S outhern Stars on CNN-IBN has been featuring actors, filmmakers, musicians and singers from the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada film industries.
This week, the programme features director Mani Ratnam who speaks about filmmaking. Actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Madhavan and Madhoo talk about working with one of India’s most popular filmmakers.
An MBA with no formal education in filmmaking, Mani Ratnam began his cinema experiment with Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983). The story was an exploration of a relationship between a younger man and an older woman.
It would star as its male lead an unknown face then, but one that would dominate Indian cinema a few years later — Anil Kapoor.
Later, he was to stun viewers with Mouna Ragam . Films such as the trend-setting Nayagan (in Time magazine’s All Time 100 Best Films List in 2005), Agni Nakshatram , Anjali and Thalapathy sealed his place as a sought-after director.
With Roja , he took that spot a notch up, making the entire country sit up and take notice. Since that film, a lot of his movies have acquired a political tone — such as in Bombay .
But, in between there always have been films such as Alaipayuthey , Kannathil Muthamittaal , Ayutha Ezhuthu , Guru and Raavan treading different territories.
As for now, the viewers are waiting for the release of his Kadal .
Mani Ratnam speaks
To be a director, you don’t have to know everything; you don’t have to know even cinematography, editing, or music, but you should be able to ask for them. So, not knowing liberates you into asking anything. For instance, if I’m told ‘you can’t shoot here, the exposure is four time more’, to me it pushes my knowledge further.
ACTORS ON MANI RATNAM
Shah Rukh Khan
I think every actor worth his or her salt should get an opportunity to learn from Mani Ratnam.
Ajay Devgn
He is much in love with his work. He has a kind of passion that a lot of people don’t. He is so much into his work that he falls ill. I think he is obsessed with his work, which is the best part about him.
Madhavan
When Mani sir defines a character and says he believes in you, you know you can’t go wrong. The beauty is that he doesn’t let his actors go wrong; you seldom come across an actor who has performed badly in a Mani Ratnam film.
Madhoo
He kept studying me — the way I sat, slept… — when I was in a shot. So, I got to be myself in Roja — you know, even driving the tractor, blowing bubbles, playing cricket with the boys… That was all me. Basically, that girl in Roja was me.
(Catch this week’s programme at noon and 8 p.m. on November 3 and at 1.30 p.m. and 10 p.m. the next day)
