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 A movie director, talking about Maniratnam had this comment to make, "History of Tamil Cinema." Very true! Time was when Mani took a lot of flak from critics who derided him saying he was a postcard dialogue writer, and was the master of movies shot in darkness! His "taste" was different and few appreciated his works. Though a good artiste does not always look for awards, the Padma
Shree award conferred on Mani is noteworthy, because for a Tamil artiste to get this honour, despite the
Bollywood lobby is an achievement. It is a well-known fact that good artistes do not always get the awards they deserve, and there is a powerful lobby at work all the time, pushing and pulling!
An MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Mani was not interested in pursuing a professional career. Inspired by his brother, GV, a big success, Mani decided to become a movie director. Probably he is the only person who has become a director without ever working as an assistant director!
His first film was in Kannada. He was able to sign up Anil Kapoor in the lead role and Balu Mahendra as his cameraman, for the film, 'Pallavi Anupallavi'. His second film was 'Unaru' in Malayalam. 'Pagal Nilavu' marked his foray into the Tamil field. Though this movie was hailed as a quality off-beat picture, it was not a success at the box office. His second movie, 'Idaya Koil' too was not a success. He caught everyone's attention through 'Mouna
Raagam'. Mani had arrived with this movie which was about delicate feelings and complex inter-personal relationships. Successes followed. The phenomenal success of 'Nayagan' led to a new formula for Tamil movies.
'Agni Natchatiram', the film about the day-to-day problems in a Tamil family, was a phenomenal success too. His Telugu film 'Geethanjali' was also a super hit. A string of hits like 'Anjali', 'Thalapathi', was followed by 'Thiruda Thiruda', which bombed. Quickly adapting himself, Mani gave the audience, 'Roja' which was a success, but again 'Iruvar' was a mis-step. 'Uyire' belied expectations, but with 'Alai Payudhe' and 'Kannathil Muthamittal' his flag is flying high once more.
In any business, success and failure alternate. Undaunted by the vicissitudes of the industry, Mani continues to believe in making good cinema and all his efforts reflect this philosophy. Without falling a prey to either extremes - the incomprehensible and often purposeless serious cinema and the commercial gibberish, he has struck a middle path and has been successful. Keeping abreast of the latest trends in IT and having a clear understanding of technology has probably been the key to making good films. He has honed his knowledge by virtue of working with eminent camera men like Balu Mahendra, Madhu Ambat, Rajarajan, Santosh Sivan, P.C.Sriram and Rajiv Menon.
Mani has the ability to bring out the best in a person, be it an actor or a
technician. He clearly understands that one has to adapt himself, to succeed, in the market place. When the Ilaya Raja period was coming to a close, he used A.R.Rehman. The Mani, A.R.Rehman, Vairamuthu trio created a record in album sales. The trio gauged the pulse of today's youth accurately and gave them what they liked.
To be continued...
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Saravanan
Tr.Ellar
published on 3rd April 2002
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