 Mani Ratnam Mani Ratnam, a leading movie maker of India, consistently chooses realistic contemporary themes and complex plots for his movies in an industry often accused of making commercial, fairy-tale formula movies also called Masala Movies. His movies are generally in Tamil, but he has also made films in other languages like Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. Known for his astute sense of camera, Mani Ratnam, works out a perfect recipe for all kinds of audience in India. Of late, his movies have come to be acknowledged abroad too.
His rich repertoire include
- Pallavi Anu Pallavi - This was his debut movie. Mani Ratnam approached the great South Indian director Balu Mahendra and requested him to be the cinematographer for the movie. Balu Mahendra was said to have been won over by Mani Ratnam's "infectious enthusiasm". The film deals with an unconventional plot of a male in love with an older female. This movie also saw the debut of Anil Kapoor, a popular Bollywood actor.
- Ithaya Geetham (Song of Heart) - This film is much talked about for the enchanting music of Ilayaraaja.
- Agni Natchatiram (Normally a day in May, when it is the hottest in South India). The movie is about two step sons who are continuously fighting for legitamacy.
- Pagal Nilavu (Day Moon) - This was his first movie to be recognized by the audience. The movie is about a carefree youth caught between loyalty to a don, and love with a cop's sister.
- Nayagan (The Leadman/The Hero) - The story of a Mumbai underworld don. Loosely based on the story of Varadaraja Mudaliar, a don who operated in Mumbai in the 1960's. The movie bears many resemblances to Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972).
- Mouna Raagam (The Silent Melody) - The story of a girl tormented between the memories of her dead lover and the love of her new husband.
- Iruvar (The Twosome) - the story revolves around two close friends, who later become arch rivals in politics. The characters have striking resemblances to Tamil Nadu's Chief Ministers MG Ramachandran and Karunanidhi.
- Anjali (Anjali (name of the child) literally means dedication)- a story of a little dying autistic child and the emotional trauma of her family.
- Thalapathi (The commander) - A commercial movie made with Rajni Kanth in the lead-role. A story of friendship triumphing over filial ties. The movie is loosely based on the epic -Mahabharat
- Geethanjali(Musical tribute/The name of Rabindranath Tagore's work) - Depicts how love becomes a bondage to ruin the joy of living when restricted to physical level.
- Roja (Roja (name of the lead female character) literally means Rose) - Set amidst the Kashmiri separatist backdrop, a South Indian wife fights to get back her kidnapped husband.
- Bombay - A story of a Hindu-Muslim couple surviving the horrors of the 1992 communal riots in Mumbai in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. It generated a political controversy with the Indian right-wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena objecting to certain scenes in the film and derogatory portrayal of its leader Bal Thackeray.
- Dil Se (From the heart) - Love blossoms between an All India Radio correspondent and a female militant separatist, in the violence-ridden North-East India. It ran to packed houses in United Kingdom and made it to the UK Top 10.
- Alaipayuthe (Oh, the waves lash!/ Starting lines of a famous Carnatic lyric)- Explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love.
- Kannathil Muthamittal (When pecked on the cheek/A phrase from a famous Bharathiyar lyric) - A child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage gets separated from her mother engaged in separatist struggle and is adopted by an Indian couple. She expresses her desire to meet her biological mother, when she is told the truth and this leads the family to war-ravaged Sri Lanka.
- Ayitha Ezhuthu (Tamil alphabet represented by three dots) and Yuva ('Youth' in Hindi) - The bi-lingual which was shot in both Hindi and Tamil tells the tale of three completely different characters who happen to meet each other on a bridge, and how their lives change thereon.
His characteristic stereotypes include music by AR Rahman and earlier Ilayaraja, a strong story line, sharp dialogue, camera play with a penchant for the dark and streaks of light and rain. His cameramen colleagues have been among the best in the nation: notably P. C. Sreeram, arguably the best Cinematographer in India. He has also worked with Santosh Sivan, Ravi K. Chandran, Rajiv Menon and the likes.
Unique dialogues
An unique repetitive dialogue will usually be a part of Mani Ratnam movie. - avana nirutha sollu, naan niruthuren (You ask him to stop, then I will) - Nayagan
- nee en nanban (Because, you are my friend) - Thalapathi
- enthiri anjali, enthiri (Wake up Anjali, wake up) -- Anjali
See also Naalu peruku nalladhu panna , yedhum thapilla (There is nothing called as Sin if it helps others)
External link - Internet movie database (IMDb) entry for Mani Ratnam (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0711745/)
- Official maniratnam's fan club (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maniratnam/)
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