Mani Ratnam (born June 2, 1956, Madras, India) is a leading movie maker (screen writer and director) of the Indian film industry. He was educated at Jamnalalal Bajaj Insitute of Management, a noted management school in India. He got into film direction with the help of his late brother, film producer G. Venkateswaran.

Mani Ratnam consistently chooses realistic contemporary themes and complex plots for his movies in an industry often accused of making commercial, fairy-tale-like, formulaic movies (also called Masala Movies). His movies are generally in the Tamil language, but are usually also dubbed into other languages like Telugu and Hindi, owing to their national appeal. He has also

Mani Ratnam is 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 audience. His movies are noted for their brilliance in technical aspects like art direction, cinematography and background score. Of late, his talent has come to be acknowledged at an international level also. In 2002, he was awarded the Padma Shri.

Filmography

• Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983)
• Unaru (1985)
• Pagal Nilavu (1985)
• Idaya Kovil (1985)
• Mouna Raagam (1986)
• Nayagan (1987)
• Agni Natchathiram (1988)
• Geethanjali (1989)
• Anjali (1990)
• Thalapathi (1991)
• Roja (1992)
• Thiruda Thiruda (1993)
• Bombay (1995)
• Iruvar (1997)
• Dil Se (1998)
• Alaipayuthey (2000)
• Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)
• Ayutha Ezhuthu / Yuva (2004)
• Guru (2006)
• Untitled Mani
  
  
  
  Ratnam/Aamir Khan Project (2007)
• The Mahabharata Trilogy (2008)

In 1994, a retrospective of his Tamil films was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The characteristic elements of Mani Ratnam's films include memorable music by A. R. Rahman (earlier Ilayaraja), 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.

Stage

• Netru, Indru, Naalai (2006)

In February 2006, Netru, Indru, Naalai, a Broadway musical style tribute to the Tamil filmdom will premiere at the Jeppiar Engineering College, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.Directed by Mani Ratnam, the three hour song, dance, and drama extravaganza will aim to bring to life definitive celluloid moments from Tamil cinema, across it's different eras (Netru (yesterday), Indru (today), and Naalai (tomorrow)), to the stage.The show is set to feature 100 dancers, as well as actors and actresses from across the country. Acclaimed film and theatre composer A.R. Rahman has composed a special song for the show, and other notable technicians involved in the production include art director Sabu Cyril, and award winning director/cinematographer Rajiv Menon.

Family

• Mani's father Gopal Ratnam Iyer was a film producer.
• Mani's brother G.Venkateswaran, popularly known as G.V. was also a film producer who committed suicide.
• Mani married to actress Suhasini, niece of Kamal Haasan and they have a 12-year son Nandan.

See also

• Indian film
• List of Indians
• List of movies by Mani Ratnam featuring A R Rahman

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