It was just yesterday when I stumbled upon a DVD of Yuva. That too the Tamil version of it and decided to watch it to pass my afternoon. After watching the movie I somehow felt like finding my copy of Hindi Yuva and compare the two but I ended up admiring Mani Ratnam’s sheer brilliance. Mani Ratnam has now become a very known face of Indian cinema as a whole and his skill of handling sensitive issues in an entertaining fashion. And this admiration lead me into writing this blog.
Both the words of his name ‘Mani Ratnam’ convey the same meaning, “Precious Stone”.
Realistic, contemporary and complex—these words still fall short to describe Mani Ratnam. With a career spanning over more than two decades, Mani Ratnam has always walked the tight rope between commercial and art cinema. His films depict the human angle in all circumstances without being unnecessarily preachy. A film like Bombay was quite ahead of times. A young child wiping the ‘tikka’ of his grandfather's forehead during the religious riots to protect him, showed the child's acceptance of religious extremism - that is Mani Ratnam at his subtle best.
Born on June 2, 1956 in Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Mani went on to complete his graduation in management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management. His education was not in the field of cinema or anything related but he grew up watching films and remained connected to that world through his father, Gopal Ratnam Iyer and brother G Venkateswaran, who themselves were film producers. The moment of realisation came when in his mid-teens; he sat in a dark movie hall watching talented actors playing larger than life roles. And many years later after that eureka moment, Mani stopped running after the management job and chose what he always aspired to be; a filmmaker.
Mani Ratnam's first film was not in his mother tongue but in Kannada, Pallavi Anu Pallavi—a film which explored a relationship between a young man and much older woman. However, it was with Mouna Raagam, a love story that managed to be both tender and exquisite without being maudlin or syrupy that he made the cash registers ring. Then came Pagal Nilavu, a film that had to settle for quiet obscurity. It was with Nayakan that Mani Ratnam found his voice. He became a brand, which produced meaning full, sensitive flms. The trend of good cinema followed in his recent works, Aayitha Ezhuthu/Yuva, Kannathil Muthamittal, Dil Se, Roja, so on and so forth. In 1994, a retrospective of his Tamil films was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Both the words of his name ‘Mani Ratnam’ convey the same meaning, “Precious Stone”.
Realistic, contemporary and complex—these words still fall short to describe Mani Ratnam. With a career spanning over more than two decades, Mani Ratnam has always walked the tight rope between commercial and art cinema. His films depict the human angle in all circumstances without being unnecessarily preachy. A film like Bombay was quite ahead of times. A young child wiping the ‘tikka’ of his grandfather's forehead during the religious riots to protect him, showed the child's acceptance of religious extremism - that is Mani Ratnam at his subtle best.
Born on June 2, 1956 in Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Mani went on to complete his graduation in management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management. His education was not in the field of cinema or anything related but he grew up watching films and remained connected to that world through his father, Gopal Ratnam Iyer and brother G Venkateswaran, who themselves were film producers. The moment of realisation came when in his mid-teens; he sat in a dark movie hall watching talented actors playing larger than life roles. And many years later after that eureka moment, Mani stopped running after the management job and chose what he always aspired to be; a filmmaker.
Mani Ratnam's first film was not in his mother tongue but in Kannada, Pallavi Anu Pallavi—a film which explored a relationship between a young man and much older woman. However, it was with Mouna Raagam, a love story that managed to be both tender and exquisite without being maudlin or syrupy that he made the cash registers ring. Then came Pagal Nilavu, a film that had to settle for quiet obscurity. It was with Nayakan that Mani Ratnam found his voice. He became a brand, which produced meaning full, sensitive flms. The trend of good cinema followed in his recent works, Aayitha Ezhuthu/Yuva, Kannathil Muthamittal, Dil Se, Roja, so on and so forth. In 1994, a retrospective of his Tamil films was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Widely known for his ability to tread the middle way between artistic cinema and commercial cinema, working out a perfect recipe for all kinds of audiences, Ratnam's movies are further noted for their brilliance in technical aspects like art direction, cinematography and background score. His work has come to be recognised nationally and internationally, and in 2002, he was awarded the Padma Shri. The characteristic elements of Mani Ratnam's films include memorable music by notable Indian composers like A R Rahman and Ilayaraaja, a strong story line, sharp dialogue and innovative cinematography and art direction. He has worked with the best cinematographers in the country - notably P C Sriram, Balu Mahendra, Santosh Sivan, Ravi K Chandran, Rajiv Menon and the likes.
Mani Ratnam's movies cater to the middle classes and Anita Nair calls him the 'Salman Rushdie of the celluloid' for his widely different themes and controversial topics with his presence manifesting itself in every frame of the movies. His film making is clearly influenced by the American movies from The Godfather to E T to Singin' in the Rain, yet these are filtered, yet these are filtered through Indian song, dance and fashion. His films integrate music with plot—not only fantasy sequences, but social commentary and even political satire find their way into the dynamic musical numbers.
"Whatever one does, one must forever strive for excellence in any task and should be never satisfied with the second best," said JRD Tata and it seems that Mani Ratnam has taken. It is very difficult to choose which one has been his best film until now. His every movie has been realistic enough for one to identify with the characters and yet it does not really let go of that escapist tendency that Indian movies are so famous for.
"Whatever one does, one must forever strive for excellence in any task and should be never satisfied with the second best," said JRD Tata and it seems that Mani Ratnam has taken. It is very difficult to choose which one has been his best film until now. His every movie has been realistic enough for one to identify with the characters and yet it does not really let go of that escapist tendency that Indian movies are so famous for.
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