would be released on May 6th. But the Tamil film producer�s council has implemented a rule stating that minimum of four weeks gap is needed if two films of the same hero are ready for release. AVM's Perazhagan will be ready for May 6th and hence Mani Ratnam has postponed his film to May 2004 end. The Telugu rights buyer is insisting on releasing it on May 6th itself in Andhra.

Due to last minute unforeseen circumstances two of the Valentine day releases, Kangalal Kaidhu Sei and Autograph have been postponed. Bharathiraaja�s Kangalal Kaidhu Sei was seen by his close friend Mani Ratnam on Tuesday night. Sources close to Lakshmi Movie Makers, the producers say that Mani liked the first half but found glaring inconsistencies in the climax. The producers and Bharathiraaja have decided to re-shoot some scenes and make the necessary changes.

Bharathiraaja who was going through rough times at the box-office recently has readily agreed to make the minor changes as the suggestion was made by one of India�s finest director, who understands the pulse of the audience! Remember, that Bharathiraaja is also doing the villain role in Mani�s Aayitha Ezhuthu.

While being certified as a best film Pithamagan's director Bala is praised by one and all among Tamil Cine industry's directors.

People who saw the preview of the film before it's release during Deepavali showered words of appreciation to director Bala for his excellent works in the film. But director Bala is not the one who feels contended with the praises from the Cine industry, Since he expected the cine goers to praise the film. Now the director is exhilarated to receive praises from associate directors club members with the cherishing of his dreams of also winning the praises from cine goers.

Director Mani Ratnam had a 30 minutes lasting talk after the special show, which had all the praise for Bala. "It s a daring approach. You have etched its characters" - praised the India's No.1 director for Bala's works.

Vikram's characterisation is a novel effort. You have shown your efforts and hard works in the screen. I have also made Surya to act as hero in my film like you after seeing his capabilities. This will be a trendsetter for his acing career, remarked Mani Ratnam who continued his praising speech also about Ilayaraja's music.

It was said that Mani Ratnam has offered some tips and advices to director Bala on nomination of films in national and international award contests - as informed by Pithamagan's office staff.

Read this article @ Lazy Geek.com:

In Defense of Mani Saar (or) How the topic moved to Mani Ratnam Vs Bala

This Diwali, people might have been disappointed, only 4 movies being released. However, the Cine filed seems to give a hint that at least Pongal 2004 wouldn't be the same. The reason being not with the great actors alone, but great directors also. Kamal's Sandiyar, Mani Ratnam's Aayudha Ezhuthu with many well known actors & actresses, Gilli, with Vijay, directed by Dharani, Kovil with Silambarasan, directed by Hari, S J Surya making his debut in New with Simran, Selvaraghavan's 7G Rainbow Colony featuring debut artists and Pudukkottaiyilirundu Saravanan starring Dhanush, recently titled 'the Indian Bruce Lee', who has indeed given scenes of that kind (!) are all rushing for Pongal 2004.

Well this time Pongal seems to be too sweet rather!

Director Mani Ratnam receives the Swarna Kamal Award for his Tamil film Kannathil Muthamittal, starring Madhavan and Simran, from President APJ Abdul Kalam at the awards ceremony. Ratnam earlier helmed Nayagan, Anjali, Dalapathi, Roja, Bombay and Alai Payuthey.

The filmmaker is now busy with his bilingual, Yuva (Hindi) featuring Ajay Devgan, Abhishiekh Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol. The Tamil version is Aayitha Ezhuthu.

Photo: Sondeep Shankar/Saab Press. These honest smiles say a million stories about achievement and hardwork. Don't they?

President Kalam strikes a pose with Best Child Artists Sweta Prasad (right) and P S Keerthana (centre). The award for Best Child Artist of 2002 was jointly received by Prasad for her bubbly and convincing portrayal of twin sisters in Vishal Bharadwaj's Makdee and P S Keerthana for her poignant acting in Mani Ratnam's Kannathil Muthamittal.

Photo: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images

Mani Ratnam�s classic Kannathil Muthamittal has bagged 6 National Awards- including the Best Tamil Film. The other awards are:

Everybody from Keerthana to A R Rahman are showering praises on Mani Ratnam the director of the film. Said Keerthana immediately after winning the award: �It is only because of Mani uncle that I performed so well in the film�.

A R Rahman�s reaction after hearing the news was: �It is a combination that has always clicked. I won my first National Award for Roja and we are all praying for Mani�s health so that we can work together again and create more movie magic�.

Undoubtedly Mani Ratnam is a team leader and a technician par excellence. No Tamil film in the past has won so many awards as much as Kannathil Muthamittal in the recent past. According to sources, Simran was a strong contender for the Best Actress till the last round.

Chennai, May 17, 2003: Popular Tamil film actor, Ajith has bagged the Filmfare award for best actor for his role in Villain while Simran has bagged the best actress award for her role in Kannathil Muthamittal. In Malayalam, Dileep has bagged the best actor award for his role in Meesa Madhavan, while Navya Nair has got the best actress award for Nandanam. Chiranjeevi was declared best actor in Telugu and Sada, best actress, while Sundeep gets the best actor and Soundarya, the best actress awards in Kannada. The best film awards went to Azhagi (Tamil), Santosham (Telugu), Nandanam (Malayalam) and Dweepa (Kannada), a Filmfare press release said. 

Following are the best directors: Lal Jose (Malayalam), Mani Ratnam (Tamil), Krishna Vamsi (Telugu) and Girish Kasaravalli (Kannada). The awards will be presented to the winners later this month at Hyderabad.

• His Alai Payuthey, may be the stuff of Saturday serials, but his filmmaking is cutting edge.

• He delivers what films always should: unkept promises.

• No one handles the bachalog better than him. Watch Anjali, Bombay and Kannathil Muthamittal.

• He's an original. Despite critics carping that his edits are too quick, or that sometimes he's more in love with the camera than the story.

• Anjali, played at festivals abroad before the most sophisticated filmgoers in the world, and the world, and reduced them to tears and cheers.

• He rediscovered A R R Rahman, Manisha  Koirala, R Madhavan, Simran, Rajiv Menon, Ravi K Chandran.

• Without exception, all our current brat packer directors are influenced by his song picturisation and shot-takings.

• Despite being a dictator on the sets and steamrolling his technicians, he's a marshmallow softie in  real life.

• Of his uncanny ability to mine any simple story into a unique celebration of love, joy and hope.

Finally, Mani Ratnam has made it big in Bollywood. His successful Tamil films were dubbed in Hindi. That was his claim to fame all these years. He went on to make Dil Se.. in Hindi. In spite of having some very beautiful songs, the film crashed at the Box-Office. His dubious reputation has been turned around by the Hindi remake of Alai Payuthey, called Saathiya. There was always a notion that films made by South Indians were scorned at by Bollywood. Saathiya has destroyed that myth by winning the prestigious Filmfare Awards in four categories. Mani Ratnam won a straight award for the best screenplay. The film had also won awards for the best music composer, best lyricist and best song. Just when Mani Ratnam was hesitant about completely focusing on Bollywood, the steady performance of this film and the award for best screenplay has greatly boosted his confidence, say his friends.

"Saathiya is raking in more money than the original, Alai Payuthey did in Tamil", gushes Vivek Oberoi, the film's hero. Kareena Kapoor is ready to make any sacrifice to star in Mani Ratnam's next Hindi film. Saathiya's Box-Office performance and the Filmfare award that Mani Ratnam had won has greatly increased the respect that he commanded in Bollywood. Now, they are all eager to hear what his next move is. By the way, Ratnam's, Kannathil Muthamittal has been chosen for the Spain Film Fest along with, Ram Gopal Varma's Satya and other 12 Indian films.

On the Audio Release occasion of Mounam Paesiyathey, Kamal said, that he and Mani Ratnam would collaborate before long. Now, it is more than a year. What happened to their reunion? 

After Panchatandhiram there was an occasion for Kamal and Mani Ratnam to work mutually. After directing Kannathil Muthamittal and producing Five Star, Mani Ratnam started working out on the screenplay for his subsequent movie.

They made an endeavor to give another Nayagan like movie. However, a disagreement cropped up concerning the production. Mani Ratnam, who had been producing his movies for quite a long time, turned down the offer to direct the movie in Kamal�s production. And Kamal? He was willing to give any amount of pay for Mani Ratnam. However the problem was not solved, as both wanted to produce the movie.

Kamal moved on with his performance in Anbae Sivam and Sandiyar according to his preference, and Mani Ratnam with Aayudha Ezhuthu in Tamil and Yuva in Hindi, both having the same story. Now both Kamal and Mani Ratnam are on the threshold of completion of their movies.

However, there seems to be no opportunity for them to come together as anticipated. Kamal has proceeded to make movies with Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao and K S Ravikumar. Mani Ratnam is now planning to make a movie like Five Star, directed by someone else.

The much-hyped Kamal-Mani Ratnam starrer seems to be in doldrums. The estimated cost of production shooted upto 10 crores and the total estimate inclusive of Kamal's huge sum of 6 crores, sky rocketed to 20 crores. Except Roja Combines producer Khaja Mohideen, none were ready to pick it up. Also as said by Kamal in Vikatan's interview, the new story was much came out much to be a bigger aspiration than what it was thought to be. And so Mani Ratnam is writing something else which is a bigger leap than Nayagan but smaller than the first planned one.

Also Mani Ratnam is planning to direct a film for Mohideen and Kamal is planning to host three movies in his own Raj Kamal Banner. He would probably act in one of them, which is supposed to be directed by Mouli. He has called Nasser to direct the second film. The cast is undecided for this movie. The third one is undisclosed. Heard that his latest stuff Anbae Sivam is a no-nonsense film and the songs have a communist voice in them.

Its time for Mani Ratnam to reach the stars by a bigger movie than Kannathil Muthamittal. I don't want him to settle for anything smaller than that. It could probably be a story about a social cause. Some thing that we can fantasize with. Unlike Shankar, he has stuck to realistic movie making which has made him classier. But its time to revitalize Tamil cinema with one his all time biggest grosser. I dream of Mani Ratnam movie that's far better than and much deeper than Kannathil Muthamittal and also hits a silver Jubilee. Something like Rajini's Basha, which was liked by all section of the society. A movie that will be Mani Ratnam's pinnacle. Even after such films like Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.., my all-time Mani Ratnam favorite is Nayagan. If Mani needs to direct such a class movie he needs some one as versatile as Kamal Haasan. Because the unmatched dedication of Kamal and Mani's perfectionist attitude is what that can make such a movie magic again. 

I remember Mani Ratnam quoting in an interview "Movie is an art form of 20th century which can ensemble all the forms of art into one medium. It is the medium which can collate the best dance, drama and music". It is this definition of movie that stuck me harder and I fell in love with the whole idea of movie making. To his credit, he also broke the myth that commercial cinema has to be crude, loud, luridly colorful and brimming with big stars to be popular. In its place, he incorporates all the more appealing elements of popular cinema - romance, action, songs and dazzling locations, then wraps them up in a novel and visually exhilarating package that has now become his hallmark. To work with someone like Mani Ratnam, who is meticulous in his movie making method, is no child's play.

A Sliver of blood trickles down the helmet of a Sri Lankan soldier; A Man jumps out of a wheel chair and enfolds a passing ministers car in a suicide bombers deadly embrace; three children, their faces blackened for warfare, suddenly arise from dense foliage, their guns trained for assault. These are images of war, that the media-overloaded society ceased to squirm about. But when seen through the eyes of a 11 year old, they acquire a different perspective.

For Mani Ratnam-or Gopal Ratnam Subramaniam, to give his real name-perspective has always been a tricky issue. In Bombay, it landed him in trouble with the Shiv Sena; in Iruvar he enraged both the DMK and the AIADMK, and  in Dil Se.., the story confused him so much that he didn't give his suicide bomber geographical routes. But it has never deterred him from ploughing ahead with political cinema, the latest example of which is Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek), a strong plea for peace in Sri Lanka, during the making of which he suffered his second heart attack. Hospitalised for a month, he returned to shoot the climax scene, one of the finest sequences of urban warfare in Indian cinema, set to an elegiac, almost Celtic chant, composed by the redoubtable A R Rahman. And his perspective this time is just right: that of an abandoned child of an LTTE militant played by Nandita Das.

For 20 years, ever since he made Pallavi Anu Pallavi Ratnam has gone where angels fear to shoot. Though an MBA From Jamnalal Bajaj Institute Of Management Studies, Mumbai, from where his friend Sundeep Singh Bedi who became Bobby Bedi Of Bandit Queen fame, Ratnam was clearly intended for cinema-his father Venus Ratnam was a well known producer. For Ratnam, the two decades have seen remarkable changes, especially technical. "When I made my first film" he says, fiddling with his wireless communicator, " the sound was straight mixed onto film. An old man at the mixing table would say 'It's okay, It's okay' whenever you asked. No body ever wanted to flip the film". Which is why you can understand that he would love to shoot the film in sync-sound: "Dubbing is killing. It is doing a film three times: First you write it, then you shoot it, then you dub it". But then of course Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai won't get to work with him.

Master of the monosyllabic reply, a typical conversation with the 47-year old can go like this:

INTERVEW:

Q. Do you see Kannathil Muthamittal as a part of your work on Roja and Dil Se.. ?
A. No.

Q. Can you ever make a film you and Farrukh Dhondy have co-written on Indhira Gandhi's assassination?
A. Well...

Q. You won't say what you're doing next. Is it really a thriller?
A. No and Yes, Or is it Yes and No?

He isn't like that on the sets. Kannathil Muthamittal cinematographer Ravi K Chandran says that he talks a lot-Das will attest to the fact that he often uses swear words-and encourages everyone to experiment, "He's like a tiger, he pushes everybody to excel," says Chandran. The result: a four-minute  interior scene establishing the young family of Kannathil.. was shot in a single take. It can be the other way too: Khan recalls shooting the Chaiyya Chaiyya song for Dil Se.. over four days, with the end result having as many as 90 cuts. Das, who doesn't seem to mind that a lot of her scenes ended up on the cutting floor, says he gives actors a lot of room. "A director has to be very secure to allow actors to try different things," she says.

Shaad Ali, his assistant director on Dil Se.., calls him the king of organised chaos. Mention this to Ratnam, and he smiles. "It's important to have a scene written but you can't pre-plan everything unless it is a war scene," he says. "I don't do a thing. There are actors, cameramen, technicians". Indeed. All he has done is pioneered the music video-in-song format (in Agni Nakshatiram), given the anatomy of secessionism mainstream acceptability (in Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.. and captured the angst of the Dravidian politician in the under-acclaimed Iruvar.

More than that, he has always done the unexpected. After the lyrical love story of Alai Payuthey, he could have done more of the same but he decided to go back-metaphorically-to the war zone, this time in Sri Lanka. He clearly did a lot of work on it: "So much has been written on Sri Lanka in the past 20 years-reportage, fiction, poetry and propaganda. Some of it makes a Greek tragedy look mild". His script, he says, tried to capture just a "small portion of it", with all the incidents that take place in the film being taken from real life or literature.

So why, despite Dil Se.. being the first Indian film to break into the Top 10 in the UK and Kannathil Muthamittal, being highly appreciated at international film festivals, has Ratnam not made India's first crossover film? Is it, as Bedi likes to say, that Ratnam is far too successful at home? "Bobby has a theory for everything", smiles Ratnam, "I just want to make a film".

When it turns out to be a movie like Kannathil Muthamittal, it's worth it. Released to tepid commercial response in the south last year, it is expected to do much better in the north where it has been released with some excellent subtitling by the National Film Development Corporation. Beginning in the lush, green forests of Allepey in Kerala, which stand in for Jaffna, and ending in a park recreated in Chennai, which also stands in for Jaffna, the cinematic language of the film changes: from the National Geographic look, Chandran's camera becomes kinetic as it follows the remarkable child actor P S Keerthana, then become desaturated, almost colourless, when the child begins to search for her mother, till the climax where the hand-held camera jerks, shivers and shakes, as if caught in the crossfire itself.

Ratnam's already got an informal school of filmmakers going: he wrote the story and screenplay for Dumm Dumm Dumm and produced for Azhagam Perumal, his one-time assistant, and produced a Tamil film, Five Star, for another assistant, Susi Ganesan. He also supervised the script for Saathiya, Ali's remake of Alai Payuthey. Despite a wildly successful career, he's at heart a middle-class man, living simply in Chennai with actress-director wife Suhasini and his 10-year old son, Nandan. So what's next for the instinctive filmmaker? Expect the unexpected.

Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.misc
Subject: Mani Ratnam - A Shooting Success
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
From: [email protected] (Renu Thamma)
Date: 21 Mar 94 18:26:28 CST
Organization: University of Missouri - Kansas City
NNTP-Posting-Host: vax1.umkc.edu
Lines: 152

Hi Netters!

This article appeared in India Today, February 15, 1994. Special thanks to a fellow netter who chooses to remain anonymous, for bringing this article to my notice. :) Any spelling mistakes are mine. Renu.

MANI Ratnam - A SHOOTING SUCCESS by Kavitha Shetty

Mani Ratnam would never get a role in the movies he makes. Bespectacled, comfortably burly and disarmingly modest, he might have stepped out of an R K Lakshman cartoon. But large as life, he's seated behind a table in a 
sparsely furnished room, in his Alwarpet office in Chennai. "Mani is a very simple guy. He's the same person he was 10 years ago", says P C Sreeram, a childhood friend and the cameraman of six Mani Ratnam films. But this regular guy is the director of the moment. One reason for that is Roja, Mani's film about a simple village girl who fights to free her husband from the clutches of Kashmiri militants who have taken him hostage. The film's success has given new life to the exhausted clich้, "from Kashmir to Kanyakumari" by actually bridging that mythic stretch. As people flock to see the film, even in the troubled Valley, it has become one of the few things Indians are unanimous about. The national scale of this triumph took many people, including Mani himself, by surprise. But in the south, he's long been a well-established household name. "India's Spielberg", as he's known here, spices his movies with a sophistication that sets them apart from the usual melodramas. In the process he has even won over MTV and Hollywood-struck youngsters who thought that Tamil cinema was infra dig. And with 11 films behind him in as many years, Mani has acquired a certain mystique. A popular legend about the director even hints at a divine hand in his origin: In Madurai in 1955, so the story goes, the wife of a struggling film distributor, pregnant with her second child, circled the famous Meenakshi temple four times a day, fervently praying that the infant would not materialise. The family could not afford another baby. But the goddess would have none of it. At any rate Mani Ratnam was born in June that year. The tale may be apocryphal, but it is firmly entrenched in Tamil film lore today. Even as Mani is being mythologised, he is, to his credit, shattering another myth : that commercial cinema has to be crude, loud, luridly colourful and brimming with big stars to be popular. In its place, he incorporates all the more appealing elements of popular cinema - romance, action, songs and dazzling locations, then wraps them up in a novel and visually exhilarating package that has now become his hallmark.

"The wrappings", as Mani himself terms them, are spectacular cinematography, dramatic choreography, sharp dialogue and crisp editing. But while these elements may be the essence of film craft for Mani and his enthusiasts, his detractors, and he has a few, dismiss it as mere gloss. "Other films launch stars, Mani's films launch technicians", says one critic, referring to Mani's reliance on art and music directors. Mani himself could be chortling all the way to the Box-Office, but he is clearly irked by insinuations that he is all technique and no substance. "It doesn't affect me, but it bothers me. People put you in a pigeon-hole and want to keep you there". Perhaps for the same reason, he is reluctant to speak of his own cinematic canon or any major influences. When pressed, he concedes a high regard for Kurosawa and Guru Dutt. The admiration for Dutt is telling. "He was a master of all aspects of film making", says Mani, who considers himself only "fairly competent".

Some fellow film makers are more generous. "He is a true devotee of the craft. You can see it in every frame", says Bharadiraja, a path-breaker in Tamil cinema himself. But Mani can be a ruthless taskmaster too, as his cast and crew would attest. His cameraman describes him as a Jekyll and Hyde character: mild and affable off the sets but a raging bull once shooting starts. On the sets of Roja, the cast began to faint from the cold but Mani did not flag. And on location near Pollachi for his latest Thiruda Thiruda (Thief Thief) the entire unit was feasted on by leeches but, encouraged by Mani, they just plucked them off and soldiered on. "I try to get the best I can from myself and those working with me", says the unrepentant director. Mani's cinematic drive clearly runs deep, but his path to film making was not straightforward. Despite a background in the industry, the young Mani did not set out to work in films. "As a youngster, films seemed like a waste of time", he says. Instead he did an MBA at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management in Mumbai and returned to Chennai, to work as a management consultant. But, he was soon disillusioned with the work. Meanwhile the cinematic urge was at work. "I didn't want to get to 40 and feel I hadn't made the jump (into films) when I should have", he says. So he wrote a script and chased people around trying to peddle it, with no success. His luck turned when his uncle, Venus Krishnamurthy, a film producer, gave him some script editing work for which he was widely praised. But his trials were not over. When he completed his first film Pallavi Anu Pallavi in 1983, his father Gopal Ratnam dismissed it with a backhanded compliment: "It's got class, it won't run". The elder Ratnam was right and the film won critical acclaim but flopped at the Box-Office. Mani's next films, Unaru and Pagal Nilavu suffered the same fate, and it wasn't until he made Mouna Ragam (Tune of Silence) in 1986 that he got it right. That film found the perfect formula of a strong storyline and great music, presented in a fresh visual style that caught the audience by surprise. Mani hasn't looked back since. But, success has hardly blunted his hunger for commercial and popular success. Nayagan may have won him critical praise and an entree to the Oscars, but Mani remains emphatic that does not want to be an art film maker. "If the theatres are not full, it hurts me. A film should be commercially viable. People who put money into my films should get it back", says the conscientious MBA. His real obsession, however, is to communicate with his audience. Mani is still rankled by an incident in 1986 when he went to a theatre 50 km from Chennai to observe the reaction to Mouna Ragam, a sensitive film about a girl who is married off after a tragic romance and refuses to go to bed with her husband. As the film ended, Mani heard a man say: "Why the hell couldn't the guy have got himself another woman if this one was being so difficult?" He recalls his dismay: "If I couldn't relate to a guy 50 KM from here, how was I going to get across to a wider audience? I can't forget that guy".

His disappointment pushed him to obsessive labours. He complains about his slow progress with scripts and screenplays, confessing he is not a natural writer. He takes four months to complete this work and goes about his research with all the zeal of a documentary film maker, reading and travelling to meet and talk to people. Meticulous in his method, he has to have the complete screenplay ready before he begins shooting. And even before he begins a script, he must have his team - cinematographer, Art director and music director -
ready.

The success of Roja may have answered some if his apprehensions about getting across to a wider audience but Mani has no illusions about his mission. "Let's be honest. In this format, you have to dilute what you want to say to get it across". His objective remains "to dilute less and less, until I come to a point where I don't have to dilute at all, and it still remains a commercial film".

Nursing his private obsessions in this public art, Mani is publicity-shy to the point of being a recluse. He guards his privacy jealously: "I don't want to be a star. I want my freedom to go and sit in a theatre, to ride a bike". And he has dodged the spotlight so nimbly that even today, not many people recognise him on the streets of Chennai. "Unless I am with Haasini!" he quips. Haasini is Suhasini, the noted Tamil actress whom Mani married in the conventional arranged fashion. Mani still remembers that when he was struggling to make his first film, Suhasini refused to accept a role in it. The couple have a two-year-old son, Nandan who sometimes calls his father "Gundu Mani" (fat Mani).

Modest about the success he has found, Mani brushes it off. "I wouldn't say I've been successful, and I hope I never get there", he says. The height of his ambition remains to have a new film to work on at the end of each project. But others certainly expect greater things. Mani's brother, G Venkateshwaran, believes he is destined for international fame: "He will go to Hollywood". As for Mani himself: "That man in the theatre 50 km from here is still bothering me".

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/message/32516

Thanks for that collection of reviews. Mani has always been a favourite at the Toronto Film Festival. Nevertheless, it was heartening to read those reviews. Kannathil Muthamittal is definitely eons ahead of Devdas. Pity, our selection procedure is mired down in such politics.

"jelly_nest <[email protected]>" <[email protected]> wrote:

I don't know about you guys but NOW I am awfully extremely profoundly depressed at KM not making it to Indian Oscar Entry. I have consolidated a bunch of reviews from International watchers of Mani's Gem Kannathil Muthamittal. What a shame this film was not nominated for Oscars. Shame on India!! I feel so ashamed to be part of this country which hates real talent. Jealousy everywhere!! Kannathil Muthamittal got a re-run request. Only very few movies get re-run request in Toronto film festival.

I feel like murdering the B&%*%@# who sent a shitty crap like Devdas to Oscars.... painfully depressing!! Oh god save India from this Bias shit!! when will we change????? Anywhere read these reviews and enjoy... if you get depressed in the middle forget it.
Dave D-2
Toronto, Canada

Date: 14 September 2002
Summary: I defy you to view this film and not be moved emotionally!

Recently had the pleasure of seeing this emotionally charged film by Director Mani Ratnam at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. I have bestowed my highest honour of the Film Festival on this feature. Make sure that you do not let an opportunity to experience this cinematic gem pass you by ... but be forwarded: this film will make you shed a tear if you belong to the species known as homo sapian! A 10 !!

Learnnew
Florida

Date: 12 September 2002
Summary: Sensitive, top-notch film from a great director ...

The film has Mani Ratnam written all over it. It is subtle in its content, yet manages to be in-your-face with some trademark - Mani Ratnam blunt dialogues and blunt visuals too. I've only seen Spielberg and Benigni who have managed to balance subtlety and directness wonderfully. Mani Ratnam is not their class but very close on their heels. At times he is better than them! The performances are superb, the production values are excellent, particularly the camera and art direction. Yet I have to mention two let downs in the movie. One is sort of major - Rahman's background score. It had a widely fluctuating quality - at times (in the final scenes and in the scenes following Amudha's birthday) bordering on superb and at times (in most of the war scenes, in the scene when Amudha sees the young LTTE girls) downright intrusive. The second one is a minor let down - editing. The movie could have used a good 10 minute trimming in the middle stages. The first half hour is a series of disjointed events thrown at you at a rapid-fire pace, which may not be easy for even Tamilians to follow, not to say how difficult it is for the Western audience. Yet, being a Tamilian, while I relished the first half hour of the movie so much, I can't help but wonder how much of that brilliance remained after translating the dialogues. Personally I had a very hard time translating all the comedy in the movie when I attempted it for North Indians and Americans! That said, I have watched the movie 5 times already. I don't think I'll stop watching it anytime soon. One of the best to come out of India, heck, one of the finest movies ever made. Kudos to Mani Ratnam and the entire team!

A hearty 8.5 out of 10.0!

Mitch Gurowitz
Piscataway, NJ USA

Date: 10 September 2002
Summary: If not perfect, what is?

The Director of Kannathil Muthamittal directed the first Indian film I had seen Dil Se.. which led me down the path of buying well over 122 Hindi DVDs in the course of four months. I can say I understood the total attraction, I was somehow confused as to why the film would stop for "music videos". It was an excellent movie, I didn't know what to make of the dancing and the female vocals were a bit shrill for my western ears, but somehow I found A R Rahman's score hypnotic. I bought the soundtrack the following day and then Lagaan, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and K3G the following week and with the exception of "Ichi the killer" a few other Korean films , I can't be bothered to watch much else. Kind of strange for someone who has only watched a strict diet of Hong Kong, Horror and Action/Science fiction films for the past 30 years. But I should get back to Kannathil Muthamittal, It is one of the Mani Ratnam's latest efforts and I laughed, Cried, Got totally mad, terrified and most of all I didn't feel manipulated. The acting was superb, the photography was beautiful, I think you could stop the movie at any given time and would notice that any give frame would be worthy of painting. The music fit the movie perfectly and after the credits rolled, I wanted to watch again... so I did. It would be foolish to discuss the plot for fear that you may miss the pleasure of watching the events unfold and the characters develop. This is what great film is all about! I stood and applauded in my home theater when it was over! My wife is watching now, and I can't wait for her reaction, I can't expect it will be anything less than mine.

James McNally
Toronto, Canada

Date: 11 September 2002
Summary: Deeply touching...

I saw this film at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. This is the first Indian film I've seen in the Tamil language, and while it does share some similarities with other Indian films (wonderful music and choreography, sweeping storyline), the director attempts more than just to entertain. The film tells the story of Amudha, a precocious nine-year old whose parents reveal to her that she was adopted, thus beginning an odyssey that takes them all from India to war-torn Sri Lanka. Gorgeous visuals mix with horrifying scenes of violence expressly to make a point, though it is a simplistic one. Amudha is played by P.S. Keerthana, and she is one of the few child actors I've seen who can be precocious and yet not annoying. Her charm and beauty held the film together.

John Henderson
Melbourne, Australia

Date: 7 April 2002
Summary: WOW!!!

To tell you the truth, I do not speak Tamil, and I did not understand the film. My good Tamil friend, Kaneswaran 
Kumarswamypillai (wow, what a long name), explained every thing to me. What a great movie!!! After watching this movie, I felt I should have watched many more movies from Tollywood (Tamil Film Industry). The war scenes were amazing, camera work excellent, and plot beautiful. The actress "Simran", what a beauty. Give her an award for best looking someone. Ding, Ding, Ding, come on I smell a OSCAR winner. I didn't understand the songs, but they were excellent. Mani Ratnam is a great director, and I hope his next film was a success.

These reviews were obtained from www.imdb.com

Critics Award for Best Actress: Rani Mukherjee for Saathiya (shared by Manisha Koirala for Company).
Best Music Director: A R Rahman for Saathiya.
Best Lyricist: Gulzar for Saathiya.
Best Dialogue writer: Gulzar for Saathiya (shared by Jaideep Sahni for Company).
Best Male Playback singer: Sonu Nigam for Saathiya.
Best Screenplay: Mani Ratnam for Saathiya.

Read: Rani Mukherjee is happy with Saathiya.

Shobha Warrier in Chennai

Ad filmmaker P Jayendra's office Real Image buzzes with activity. On the walls are huge posters of A R Rahman's Unity of Light concert slated for February 21 in Chennai. You get the impression everyone at Real Image is working with one aim: to make the Rahman show a huge success. More than the concert it is the cause behind it has them charged. All proceeds from the concert will go to the Mahesh Memorial Trust created by some of Mahesh's close friends, which include Jayendra, filmmaker Mani Ratnam, actor Kamal Haasan and cricketer K Srikanth. Mani Ratnam knew Mahesh from college; Jayendra from school; Kamal Haasan after Mahesh composed music for Nammavar. Mani Ratnam simply fulfilled a close friend's wishes when he requested Rahman to perform in Chennai. Mahesh died of cancer a few months ago at 47. Jayendra remembers Mahesh was depressed when he was first diagnosed with cancer in 1989. To help him get over it, Jayendra asked him to pursue whatever he loved most: music. Mahesh chucked his management job, joined Real Image and started composing jingles. In his short career as composer, he composed over 400 jingles; one film Nammavar, which fetched him a National Award; the background score for P C Sreeram's Kuruthippunal and Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan, before he died. Jayendra, the driving force behind the trust, says Mahesh's positive approach brought all of them together to form the trust. When he died, Mahesh wrote in his will that he would like his friends to do something for cancer, especially for poor, cancer-afflicted children. "At the memorial service for Mahesh, everyone was visibly moved and upset thinking of Mahesh as a person. All of us thought that that feeling should be channeled into something positive. That is how the trust came into being. But we had no idea where we would raise the money from. Suddenly, we thought of Rahman's concert, and Mani Ratnam said he would convince Rahman", Jayendra remembers. Rahman didn't need convincing. He had lost his father to cancer. At a recent press conference, Rahman said he was doing it for his father and Mahesh. He had no plans to perform in Chennai at the time Unity of Light was conceived. In addition to performances in Kolkatta and Hyderabad, he was to tour Los Angeles, Toronto, London, New York and Dubai. After Mani Ratnam spoke to him, Rahman changed his plans and accommodated Chennai in his calendar.

Chitra, Mahesh's wife and one of the trustees, remembers that a couple of days before Mahesh died, he called Srikanth to the hospital to discuss ways to raise funds for the Cancer Institute. "He was discussing all this while blood transfusion was going on. Unfortunately, he died after two days", she says.

The trust wants to create awareness among people through screening camps that some types of cancer, if detected early, are curable. The most important thing the trust wants to do is help cancer-afflicted children who come to the Cancer Institute in Chennai. 

"Mahesh was so positive in spite of cancer", Jayendra says. "That is what saw him through. We want to pass the positive feeling to other people in addition to raising the level of awareness and helping the poor".

"They [Ratnam, Jayendra and Rahman] are all very busy people but they have kept everything aside to give priority to this show", Chitra says emotionally. "They don't have to do it, but they are doing it for Mahesh. If Mahesh is seeing this from somewhere, he will be touched!"

By Shradha Sukumaran

Mumbai, Jan 16 2003: The Southern Remake - it's a tag that the film Saathiya has lived with from its very first take, Yet, the film arrived like a whiff of fresh air at the end of the bad year for the Hindi film industry. It has also secured 12 nominations at the Asian Paints 9th annual Star Screen Awards, including the Best Actor and Actress, Best story, Best Dialogue and Best Screenplay.
But Saathiya has also made news for different reasons. It's one of the few films that have gone against the grain and proved that a South Indian remake can work. Virasaat, Satya, Raja Babu, Anari, Shiva, Chachi 420, Eashwar, Hera Pheri, even Ek duje ke Liye, were successes, but only too often a South Indian plot has failed to spark before audience.
First-time director Shaad Ali realised the risk, but says that he had no fears while embarking on the project. "I think it works 50/50 with any film. Also this story had worked in the South and I had lived with the script for five years, so I really didn't think that it wouldn't work", he says. Ali actually goes as far as to point out that all the big films of 2003, Devdas, Kaante, Humraaz and Raaz have been remakes. "The reason that South Indian remakes seldom work is because they aren't adapted properly. Often, they are projects only in proposal and the script is not transported properly", Ali adds.
In Saathiya's case, at least, there were no such fears. The film was based on Tamil director Mani Ratnam's, Alai Payuthey, (starring R Madhavan and Shalini) and he was an active part of the Saathiya shoot. It was also made under the Yash Raj Films banner and was largely formatted on the original. "But when there is a new set of actors and technicians, it is still an effort of direct the film. The story still has to be told", Ali points out.
And Saathiya's story did work, despite its protagonists, Aditya and Suhani (played convincingly by Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee) finishing of with their tender courting before the interval and ending up a volatile married couple soon after. Oberoi, in fact, admitted that the role of Aditya was tougher than the Chandu he played in Company.
The team also counted - most on Saathiya's other nominations have been for its music and for technical awards, proving that the entire package has gone down well. But far from breathing easy, Ali feels the responsibility of the next film weighing in.

Courtesy: [Cine South.com]

Mani Ratnam's household is the scene of plenty of action these days. Everywhere you go, you are bound to run into cops. His friends are very upset . 

The reason for all these activities is- Lashkar-ae-Thoiba (a terrorist organization) had mentioned six prominent personalities in its hit list. Director Mani Ratnam's name features on the list, according to CBI. 

Mani Ratnam's films like 'Roja' and 'Bombay' aptly portray the hardships faced by common people in the clutches of terrorism. The film has detailed description of the Mumbai blast and the culprits behind it. 

Nobody could have forgotten the crude bombs that were thrown at Mani's house soon after the release of 'Bombay'. Security was provided in the aftermath of the attacks. 

After the announcements from CBI, security has further been improved for the director. His residence at Venus Colony is under special protection these days. Police officers during their night patrols are running checks around his residence now.

Courtesy: [The New Indian Express Jan 17 2003]

Mumbai, Jan 16 2003: Police on Thursday said at least six producers and top television anchors are on the hit list of terrorists for making films and programmes on cross-border terrorism.
They include noted director-producer Mani Ratnam, popular television anchor Shekhar Suman and producer Ujjwal Upadhyaya, who has made An Escape from Taliban.
Terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba was after Ratnam who made films like; Roja and Bombay. Security has been provided to these film personalities after it was learnt that the mission against Bollywood was being undertaken by the dreaded Riyadh-based terrorist Abu Hamza.

Courtesy: [Rediff Movies Jan 16 2003]

Terrorists gun for Bollywood folk - The Mumbai police said at least six producers and television anchors are on the terrorists' hit list for making films and programmes on terrorism.

Joint Commissioner of Police Sridhar Vagal confirmed intelligence reports, which includes personalities like director Mani Ratnam, television anchor Shekhar Suman and producer Ujjal Chattopadhyay (director of Escape From Taliban), as being under threat.

Terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba is believed to be gunning for Ratnam, whose film Roja portrayed terrorist groups misguiding innocent youth and leading them to their deaths.

The film folk were given security after it was learnt that a mission against Bollywood was being undertaken by Riyadh-based terrorist Abu Hamza, who is wanted by the Indian government in connection with several acts of terrorism.

Actress Manisha Koirala and Ratnam were given police protection after they received threats when Bombay, made on the 1992-93 communal riots, was released. PTI

By Indo-Asian News Service

Chennai, Dec 22 (IANS) Director Mani Ratnam's film Kannathil Muthamittal has bagged six awards at the 22nd Cinema Express ceremony, the biggest cinema honours event in southern India.

The awards are presented here annually and have grown into the biggest recognition for films in the four major southern Indian languages -- Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.

This year's eagerly awaited function took place Saturday night at the packed Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, beginning with a dance number by John Britto's troupe.

Some big industry names, except the Mani Ratnam family, were missing at this year's function organised by the New Indian Express group of publications.

Big stars like Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan were not present. Neither was actor Sharath Kumar and music directors Ilayaraja and A R Rahman.

Actress Simran was judged the best actress in Tamil films for her role in Kannathil Muthamittal, a story on Sri Lankan Tamils.

Child actress Keerthana got the best award for her role in the same film that brought the best director award to Mani Ratnam.

The film also bagged the best awards for choreography, which went to Brinda, for stunt direction, which went to Vikram Dharma, and it was judged the best Tamil film of the year.

Former actress Jayapradha, the chief guest, recalled her winning a Cinema Express award nearly 18 years ago: "This is one award every artist wants to win once in his or her life time".

Film Anandam was chosen as the best Telugu film. Hanuman Junction fetched director Raja and actress Sneha awards in the Telugu section. Jai Akash was declared best actor for his role in Anandam".

In the Malayalam section, director Rajiv Kumar and his film Sesham were honoured. Jayaram was declared the best actor for his role in the same film.

Suhasini Mani Ratnam bagged the best actress award in the Malayalam film category for her role in Theerthadanam.

Appu was adjudged the best film in the Kannada section with Puri Jaganath named the best director and Puneeth Rajkumar the best actor in the film. Gayathri Jayaram was chosen best actress for her role in Neela.

In the Tamil section, Anuradha Sreeram won the best female singer award for Gemini, and Srinivas got the best male singer award for Rojakottam.

Newcomer Gemini bagged an award for Gemini. Bharadwaj won the best music director award for the same film.

The best storywriter award went to Cheran for Pandavar Bhoomi and the best lyric writer was presented to Kavingar Thamaraj for the film Nanda.

The Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan award, the most prestigious of the honours given by Cinema Express, went to Tamil actor Chiranjeevi and was accepted by his son in his absence.

The award is named after noted Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan.

"I didn't think I would win", said child artiste Keerthana, echoing the feeling of others, for many of whom it was a second or third award.

Kaleidoscope Entertainment P. Ltd.'s SAATHIYA, directed by Shaad Ali, is a remake of Mani Ratnam's ALAI PAYUTHEY.

Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) meets Suhani (Rani Mukherjee), a medical student, at a wedding and falls head over heels for her. He follows her relentlessly in the local trains.

Suhani, who is a daughter of a simple railway employee (Sharath Saxena-Tanuja), initially brushes him off because she wants to become a successful doctor and make her parents happy. However, his persistence pays off and she agrees.

Only to be opposed by their parents. The couple decides to part ways as she is determined not to hurt her parents.

But they can't bear being separated, so they finally come together and get married in secret. Once they are married, their true story begins. Suddenly it is not at all a happy journey. There are misunderstandings and quarrels. So where do they go from here?

The biggest problem with SAATHIYA lies in its story itself. To state that it's as old as the hills would be apt, since this theme � lovers facing parental opposition � has been witnessed with unfailing regularity since time immemorial.

The film starts off on an ordinary note and one expects the story to gather momentum once the protagonists fall in love. But nothing happens.

The film does pick up at the interval point when the girl confesses to her parents that she is already married, but post-interval, the writer (Mani Ratnam) and director (Shaad Ali) seemed to have taken the easy way out by relying on the tried and tested stuff, instead of trying to come up with something novel.

In the second half, the tiffs between the couple are petty tiffs, not anything dramatic, which is why the impact is not strong. The narrative picks up again towards the pre-climax when Rani meets with a car accident (by Tabu). But the sequences thereafter move at such a lethargic pace that it tests the patience of the viewer.

Another weak aspect of the film is that it has no gloss absolutely. Set in a middle class household, the story moves on an ordinary track and those expecting bigness in terms of visuals or production values will be thoroughly disappointed.

Director Shaad Ali has tackled a few sequences with maturity, but he should've opted for a fresh story for his launch. Besides, the pace drops alarmingly in the latter part of the story, soon after the accident, which makes the climax a long drawn affair.

Also, the guest appearances give the impression that they have been added, perhaps, to enhance the star appeal of the film. However, the star presence does nothing to elevate the story or the prospects of the film.

Shah Rukh Khan's role is something that could've been portrayed by just about anyone. The superstar hardly has any lines to deliver and the length of his role is miniscule. It fails to register any impact whatsoever. Ditto for a talented name like Tabu, who has been wasted in an insignificant role.

Mani Ratnam's script is old fashioned, with nothing fresh to talk of. In today's times, when Hindi cinema is going through a transition phase, plots like these instantly remind you of the social fares of 1970s and 1980s.

A R Rahman's music is melodious and easy on the ears. The title track is the pick of the lot, but the Shamita Shetty number can easily be deleted, for it serves as a speed breaker in the goings-on. Perhaps, even this song was added to add spice to an otherwise drab story.

Cinematography [Anil Mehta] is wonderful. Dialogues are well worded and some of them do register an impact.

SAATHIYA clearly belongs to Vivek Oberoi, who enacts his part with ้lan. Enacting a role that is in sharp contrast to his first two films, the youngster comes up with a sparkling performance, which is sure to multiply his fan following.

Rani Mukherjee is efficient. She looks pretty and does her part with conviction. Amongst character artists, Sandhya Mridul, as Rani's elder sister, is first-rate. Tanuja is just about okay. The remaining names are mere gap fillers.

On the whole, SAATHIYA is too old fashioned a fare, which will appeal to a select few at metros mainly. In the face of a strong opposition (KAANTE), the prospects of SAATHIYA appear bleak.

Rating:- * ฝ.

MUMBAI: After Dayaavan, a disastrous remake of Mani Ratnam's gangster epic Nayagan, was released more than a decade ago, the ace Tamil filmmaker was asked what he thought of the Hindi version.
"They didn't get the point", the taciturn creator of celluloid magic said tersely. As far as Hindi remakes of his films go, Mani Ratnam has plenty of reason to complain. Although they have been trying for several years, Bollywood filmmakers still haven't got the point. As Saathiya, a Hindi remake of Ratnam's Alai Payuthey, prepares to hit theatres across the country, many in Indian cinema are wondering whether it would break that jinx. After all, there have been a string of failed remakes in the past.

In 1992, stunt coordinator Pappu Varma bought the rights of Ratnam's 1988 Tamil classic Agni Nakshatiram, the bigamous melodrama about a man (Vijay Kumar) trying to hold together two wives and two warring stepsons.
Varma's remake Vansh featured Anupam Kher as the father and Sudesh Berry and Sushant Ray as the sons. A large chunk of composer Ilayaraja's songs from the original was also appropriated and credited to Mumbai's Anand-Milind. The film was a colossal failure. Mani Ratnam's first Telugu film Geetajali in 1989 about a romantic liaison between a terminally ill street hoodlum (Nagarjuna) and a heart patient (Girija) was transposed to Hindi by director Deepak Anand as Yaad Rakhegi Duniya in 1992 with Aditya Pancholi and Rukhsar playing the two roles. That too failed miserably.

In 1988, ambitious actor-filmmaker Feroz Khan acquired the remake rights of Ratnam's most well known work Nayagan. In the Hindi remake Dayaavan, Khan cast Vinod Khanna in the role immortalised by Kamal Haasan in the original. The film was such an inept recreation that Mani Ratnam decided then to try his best to prevent his films from being vandalised by Mumbai's directors. Two of his successful Tamil films from the 1990s, Anjali and Dalapathi, were dubbed in Hindi and received rather well in Mumbai.

In 1992, Ratnam took the bold step of personally dubbing his Tamil patriotic love story Roja into Hindi. The film's astounding critical and commercial success prompted Ratnam to again dub in Hindi his film Bombay, a controversial Tamil Hindu-Muslim love story set against the backdrop of Mumbai's 1993 communal riots.

Bombay was a roaring success and encouraged the shy Ratnam to make his first full-fledged Hindi film Dil Se.. . But its failure put Ratnam off Hindi cinema.

In Alai Payuthey and more recently Kannathil Muthamittal (the latter released in Mumbai with English subtitles), Ratnam explored a predominantly Tamilian hinterland.

To everyone's surprise, the fastidious director agreed to let his assistant Shaad Ali remake Alai Payuthey in Hindi. Perhaps young Ali's confidence and his impeccable credentials did the trick. But would this Ratnam remake work where others failed?

"Why not?" asked Ali on the eve of the release of Saathiya.

Hindi remakes of south Indian films aren't alien to our cinema. The phenomenon goes back a long way. Mehmood's Bombay To Goa and Padosan were remakes of south Indian films and very successful in Hindi.

"To date, we've had highly successful Hindi remakes like Biwi No. 1. If some of them, including Mani Ratnam's films, have failed, it's because Hindi filmmakers haven't taken enough care to ensure that the original source material is transported fluently into a Hindi-speaking milieu", reasoned Ali.

L V Prasad did terrific transpositions of his own films like Sharda, Beti Bete, Choti Bahen and Ek Duuje Ke Liye. I think for a remake to work, the adaptor has to be closely associated with the adopted material.

"Since I was a part of Mani Ratnam's Alai Payuthey right from its scripting, I felt I was in a position to carry forward the material. I feel every remake has to take the original material forward".

"Adi Rakkamma, kaiya thattu", the foot-tapper rendered by S P Balasubramaniam and Swarnalatha, from Mani Ratnam's Tamil mega hit Dalapathi, starring Rajnikanth, leads BBC World Service's Top Ten list for the 70th anniversary celebrations. Ilayaraja scored the music for the film, a runaway hit in the Nineties. Also on the Top Ten list, based on entries from 112 countries, are two other Indian songs. One is Vande Matharam, composed and sung by A R Rahman, at the fifth slot. Another Rahman-scorer Chaiyya chaiyya is at the seventh place. The Indian three are from among the 1,000-odd songs in pop and rap, Western classical and African tribals listed in thousands of votes that have thus far been recorded. The final list will be run by BBC World Service December 21, according to a BBC release.

Tamil song tops BBC top ten poll

REUTERS [ FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2002 07:33:46 PM ]

LONDON: Step aside Beatles, Queen and Led Zeppelin a Tamil song from a 1991 Indian film has beaten them all in a worldwide poll to find the most popular song on the planet.
Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu topped a poll conducted by the BBC in which radio listeners, celebrities and politicians from 116 countries participated. Cliff Richard has come a close second in the poll with his 1979 hit We Don�t Talk Any More, while American singer Cher is holding the third spot with her dance number Believe. At number four is John Lennon�s Imagine an ode to peace that features regularly in lists of favourite songs and at five is another Indian song, Vande Matharam. 
The BBC World Service said it had received votes from 116 countries with the maximum number of votes coming from India. So far, more than 900 songs have been chosen and The Beatles have the highest number of nominated songs. Former first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos chose the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel�s Messiah as her favourite song. She told the BBC it always lifted her spirits when she needed spiritual healing. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a well known Elvis fan, chose Ennio Morricone�s score for the film Once Upon a Time in America as his top tune. The final results will be published on December 21. Our Comment: Rock Amma! Bibi see! From Sardar jokes to the Big B to Tamil pop, India�s tango with the Beeb continues. To cynics who say this is booth capturing, we say we are the best in the numbers game.

Shaad is determined to erase the stigma attached to Hindi remakes of Mani Ratnam's films. Shaad's father Muzaffar Ali is much more than the maker of the elegiac Gaman and majestic Umrao Jaan. Saathiya, slated for a December 20 release, is a story of love and marriage set against the bustling backdrop of Mumbai's local trains and the hurly burly of everyday living.
Shaad and his cast -- Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherjee with special appearances by Shah Rukh Khan and Tabu -- have a tough act to follow, as the film is a remake of Ratnam's Tamil hit Alai Payuthey.

Incidentally, every Hindi remake of Ratnam's originals -- Vansh (a remake of Tamil original Agni Nakshatiram), Yaad Rakhegi Duniya (of Telugu film Geetanjali) and Dayavan (gangster epic Nayagan) -- has been a disaster.

Will Shaad be able to break the jinx on Ratnam's Hindi remakes?

KOLKATA: Acclaimed film-maker Mani Ratnam feels it is easy to make a film without the usual Bollywood fare of song and dance, but he will rather stick to the mainstream cinema.
"Let me be very frank. I make films keeping within the mainstream and my cinema is popular cinema. I love it this way", the director of popular hits as Roja, Bombay and Dil Se.. told a press meet at the Kolkata International Film Festival here on Tuesday.

Ratnam, whose retrospective of 10 films at the festival is drawing huge crowds, said it was an easy task to tell a story in a straight narrative without any frills.

"But ask me if I am keen on exploring the middle ground of combining the mainstream with parallel cinema, I would say I will not be very comfortable. For me, the music and visual opulence are an integral part of the film. But believe me, I don't spend where it is not necessary", he said.

To a question whether censorship was coming in the way of free expression for film-makers in India, Ratnam said it was like expecting that a country should function without any laws.

"Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director", he said.

Brushing aside debates on poor performance of vernacular cinema in India, Ratnam said a story well told and a theme well presented always had takers. "Language, I think, has nothing to do with film-making. It is how you make your point and whether you exploit the visual medium maintaining a certain standard that does the trick", the film-maker, all of whose films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada have been big hits at the Box-Office, said.

Asked about his next venture, the quick-witted director said", I want to make another film".

"...I am working on a script. Each success gives me the adrenaline to move to another film".

The director, who is inspired by the works of legendary Japanese film maker Akira Kurosawa, said contrary to popular perception, his latest venture Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek) portraying the Sri Lanka civil war was shot entirely in India.

"I have tried to recreate the essence of a Sri Lankan village as closely as possible. The locations were largely chosen from south India".

Ratnam's retrospective at the festival includes award winning entries Mouna Ragam, Nayagan, Anjali, Roja, Thiruda Thiruda, Bombay, Alai Payuthey, Iruvar, Kannathil Muthamittal and Dil Se.. .

Courtesy: Lazy Geek.com, Nov 14, 2002]

Pair Up, Gear Up & Cheer Up!!

Mani Ratnam, undisputedly the best director in India and Kamal Hassan, undisputedly the best acting actor in India are gearing up to pair up in their next blockbuster after Nayagan. A wish of all good-cinema-lovers for long time becomes a reality.

This news has been in rumor for quite sometime when they both wished to break their silence in the cassette release function of Mounam Paesiyathey (Silence talks!!). Answering a question as to when Mani and Kamal would come together for a movie again, Mani said "Soon!" and Kamal Haasan took the mike from him and said "Very Soon!!".

Mani Ratnam is working on the script of an English movie called Dragon Fire. The novel written by Humphrey Hawksley, one of the BBC's most distinguished and experienced foreign correspondents. Kaleidoscope Entertainment and Mani Ratnam together formed a production company, Crossover Movies. This would get probably delayed because of his next venture with Kamal Haasan.

Both these news have come in the last 3 weeks and my guess is that Kamal and Ratnam would pair up for this Dragon Fire. This would probably elevate Kamal as an international actor and also take Ratnam to bigger heights. If this news is announced, it would be the biggest buzz of the year and all the eyes on would be both these gentlemen to make it to Oscars. Oscars has been Kamal's long term dream and this would probably be his best try. Much has been said about Mani Ratnam whose directorial talent is renown. I am too impressed with his story telling capabilities that I am even sure of an Oscar for him from this movie.

Courtesy: [Sify.Com, Nov 02 2002]

Will Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam come together once again? Nayagan was the last film they did together about 15 years back. The discussions are going on for the last six months and they are trying to work out a script. Recently at the audio launch of actor Surya�s Mounam Paesiyathey, both were on stage and told James Vasanth, the compere of the function, that they will be coming together �soon�.

But the trade is not very excited about it as they say that both are no longer hot. Kamal Hassan had a hat trick of flops, while Mani Ratnam has not only had disasters but he has slowly moved away from mainstream commercial cinema. And it is just a fact that today, if something has to work with the Tamil audience, it has to be a pucca commercial.

Still Mani and Kamal if they have to survive have to come together to create a hype which can sell their project. They should bury their ego and come out with something out of the world that will work at the Box-Office.

NEW DELHI: He has been called South Asia's greatest storyteller of human strife, but behind his solemn golden-rimmed spectacles, director Mani Ratnam prays for peace.

"I've tried my best to tell the human story behind the blazing fires, beyond the hatred. Yes, my films have been successful, yes they've brought me fame and fortune, but no more", the salt-and-pepper haired, smiling Tamil director said.

"Violence is not a prerequisite for my cinema, I just told stories about violence because it is happening. Anyway, my films always look at violence as the backdrop of love, and I would much rather talk only of love, without the backdrop.

"I pray that there is peace and I promise to make wonderful films about peace".

From a boy with a business management degree from the Jamnalal Bajaj institute in Mumbai to perhaps Indian cinema's most poetic director, Ratnam has come a long way.

At around 50, he is a brand name, and sometimes, a controversy.

Like in 1995, when bombs were hurled at his residence after the release of his film Bombay, which retold the gory tale of communal riots that had torn apart Mumbai a couple of years before.

His mildest critics then accused him of trying to promote a kitsch communal harmony (the lead characters were a Hindu boy and Muslim girl in love), and the most vitriolic threatened to kill him for showing Hindu hardliners inciting rioters.

But Ratnam steadfastly shrugs the 'controversial' tag.

"I do not make controversial films. Some people make them controversial for their own reasons. What I just do is try to look at the problems of our society from a new perspective", said Ratnam, the son of a film distributor.

Like in Roja, the film that brought him wide acclaim and a slew of awards.

From the backwaters of south India, Ratnam transported a shy, newly married bride to the insurgency-ridden hills of Kashmir where she reluctantly, then resurgently, fights for her husband's freedom after guerrillas abduct him.

"With Kashmir increasing in world focus, there has been great renewed interest in the film", said the filmmaker who now has plans to market a subtitled version of the film across the world.

"Roja (meaning rose) was about my kind of heroine who is demure but determined".

And Mani Ratnam's kind of people are always special � from the disabled child in Anjali to the Amudha in his latest venture Kannathil Muthamittal (A peck on the cheek), which deals with the Tamil insurgency in Sri Lanka.

"Sri Lanka has been happening in the backward of Tamil Nadu for decades. But I never thought of making a film on it until I found this story", said Ratnam of the film that depicts a young girl's search for her guerrilla mother fighting for a Tamil homeland in the island nation.

Poignant, witty and touching, Kannathil Muthamittal is a true Ratnam film with dollops of emotion and beautifully choreographed song and dance sequences.

"Some say you can't be serious film maker and still use songs and dance but they are our heritage as Indian film makers", said Ratnam.

"We can't be ashamed of it".

And it's not only with children that Ratnam succeeds.

Nayagan, which many consider his best ever, was about a gratuitous gangster in Mumbai, a story of crime and chivalry almost on the lines of The Godfather. Iruvar loosely dealt with two of south India's most prominent politicians.

His true forte, however, have been dealing with violence. His first Hindi film Dil Se.. showed the simmering secessionism in the northeast of the country, and though a flop at the Box-Office, it made headlines.

Yet Ratnam shrugs violence.

"I had to tell these stories, through them I've responded as a film maker and a human being, and the same human being is repulsed by the violence".

At a time when terrorism is a world-wide concern, Mani Ratnam's ten-year old blockbuster Roja, set mostly in Kashmir, is now being released for the international audience.

The film, focusing on the power of love against the futility of terrorism, is being remastered with digital sound effects and English subtitles besides being cut short by a few minutes to suit viewers outside India.

"Westerners are open to Indian films. What is happening to Indian literature may happen to Indian films and this may be the beginning", Mani Ratnam said at a press conference here on Monday announcing the marketing of the film internationally.

On why this was being done now ten years after the film's release, he said there was "concern for Kashmir and terrorism around the world and this is the time for Roja to go around the world".

Music Director A R Rahman, who made his debut with Roja and won the National Award for it, expressed the hope that the music will reach the international audience just as did those all over India.

Though the songs have been retained for the international release, one number and a few scenes have been cut short marginally, Mani Ratnam said adding that music was an integral part of story-telling traditionally.

K Bharathan, of Digital Studios which is marketing Roja internationally, said the decision was motivated by a sense of security the world over.

The original Tamil version of the film, which was dubbed into five Indian languages, is being subtitled in English for the international release.

Mani Ratnam said they decided against dubbing it into English as it would bring in artificiality into the film.

The story line of Roja begins from the simple life in a small town in South India and ends in the violence hit Jammu and Kashmir revolving around the battle waged by Roja, which means Rose, to get her husband released from the clutches of militants.

IF ANYONE cares to notice, Mani Ratnam's last two films have subtly changed the way we make movies. Or ought to. His innovations from Nayagan to Dil Se.. have been obvious enough in the way they have influenced Indian movies. But with Alai Payuthey and now Kannathil Muthamittal he is not looking so much at the big picture as much as the details. Scaling down the drama (from big themes to something more intimate and personal) in both movies has freed him to rework his style a bit. The result is a very stylish, beautifully crafted film with artful little details that you usually miss seeing in our movies. You hear people say Kannathil Muthamittal isn't a hit but it has just completed a 100-day run in Bangalore. (Perhaps what they actually mean is that it isn't as big a hit as Alai Payuthey). Kannathil Muthamittal isn't my favourite Mani Ratnam film either but stylistically it is his masterpiece. Its sheer craftsmanship had me in thrall, compelling me to see it several times. The overwrought, manipulative ending (not the very last scene - the freeze frame of Madhavan, Simran and Keerthana huddled under the umbrella is perfect) in an otherwise restrained film always puts me off a bit. But the rest of the film reaches a new high in Indian cinema: all through the film - scenes, song sequences, performances - there is such newness, control and inventiveness.

Ratnam sets new challenges for himself with each new film. Not in his stories, themes or dialogue (there is a pattern and predictability to them - the dialogue delivery invariably gets parodied) but in his characterisation (his characters feel so real that you think you know them), setting (the choice of Rameshwaram is sheer inspiration) and narrative style. For instance, by now, he can probably close his eyes and shoot the songs and it will still be the most rhapsodic song-sequences you can hope to see in an Indian film. But he's always pushing the envelope - never settling for what he did in the previous one, however well it worked. And he has never been more startling as he has been in Kannathil Muthamittal He reverses his own lush style for something that is austere and gentle. Very striking all right, but still austere. I'm thinking of the two versions of the Kannathil Muthamittal.. songs particularly the second version in Sri Lanka with Madhavan and Keerthana as a little Buddha before the giant sleeping Buddhas. Temples, monks, begging bowls and rivers. It achieves a kind of spiritual poetry. And the first version with Simran in blue against hot, bleached-out white sand is beautiful in a Zen-like fashion. Sundari.., the first song with the school kids, is dazzling for its energy, wit and style. A R Rahman seems to understand what Ratnam wants for each film. His background score, especially towards the end, feels intrusive but the songs lend themselves beautifully to the new style that Ratnam shoots them in. And Mani Ratnam gets fantastic ensemble performances from his actors. I mean we have all seen these actors before (with the exception of Keerthana of course) but when have they been this good? You cannot miss how good Keerthana is but why aren't more people talking about Simran? Her acting here is brilliant - perhaps the best female performance in a recent Indian movie.

Like Ray, Ratnam is gifted with directing actresses. By chance I happened to recently re-see bits of Kadhalukku Mariyadhai and noticed how mediocre Shalini is in the movie - I could scarcely believe this was the same gorgeously talented actress of Alai Payuthey. And that is when I realised how much of what she is in that film is because of Ratnam's characterisation and direction. And what about Madhavan? It is the best thing he has done - but few seem to have caught on to what he and his director have done with his character here - which was to adopt a minimalist acting style. It is Madhavan minus his cuteness and his upbeat, jolly-good, casualness. Here he is understated, quiet, coiled, unpredictable. And it's completely convincing. I believed his ironic, angry, idealistic writer character, found it endearing, and forgot it was Madhavan the actor. And he had what it took to pull it off. One of the things Ratnam has him do here is not react to people and situations or have him react minimally. Or wittily. Or even shockingly when he does not hesitate to slap his child, for instance. The result is startling: the character feels true, unusual, remarkable. (The idea for his character seems to have been Sujatha , the author and screen-writer) Adults, particularly parents, in Ratnam's movies have a real-life ambiguous quality to them - they aren't very nice people but neither are they not nice. Coming back to those artful little details, my favourite one is the child in the crib slowly morphing into a (typical) pencil sketch from Kumudham or Ananda Vikatan. It's a beauty. The story that Keerthana inspires Madhavan to write is narrated first on screen and then dissolves into Simran reading it in a magazine. From celluloid to paper, from movies to literature. It is the first time I have seen anything like this in our movies (Hollywood is full of such wonderful flourishes) and it gives the film a delightful, unexpected literary quality. Another charming literary detail is Keerthana reading from her diary and later writing in it. The film is full of such lovely narrative surprises. It is a small touch but it fills the eyes and the senses, making us grateful for a director like him.

May 2002:

Mani Ratnam's newest film Kannathil Muthamittal (loosely translated, a kiss on the cheek) is anything but. The noted filmmaker has taken up the subject of adoption only to orphan it at the altar of commercial concerns. Mainstream Indian cinema has been rightly accused of trivializing and/or avoiding real issues more often than not. The only rays of silver lining all that celluloid are to be found in the visions of the men and, rarely, women who occupy the director's chair. Some of them earn a certain reputation for being more true and appreciably sensitive. Mani Ratnam is one such star whose sparkle shines through all the tinsel. Or does it? When the director chooses to approach subjects which demand a greater courage, he seems to fall short. And how.

I once dragged my children halfway across the city for a beach side contemporary puppet show, organized under the aegis of a highly respected foundation promoting heritage. There are many words for the programme to which so many people came (ably aided by a willing media blitz) with such enthusiasm - it was awful, unimaginative and utterly boring. Ask any child and they would have agreed that this emperor was wearing no clothes. The following day's papers had a different story to tell - colourful pictures and copy that must have dearly tested the reporters' creative skills. Celebrity icons, NGOs, activists, beauty queens, artists, authors, cultural events, heritage movements and sundry other bleeding hearts and "isms", which include the predominant feminism and secularism, are all give a long rope by the media - not just the editors, we all need them to feel good about ourselves. Nevertheless, holy cows are sometimes just so much bull.

It was originally published at The Hoot.org

Madhavan: "When Mani Sir first described �Thiruchelvans� character, I was shocked. I couldn�t imagine Maddy playing a father of three, leave alone an intense writer, a mix of Sujatha and Vairamuthu, none the less. It�s easy to dance and sing duets, but how was I going to pull this off! My only role model was Mani Sir. I observed him closely; the way he played with kids and entertained them. I just emulated him in the film. So adding Mani Sir to the heady mix of Sujatha and Vairamuthu gave me my �Thiruchelvan�".

Simran: "When I see myself as a TV presenter who gets her family up and going in the morning, albeit with a lot of tension, I get taken aback. It�s even more challenging to stay serious, when your three kids are busy fighting, playing pranks and telling �kadi� jokes. They�re straight out of a Jackie Chan movie! ..".

Keerthana: "It was fun touring Chalakudi, Rameshwaram, Pondicherry, Ooty and so on just like a picnic. A malaria leave letter at school helped of course. There was always something happening. When Mani Sir said �Action!�, Ketan who used to bleach his hair in different colours, looking like a paintbrush, used to repeat �Action!�. He would ask why the movie camera didn�t have a flash! Suraj is a �samathu paiyyan�. But when we got together, we had lots of fun. The three of us would disappear before the shot and everyone would look for us like hide and seek"

Madhavan: "There is a popular comment about me in the industry. They say Maddy is taking people for a ride with just his smile. I can safely say that I hardly ever smile in this film!". 

Madhavan: "It was very cold in Ooty. Just when we were about to go to bed, Mani sir would inform us that we have a sunrise shot in the morning, and that we should be ready by 3 am. We would joke with him that 3 am is when the sun sets on the other side. He would calmly turn around and say "Ok, make it 3:30 then!" and walk away! And that�s exactly how it would be. A few rehearsals in the biting cold, and by the time we were ready for the take, so was the sun!"

Simran: "It wasn�t like other shoots where you go and sit down and get bored when there isn�t a shot. In this film, there was never a dull moment. It was like a paid vacation. There is nothing more endearing in the world than children".

Keerthana: "When I performed a scene well, Mani uncle would pick me up and give me a big hug", "When shooting was completed, Mani uncle carried me on his shoulders and asked me who the heroine of Kannathil Muthamittal was. I said Simran aunty. He nodded his head and told me to guess again. Mani uncle always has a question as soon as you give him an answer!, when I finished dubbing, Mani uncle asked me what I wanted. I told him I wanted to join him as an assistant director. He said OK!"

"Are you a good man or a bad man?". So asks the grandson to his grandfather Velu Naicker, close to the end of this extraordinary movie from Mani Ratnam. "I don't know", replies Velu Naicker even as he is being led by the police to court to stand trial for his crimes. The answer seems strange, especially in the light of the thousands of people standing outside the court, hoping and praying for his release and well-being. But it is fully understandable.

Nayagan begins with a young Velu running away to Bombay after killing a police officer who betrayed him. He is taken in by a Tamil boy (in a terrific scene, the boy, who wants to know why Velu ran away, suggests the typical scenarios for a boy to run away like stealing or failing his exams until Velu replies that he killed someone) whose father is a smuggler. As a young man, his intrusion into his father's job gets his father killed. He searches out the policeman responsible and bludgeons him to death. But the people living there see him as their savior and protect his identity. So begins his rise as a leader to the people in Dharavi. He marries a young prostitute Neela (Saranya) and becomes the father of two children. But he loses his wife to the guns of a rival mafia gang. Wishing to protect his children from the life of crime he has been leading, he sends them away. But he continues doing good to his people. Inspite of his best efforts, he is unable to keep his son away from his business and this leads to disastrous consequences. He alienates his daughter too and she marries a police officer to repent for the sins of her father. This police officer ultimately becomes responsible for bringing Velu Naicker to justice.

With is larger-than-life yet human portrayal of a mafia don, Mani Ratnam's picture is an example of film-making at its finest. The obvious similarities to Godfather in no way reduce its luster. Velu Naicker is presented not as a legend but as a man, with all his flaws and triumphs. From production design to human drama to sharply-etched performances, Nayagan has it all. There is not a single scene here that does not work at some level. From the very first scene to the last, the viewer's attentions is riveted to the screen and only when the final credits roll is he finally distracted to deliver a well-deserved applause.

The movie is successful in making us laugh as easily as it moves us to tears. It is impossible not to smile when Velu Naicker's son imitates his father in their courtyard. He offers his solutions to his friend's problems (he orders a 'hit' a teacher who beat one of them!) and then bumps into his father who has moved into the end of the line. Quickly recovering his senses, he asks his father what he wants. On the other hand, there are scenes, like when an old woman gives up her own life to save Naicker from the police, which melt our hearts. The scene where Naicker gives in to his son's desire to follow in his father's footsteps is an example of high-class filmmaking. Kamal calls his son "Naicker" for the first time and offers him betel leaves from his own box, which Ravi quickly tucks into his mouth after turning away from his father.

Kamal Hassan delivers the performance of a long and impressive career as Velu Naicker (he won his second national award for best actor for the role). For two and a half hours, he is Velu Naicker himself and looks at home in all the different stages of his life captured here. Be it threatening a doctor to treat a poor boy or crying with a high-pitched shriek on seeing the body of his son, Kamal is outstanding. He ages convincingly, altering his whole posture and walk at each stage. There is not a wrong step in any of the other performances either. Janakaraj stands him in good stead throughout, shining in the scene where he is caught between Kamal and his daughter, who detests the violence. Saranya, in her first film, earns our sympathy as the school-going girl thrown into the life of prostitution. Pradeep Shakti is memorable as the rogue police officer. Smaller characters like ARS (a police officer who is forced to come to Velu Naicker for justice) and 'Nizhalgal' Ravi (Velu Naicker's son) are powerful too.

Mani Ratnam assembles a top-notch team to assist him. Ilayaraaja, for his 400th film, delivers a superb soundtrack and a powerful background score (listen to the score in the scene where Kamal and his group rampage a man's house and when the telugu mafia dons stare threateningly at Kamal when he challenges them). Thenpaandi Seemaiyile... is particularly soothing while Nilaa Adhu... is a dappanguthu dancer's delight. Photography is spectacular with its innovative use of lighting in many places (a feature of most Mani Ratnam movies). The way the camera weaves amidst the houses as Kamal follows the police officer leaves us amazed. There are some effective set pieces like the muddy area where Kamal kills the police officer, with water spurting out from a broken pipe.

The story centres round a young couple, Shakti and Karthik. He is a computer engineer and she a medical student. After a few encounters in a suburban train the duo fall in love. Her father not being enthusiastic about the whole thing, the couple enter into a secret marriage. An alliance comes for the girl's elder sister (Swarnamalya) and the girl 's family wants their younger son to marry the younger sister. And then Shakti comes out with the truth, about her secret marriage to Karthik. The sister's alliance breaks off and Shakti's father throws her out of the house. Shakti and Karthik move into a makeshift home. And then the tiffs start. Karthik's professional life looks up when a foreign firm ties up with him. He manages to bring in a reconciliation between Shakti's elder sister and her intended bridegroom. But meanwhile the couple have a tiff and Shakti, hurt by his harsh words, leaves home in a huff for college. She does learn of his good act, and rushes home to thank him, forgetting their earlier exchange of harsh words. But a passing car hits her and she is taken to hospital, and is in coma. Karthik waits for her at the suburban station but she never turns up. And when he finally finds her, she is fighting for her life. A simple story line, but sensitively told. 

The small nuances and touches that Mani Ratnam gives to his screenplay reminds one of his earlier films Geetanjali and Mouna Ragam. When his canvas was not so large, and when all the technical gloss added had not yet overpowered the narration and content, the filmmaker was more of a fascinating storyteller keeping his audience spell bound. Rather than a clever magician with his gimmicks that the audience saw through at times! The flaws are here too. Mainly the scenes at the hospital - where the IAS officer (Aravind Swamy) owns up to the accident that his wife (Kushbhu) had committed. And where he retorts to a lie, albeit to see that the doctors attend on Shakti promptly. He claims to be her husband and puts in his signature for an operation, when his influential position itself would have taken care of the matter. The flaws are there, but pardonable ones.

The dialogues are in the clipped Mani Ratnam fashion. Some slick editing (Sreekar Prasad) and catchy numbers from Rahman are some of the highlights of the film. But what was a sizzler like September Madham doing in a film of this genre? P C Sreeram's camerawork is exemplary. His camera is extremely mobile, rarely static, bringing in realism to the ambience of a middle class family and setting. At times, the softly-lit screen gives a 'dreamy' look to the frames. The song sequences are a delight to watch. Shalini has never looked so good nor performed with so much sensitivity before. Madhavan has the youthful zest and spontaneity required for the role. Aravind Swamy and Kushbhu play the understanding couple. Poor Vivek, used to talking dime a dozen, is made to shut up here. The character is shy, stutters, so there is nothing much he can do about it. Swarnamalya the chubby, vivacious compere/actress of the small screen, plays the role of a simple, shy, traditional girl here. Mani Ratnam has this habit of giving his artistes a look quite in contrast to their image. Remember Heera in Thiruda Thiruda and the glamorous Madhubala in Roja? With Alai Payuthey Mani Ratnam seems to have come a full circle. It's an eminently watchable film!

Mani Ratnam�s new production venture titled Five Star, has one of his assistants of eight years apprenticeship with him Susi Ganesan wielding the megaphone. Susi Ganesan's earlier film Virumbukirean, the Prashanth - Sneha starrer had been completed more than a year back, but due to some problem its release has been held up. Five Star slated for a September release, is produced by Mani Ratnam & G Srinivasan for Madras Talkies.

The director has completed the shooting schedule in about 48 days. Post production work is on for the film which boasts of new faces in its star cast. The story with a college campus backdrop has Prasanna, an engineering student, Karthik, the son of a Tirupur businessman, Krishna, an earlier assistant to director Rajiv Menon, Kanika, an engineering student from BITS Pilani and a former Ms Chennai, Sandhya, a model and also a former Ms. Chennai, and Mangaikarasi, a dancer based in Sweden. Both Prasanna and Karthik were chosen after a talent hunt was organised by the producers, jointly with Vijay TV.

Cranking the camera is Ravi Varman, a first-timer to the Tamil screen, but who has done some films for Malayalam directors like Shaji Kailas and Jairaj. Incidentally he�s the first cinematographer, from India, to get the best cinematographer award at an international film festival. The sets are designed by Thotta Tharani, and editing is by Sreekar Prasad. 

One is sure to have heard of Anuradha Sriram as a singer. But here she appears in her new avatar as a music composer jointly with her husband Sriram, a violinist and a classical singer himself. The duo compose songs under the name of Parasuram-Radha. Shubha Mudgal, famed singer from the North, sings for her first Tamil film. Says the director on his choice of the music director duo - "Mani Ratnam gave me CDs of songs composed by some aspiring music directors. I liked the ones scored by the duo, for their freshness and the unique blend of western and classical".

The film had a 10-day shooting schedule at the MIT College where Susi Ganesan had studied, followed by a 15-day schedule in Switzerland where some scenes and two songs were shot. The story has the engineering college as the backdrop. It centers round five main characters. "I wanted the focus to be on all five of my characters. Hence the name �Five Star� says the director.

Heroes worshipped as gods. Fans immolating themselves on the death of a superstar. Stars becoming undisputed political leaders of their states. Welcome to the bizarre, creative and ever interesting world of commercial cinema from the South India. Catering to the largely non-Hindi speaking population of South India, northern Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore, the Madras (Chennai) based Tamil language film industry indubitably leads the way when it comes to commercial cinema. The song and dance epics for which Bollywood is justly famous are done bigger and better in Madras. And unlike the vast majority of their Bombay (Mumbai) counterparts, these films have an engaging, often plausible, storyline and highly competent technicians. Not only are projects are turned around in a third of the time it takes a Hindi film they are also frequently remade in Hindi. In fact, the various industries feed off each other with say a plot-driven Malayalam language film from Kerala remade as a slick Tamil film, an equally slick Telugu language film in Andhra Pradesh and finally as a substandard one by poor cousin Karnataka in the Kannada language. 

The leading filmmaker in South India is without a doubt Mani Ratnam. After a quiet debut, Ratnam broke through with Mouna Ragam (1986). Brilliantly lit by ace cinematographer and frequent collaborator P C Sreeram, the film is a sensitive study of the break up and subsequent reaffirmation of a marriage. Adding to the resonating performances of Mohan, Revathy and Karthik was the mellifluous music by Ilayaraaja. Ratnam's subsequent films - the 'Godfather' themed Nayagan and the sibling rivalry tale Agni Nakshatiram - became huge critical and commercial successes and firmly established him as a commercial film maker with art house sensibilities. The year 1989 saw Ratnam make his first (and to date only) film in the Telugu language. The film Geetanjali ('Idayathey Thirudathey' in the dubbed Tamil version) was a tender love story between two people who don't have long to live. Starring Telugu superstar Nagarjuna and newcomer Girija, the film became a must see for every college going person in South India. The serene beauty of the Ooty locales, masterfully shot by P C Sreeram again, added to the appeal of the film. 

Anjali (1990) was a complete change of tack for Ratnam. The story of a young, mentally handicapped child cared for by her two siblings saw him working for the first time with a large cast of children. The film was shot almost entirely on a gigantic apartment set created by Thota Tharani and a couple of the songs owed more than a passing nod to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Roja, a sensitive look at the Kashmir issue, followed and became Ratnam's all-India breakthrough film and saw the debut of music director A R  Rahman. Hitherto a household name only in the south, he now became a nationally and internationally known director. Not one to rest on his laurels, he followed it up with the ill-received caper comedy Thiruda Thiruda. 

And then came perhaps Mani Ratnam's best-known film Bombay (1995). The love story between a Hindu Brahmin boy and a Muslim girl set against the backdrop of the sectarian violence in Bombay in 1993 quickly ran into controversy. Both Hindu and Muslim fundamentalist leaders found portions of it objectionable. The film was in the public and media eye for a long time due to the controversy. Made in Tamil, it was dubbed into Hindi and became a massive Box-Office success. A R  Rahman's music saw him becoming a household name all over India as well. 

The politically themed Iruvar and Dil Se.. followed but did not achieve anything near the ecstatic response accorded to Bombay. Dil Se.. was notable for being Ratnam's first Hindi film and for Rahman's chartbusting music. Alai Payuthey (2000) saw Ratnam tackling the issue of marriage again. This time around he deals with the relationship difficulties of a newly married young couple. Not one to stay away from politics for too long Ratnam's latest film Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) is the story of a child set against the backdrop of ethnic strife in Sri Lanka. 

Whatever the themes of his films are Mani Ratnam is best at exploring the nuances of human relationships, delicately. Unlike the garish excesses of most South Indian cinema, Ratnam's films are studies in subtlety. And since he works only with the best cinematographers, editors, musicians and choreographers in the business, his films look, sound and feel marvellous. What more can one ask for?