Mani Ratnam filmography

Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest Indian filmmakers,[1] he is credited with redefining the "range and depth of Tamil cinema".[2] As of 2019, he has directed 28 films, and produced over 15 under his production company Madras Talkies.

Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut, without formal training or education in filmmaking, with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983). The critically acclaimed film, which he also wrote, won him the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay.[3] Then he entered Malayalam film industry with Unaroo, which was based on then prevailing trade union politics. His first Tamil film Pagal Nilavu (1985) was a commercial failure, but immediately followed Idaya Kovil (1985) found theatrical success.[4] The following year, he made the romantic drama Mouna Ragam, which narrated the story of a young woman who is forced into an arranged marriage by her family.[5] The critical and commercial success of the film established him as a leading filmmaker in Tamil cinema.[6] His next release Nayakan, starring Kamal Haasan, was inspired by the life of the Bombay-based gangster Varadarajan Mudaliar.[7] The film was submitted by India as its official entry for the 60th Academy Awards. Later in 2005, Nayakan was included in Time's "All-Time 100 Movies" list.[8] Mani Ratnam followed this with the tragic romance Geethanjali (1989), which marked his Telugu cinema debut; the tragedy Anjali (1990),[a] which narrated the story of an autistic child; and the crime drama Thalapathi (1991), loosely adapted from the Indian epic Mahabharata.[10] In 1992, he made the romantic thriller Roja for Kavithalayaa Productions.[11] The film was dubbed into many Indian languages, including Hindi,[12] and its widespread success brought national recognition to Mani Ratnam.[13][14][15] Three years later, he made Bombay (1995), which was based on the 1992–93 Bombay riots.[13] Although controversial for its depiction of religious riots,[16] the film met with wide critical acclaim and became commercially successful in India.[17][18]

In 1997, Mani Ratnam co-produced and directed the political drama film Iruvar,[b] which was loosely based on the relationship between cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu.[19] The following year, he made his Bollywood debut with Dil Se.., the third film in his "terrorism trilogy".[c] A box-office failure in India, the film emerged a success overseas; it became the first Indian film to be placed among the top 10 at the United Kingdom box-office.[21] In 2002, Mani Ratnam directed the critically acclaimed drama Kannathil Muthamittal, which was set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War.[22] The commercial failure was the most successful film at the 50th National Film Awards, winning six honours including the award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil.[23][24] He returned to Bollywood after a six-year hiatus with the political drama Yuva (2004); the project was simultaneously filmed in Tamil as Aayutha Ezhuthu with a different cast.[25] His next release was the biographical film Guru (2007), a film à clef inspired by the life of the industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani.[26][27] In 2010, Mani Ratnam worked on the Tamil-Hindi bilingual Raavanan/Raavan, which was based on the Indian epic Ramayana.[28] Three years later, he produced and directed the crime drama Kadal, a critical and box office failure.[29] This was followed by O Kadhal Kanmani (2015), a romantic drama about a cohabiting couple. The critically acclaimed film was his first commercial success in the 2010s.[30][31]

Filmography

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As director

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List of Mani Ratnam film credits as director
Year Title Language Notes Ref.
1983 Pallavi Anu Pallavi Kannada [3]
1984 Unaroo Malayalam [32]
1985 Pagal Nilavu Tamil [32]
Idaya Kovil [32]
1986 Mouna Ragam [3]
1987 Nayakan [3]
1988 Agni Natchathiram [33]
1989 Geethanjali Telugu [3]
1990 Anjali Tamil [3]
1991 Thalapathi [3]
1992 Roja [34]
1993 Thiruda Thiruda Also producer[d] [35]
1995 Bombay [36]
1997 Iruvar [36]
1998 Dil Se.. Hindi [37]
[38]
2000 Alai Payuthey Tamil [38]
2002 Kannathil Muthamittal [38]
2004 Aayutha Ezhuthu [39]
Yuva Hindi [40]
2007 Guru [40]
2010 Raavan [41]
Raavanan Tamil [41]
2013 Kadal [42]
2015 O Kadhal Kanmani [43]
2017 Kaatru Veliyidai [44]
2018 Chekka Chivantha Vaanam [45]
2022 Ponniyin Selvan: I [46]
2023 Ponniyin Selvan: II [47]
2025 Thug Life [48]
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released

As producer and writer

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This is a list of films that Mani Ratnam worked for other directors.[d]

List of Mani Ratnam film credits as producer or writer
Year Title Credited as Language Notes Ref.
Producer Writer
1990 Chatriyan Yes Yes Tamil [37]
[49]
1993 Dasarathan Yes [50]
Gaayam Story Telugu [51]
1995 Indira Screenplay Tamil [52]
Aasai Yes [52]
1997 Nerrukku Ner Yes [53]
1999 Taj Mahal Yes [54]
2001 Dumm Dumm Dumm Yes Yes [55]
2002 Five Star Yes [56]
Saathiya Yes Yes Hindi [57]
2017 Ok Jaanu Yes Yes [58]
2020 Vaanam Kottattum Yes Yes Tamil [59]
Putham Pudhu Kaalai Yes Yes [60]

Television

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List of Mani Ratnam television credits
Year Title Creator Producer Writer Language Network Ref.
2021 Navarasa Yes Yes Yes Tamil Netflix

Notes

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  1. ^ The film was India's official entry to the 63rd Academy Awards.[9]
  2. ^ The film was the debut venture of Madras Talkies.
  3. ^ The preceding films are Roja and Bombay.[20]
  4. ^ a b He worked as a co-producer with:

Citations

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  1. ^ Corliss, Richard (14 January 2010). "All-Time 100 Movies". Time. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  2. ^ Indian Cinema. Mumbai: Directorate of Film Festivals. 1991. p. 18.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Ramachandran, Naman (2014). Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. London: Penguin Books. pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-81-8475-796-5. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017.
  4. ^ Shiva Kumar, S (9 November 2012). "Leader for all times". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  5. ^ Somaaya, Bhawana (2008). Fragmented Frames: Reflections of a Critic. New Delhi: Pustak Mahal. p. 278. ISBN 978-81-223-1016-0. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017.
  6. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (8 February 2013). "Cinema Current: Mani Ratnam gestures hypnotically". Mint. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  7. ^ Tejonmayam, U (7 October 2010). "'Nayagan' daughter planned to settle in US". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. ^ "A Brilliant Tribute To The Wonderful Kamal Haasan". The Times of India. 8 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. ^ "India's Oscar failures". India Today. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Happy Birthday Rajinikanth: How the superstar came to be". The Indian Express. 12 December 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  11. ^ Ganti, Tejaswini (2004). Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema. New York City: Psychology Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-415-28854-5. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017.
  12. ^ Chandara, Anupama (15 November 1995). "Audible success". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  13. ^ a b Rai, Saritha (15 January 1995). "Falling in love with the 'Enemy'". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  14. ^ "Will the dubbed 'Enthiran' work?". The New Indian Express. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  15. ^ Sivaswamy, Saisuresh (18 June 2010). "Vikram's Raavanan is better, as is Prithviraj's Dev". Rediff. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  16. ^ Biswas, Soutik (21 August 2014). "Why India loves to ban films". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  17. ^ G. Tilak, Sudha; Jung Thapa, Vijay (15 April 1995). "Treading on a dangerous divide". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  18. ^ "Bombay: Interesting facts about the film". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  19. ^ Rangan 2012, pp. 164–165.
  20. ^ Ahmed, Omar (2015). Studying Indian Cinema. Leighton Buzzard: Auteur Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-9932384-9-9. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017.
  21. ^ Sattar, Miral (27 October 2010). "Dil Se – 1998". Time. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  22. ^ Prabhakar, Jyothi (26 August 2014). "Films with Sri Lankan connect run into trouble in TN". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  23. ^ Pillai, Sreedhar (4 September 2002). "Switching over to action". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  24. ^ "50th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  25. ^ Ashraf, Syed Firdaus (19 May 2004). "'I am today's woman – very independent, very bindaas'". Rediff. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  26. ^ Bamzai, Kaveree (29 January 2007). "Polyester Perfect". India Today. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  27. ^ Ashraf, Syed Firdaus (6 November 2006). "Abhishek goes the Ambani way". Rediff. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  28. ^ Srivathsan, A. (11 July 2010). "Promises not kept". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  29. ^ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (13 February 2013). "Mani Ratnam's Kadal in trouble". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  30. ^ "Mani Ratnam's Tamil film 'O Kadhal Kanmani' mints over Rs.14 crore in 4 days of release". The Indian Express. 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  31. ^ "'Kanchana 2', 'OK Kanmani' rock the box office this week". Daily News and Analysis. 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  32. ^ a b c Rangan 2012, p. 289.
  33. ^ Rangan 2012, p. 290.
  34. ^ Monti, Alessandro; Rozzonelli, Carole (21 March 2016). Experiments in Film Appreciation. Raleigh, North Carolina: Lulu. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-326-41841-0. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017.
  35. ^ Rangan 2012, p. 291.
  36. ^ a b Rangan 2012, p. 292.
  37. ^ a b Rangan 2012, p. 136.
  38. ^ a b c Rangan 2012, p. 293.
  39. ^ "Shah Rukh, Rani Mukherjee bag awards". The Hindu. 28 February 2005. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  40. ^ a b Rangan 2012, p. 294.
  41. ^ a b Rangan 2012, p. 295.
  42. ^ Sidhardhan, Sanjith (15 August 2012). "50 crore for Mani Ratnam's next?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  43. ^ "28th Tokyo International Film Festival". Tokyo International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  44. ^ Sundar, Priyanka (17 March 2017). "Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai official release date announced". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  45. ^ "'Chekka Chivantha Vaanam': Mani Ratnam's next film has a rich ensemble cast". The Hindu. 9 February 2018. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  46. ^ Sharanya, CR (12 December 2019). "Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan' starts rolling in Thailand". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  47. ^ "Ponniyin Selvan Part 2 will release 6 to 9 months after part 1's release, says Mani Ratnam". India Today. 17 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  48. ^ "'KH 234' titled 'Thug Life': Kamal Haasan looks supreme in Mani Ratnam's directorial". The Times of India. 6 November 2023. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  49. ^ Radhakrishnan, Vignesh (2 June 2015). "Happy b'day Ilayaraja-Mani Ratnam: 10 magical film scores of the duo". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  50. ^ Rangan 2012, p. 125.
  51. ^ "When Mani Ratnam worked with RGV". The Times of India. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  52. ^ a b Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-135-94318-9.
  53. ^ Rajitha (17 August 1998). "Starry Sush". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  54. ^ "3 men and a movie". India Today. 6 April 1998. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  55. ^ Rajitha (28 April 2001). "Drums for Dum Dum Dum!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  56. ^ Kamath, Sudhish (7 October 2002). "A five star debut". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  57. ^ "Filmfare awards: 'Devdas' bags 11, 'Saathiya' 4". The Hindu. 23 February 2003. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  58. ^ "Ok Jaanu first look: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor light up OK Kanmani remake, see pic". The Indian Express. 9 December 2016. Archived from the original on 12 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  59. ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (18 July 2019). "How team 'Vaanam Kottatum' shot on busy city roads when it rained heavily". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  60. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (1 October 2020). "Amazon and Netflix Reveal Tamil-Language Anthology Films". Variety. Retrieved 6 October 2020.

References

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