The interview is really good , till now I admire him by the films he make .never read his interviews before ,now I felt that this is how a director should be. Perfect example .
Mani Ratnam has always been ahead oh his time...Nayagn is one of the two Indian movies to be featured in Time's 10 top movies, the only other being Guru Dutt's Pyaasa. He is the only one who can make movies like Nayagan, Bombay, Roja, etc that focusses on darker themese shrouded in love stories or make pot-boilers or simple love stories like Agni Natchitram, Alai Payuthey,Mouna Raagum etc... Or make haunting touching stories like Kannathil Muthamittal, Anjali, etc... The point is he has a story, script and a vision to take it further coupled with instinct for music...its just icing on the cake...
RE:RE:Genius
by on May 04, 2008 08:55 PM
There are another 3 Indian movies which made it to TIME 100 Best Movies besides 'Nayagan' & 'Pyaasa'. Its the 'Apu Trilogy' by legendary Satyajit Ray. His first there movies. 'Pather Panchali', 'Aporajito' and 'Apur Sansar'.. Pure Cinema, Pure classics.
RE:Genius
by Arun Prasanna on May 05, 2008 01:02 AM
But Mr. Iced Spice is talking about TOP 10 NOT TOP 100. Hence he could be right and you could be right as well. Whatsoever, Mani Ratnam is one of the best in Indian Cinema. Mainly his casting and how he handles Romance and heaviness without being Vulgarity and violence (which other directors cant balance and end up in the later)
How many of you know that Kannada movie 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi' was Maniratnam's first venture into direction before he made Nayagan? Infact Anil Kapoor's first movie too before he got into bollywood. Mani should have mentioned it somewhere here. But whatever I am a big fan of Maniratnam and he is one of the great directors that India ever produced.
RE:RE:Maniratnam's First Movie
by kishan kakarla on May 03, 2008 02:27 AM
Yes. Anil kapoor's first movie is in Telugu. But there is a little confusion there. Anil kapoor either accepted Mani's offer first or it was that he accepted telugu film first and Mani's film released first.
RE:Maniratnam's First Movie
by S Ramesh on May 04, 2008 04:34 PM
This shows the kind of lingual torture Mani got in Kannada industry. That is why he is not mentioning about that in any interviews
RE:Maniratnam's First Movie
by Dr Indiresh Anand on May 04, 2008 07:12 PM
Hey dudes, get your facts right Anil Kapoors first movie was in french and then he moved on to german after that on way back home he did all the movies together in tamil telugu and kannada as well....wtf
Gentlemen after the embers of the crossfires dies down will sombody let me know where i can get a VCD/DVD of Mani's earliest Malayalam film UNARU starring Mohanlal with music by Ilaiyaraja. Also request the interviewers, in future, to enquire from Mani if ever wishes to work with Ilaiyaraja again, as effusive praise gushes forth from him on mentioning Ilaiyaraja's name
RE:unaru malyalam film
by Vijay on May 02, 2008 02:27 PM
I was also trying that Unaru isnt available anywhere. Talked withe owners of Raj Video Vision regarding Pallavi Anu Pallavi and Unnaru. They claimed they have the rights but they are yet to release the DVD's.
The prospect of Manirathnam working with Ilayaraja is with the maestro's hands not at the hands of Manirathnam. According to an interview given long time he claimed to have approached Ilayaraja for Iruvar and Kannathil Muthamitall(Amritha) but Ilayraaja wasnt willing to commit to movie music anymore..except for his close friends and old comarades.
Listen to Music Messiah: Its provides ten fold bigger than any music that has come out of a Manirathnam movie.
Ilayraja and Manirathnam have a way to satisfy thier fans in their own way. Let us leave it there
RE:unaru malyalam film
by joseph dias on May 03, 2008 01:05 PM
Thanks Vijay
Hadnt heard that Ilaiyaraja had spurned Mani. Maybe he felt slighted by Mani. Both 'Unaru' and 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi' have been dubbed in Tamil. I have the both tamil and kannada songs of 'Pallavi Anu Pallavi'. The dubbed version of 'Unaru' i think was titled 'Udayam' or 'Udaya' it came out sometime in mid 90s. I have seen the sudio cassettee in Blore. Thanks also for the news about 'Music Messiah' i hadnt heard of that too coz i was Mlore for last five years. Am also looking out for a hindi movie 'Lajja' directed by Rajkumar Santoshi for which background score is by Ilaiyaraja. Did you know that Rajkumar Santoshi is either from Madurai/Trichy and that 'Ghayal' his first film starring Sunny Deol, was to be made with Kamalhassan - it couldnt materialise coz of date probs.
RE:unaru malyalam film
by Vijay on May 03, 2008 04:42 PM
Music Messiah normally wets the apetities of fans who usually hear albums of JMJ, Vangelis, Freddie Mercury and Pink Floyd....Lot of individual minuets amalgamated as a single piece in a theme.
It might look weird for a newbie though but once inside its a great experience.
Thanks for the information about Raj Kumar Santhoshi. Also Lajja was the second film to be composed in Budapest Symphony Orchestra after HeyRam.
On the flip side, I was looking at the heading advertised by the rediff to promote this cover story...
Re: RE:unaru malyalam film
by vijay on Jun 03, 2009 06:22 AM
Hi Joseph,
This is Vijay here. Have been searching for Pallavi Anu Pallavi songs for years and happy to know that you have. Is there any chance that i can get the songs ??? Please i need it desperately.
RE:unaru malyalam film
by S Ramesh on May 04, 2008 04:33 PM
Tamil movie Udayam was the dubbed version of Telugu movie Shiva, which was directed by RGV not Mani.
RE:Salvaged
by TruthTeller on May 02, 2008 12:57 PM
These Akram Sheikh, Varun are unwanted outfits of India. These kannada a** holes are basttttttards..
Just this, a big thanks for issuing a new DVD of Dil Se with English subtitles on the songs!! The lyrics in your movies are always important. There are many of us now who love your work and speak no Indian language - we often can get someone to write down translations for us but as you can imagine it is hard to watch a movie and look at a piece of paper at the same time . . . this news made my day the day I heard it!!
RE:CRAP DIRECTOR
by Ravindra Mallya on May 01, 2008 05:59 PM
whoever said Mani Ratnam is a crap director.. sure knows nothing abt films.. or havent seen any of his movies.. u just cant give loose comment like that Mani Rathnam.. his movies are original, story is grippin.. either true story.. or realted to real life situations..
RE:CRAP DIRECTOR
by suchhando chatterjee on May 02, 2008 10:28 AM
take rest.... dont watch hollywood movies much.... they kil your brains much more than hindi movies...
RE:CRAP DIRECTOR
by credit on May 02, 2008 11:53 PM
You are right. We are copying and following Hollywood ignoring our culture. If at all if we make any movie, it should be released abroad only and compete Hollywood movies to fetch some $s.
Mani Ratnam made foloowing movies related to the terrorism & rioting problems in India 1) Roza ( about militancy in Kashmir) 2) Dil Se (about the terrorism in Assam) 3) Bombay (about the post-babri riots in Mumbai in 1993)
We appreciate him for what he has presented on screen. But will he ever make any movie regarding the LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka? No..he won't. he is such a biased director.He will never bring on the screen the true face of LTTE for he is a Tamil and sympathizer of the LTTE
RE:Worthless Mani
by deepak on May 02, 2008 09:08 PM
Mani would never dare make any movie about Muslim terrorism...dare him to make a movie on Islamist jihad and what happens in Pakistan...ask him to make a movie on Genocide of Bengali Hindus in E Pakistan by Pak army..leave alone Mani, none of the 'brave' Indian journos or liberals or seculars would pbbly pee in their pants even daring to talk against Dawood & his Islamic mafia.
RE:RE:Worthless Mani
by dirtybutclean on May 01, 2008 04:53 PM
Dude, he HAS made a movie about the LTTE. It was released in Tamil and it's called "Kannathil Muttamittal". Not saying that the movie was any good though; a typical Mani Ratnam movie with simplistic questions and even ridiculously simpler answers too.
RE:Worthless Mani
by Manjunath S on May 01, 2008 05:19 PM
You people don't have guts to accept the dark sides of the country, which is showed by Maniratnam.. You don't deserver such movies, be happy with the pathetic and non-realistic movies where the hero and heroine run around the trees in switzerland or new york. You like only such movies.
RE:Worthless Mani
by badri narayanan on May 01, 2008 05:24 PM
He already made a movie that is "Kannathil Muthamittal". don't comment any one without knowing fully, don%u2019t assume things.
RE:Worthless Mani
by useless bollywood on May 02, 2008 12:15 PM
a movie shuld give good message to the public..not like illegal affair movies like murder,kabhi alivda na kehna etc.. bombay,roja,dilse ..all these movies gave good message to public..
RE:Worthless Mani
by Hamzah on May 02, 2008 03:27 AM
Mani Ratnam is a great technician. He was much ahead of his times when he started his career. Great music and background score, great cinematography and dances and performances.Every thing great. I don't like only 2 things about his movies. 1) He uses kids in most irritating way possible. Kids acting as grown ups , kids cracking non-veg jokes etc. 2) He takes serious subject but the soul is lacking and the end is not conclusive. he doesn't give any solution not even suggest a solution.What is the point of taking a serious issue? Look at the movies like Maachis made on the same theme of terrorism. It appeared to be biased towards terrorist but atleast it was honest. Next time Mani Ratnam makes movies on national issues he should make it seriously. There is no point in arousing curiosity and not handling the subject well.
