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The Genius of Mani Ratnam : by Kartik Krishnan

Kartik, is a hardcore movie fanatic who sleeps, drink, eats, dreams nothing but movies. When he’s not doing that, he is on Desi Train reading the latest posts. Kartik is in the process of completing his very own short movie.

Here is Kartik’s take on Mani Ratnam, the master story teller who revolutionized the way screenplays are constructed.

Over to Kartik:

Oz Bhai… since you want to be taken down the southern Tollywood lanes… lemme guide you with one of my idols and arguably the best director of recent times….Mr. Mani Ratnam…(quote- unquote source Imdb)

“The man who revolutionized Tamil-language cinema, Mani Ratnam is the biggest director in south India and one of the most respected directors in all of India. Each of his films contain its own unique style, with beautifully photographed songs and unique back-lighting. However, his films contain substance as well as style–Ratnam has dealt with a wide variety of topics, from the classic Indian love story to political thrillers.

He was born in Madras in 1956. Filmmaking was in his blood; he was the son of film producer ‘Venus Gopalratnam’ and his brother was G. Venkateswaran, a film distributor turned producer. Ironically, however, he studied at Madras University and received a management degree at the Mumbai Bajaj Institute, and had initially started out as a management consultant. His first film, Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983), starring Anil Kapoor, didn’t make many waves, although it won the State Award from Karnataka that year, but even though he made two films in Tamil and one in Malayalam, nothing worked for him until he broke through with Mouna Ragam (1986). ”

 

Mouna Ragam(1986): (Silent Raaga - remade as kasak in hindi)

“Revathi is forced to marry Mohan in an arranged marriage. She lives in the memory of her lost love Karthik and asks for a divorce. The law requires them to stay together for a year before granting the divorce. That gives time for a lot of incidents in their lives and things change”

This is Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam for you… (or rather HDDCKS is Mounaragam for you)Revathi in an authorbacked role.. Karthik in a comic and romantic cameo… and the sensitive Mohan (not to be confused with Mohanlal) in a role of the husband. The film unfolds from the POV of Revati… the bubbly chirpy… slightly rebellious young girl…We don’t realise why she is against the alliance of a nice handsome. That is revealed at the mid point in a flashback..the entry of karthik. Karthik is the rebellious romantic social activist sort of guy. Revati succumbs to his charms. They decide to get married but karthik is killed in a freak police encounter - catch up.Revati says she pines for her dead lover and wants divorce from mohan..but they are forced to stay together for 1 year before divorce as per law. In the process Revati starts to have feelings for Mohan….the end is a cliched ‘Masoom’ type ending with railway station etc.

Melodious music by Illayaraja… Revati’s performance and of course and out of the world character of Karthik…

 

Nayagan(1987)

“After having witnessed his dad being killed by the local police, and being orphaned and left homeless, Shakti Velu developes a hate, and distrust of the police. He is befriended by another homeless boy named Selva, who asks him to accompany him to the city’s slumlands, where they live with a kind-hearted Muslim named Karim Lala, and his daughter, Shama. This is where Shakti and Selva spend their childhood.

When they mature, they take to petty crime. Here too, Shakti witnesses police brutality and atrocities, especially at the hands of sadistic, alcoholic, and womanizing Police Inspector Ratan Singh. When Karim Lala is arrested, jailed, and found hanging by his neck in police custody, Shakti hunts down Ratan Singh, and kills him in broad daylight in front of the several hundred people. An investigation is launched, but no one comes forward as a witness.

Thus Shakti gets his reputation as a Don with a good heart. Shakti marries local prostitute, Neelu, and has two children, Suraj and Sarita. He becomes even more powerful and influential all over the region, and his working partners are powerful criminal dons who have ruled the underground for eons. Shakti eventually replaces these dons, and becomes the only Don.

This creates enemies for him and his family, but he believes since he has not really done any harm to anyone, he and his family will be safe. It is this belief that will take a heavy toll on his life and that of his family, when the truth dawns that he, himself, is responsible for being kind to a man, who will ultimately bring forward ruin to the Velu family”

The big one…THE BIG ONE…THE ONE THAT MADE IT TO TIME along with PYAASA and APU TRILOGY….

It is based on an actual don - Vardarajan Mudalyar’s life. Kamal hassan put in an award winning performance….There is no better actor than him… you see him and you realize that he is the DON. The film chronicles his entire life from 20’s - 30’s - 40’s - 60’s … Brilliant performances from everyone… People say that it is inspired by Godfather but I disagree

Memorable scenes:
When Velu realises his son is dead..the cry that comes from his throat….(the most famous scene)

Velu’s daughter beats up an assossiate of Velu to prove that justice by force is a relative term…

Velu telling the cop : “If I hit you..you will die”

Velu’s grandson asking: “Are you a good man or a bad man???”

Haunting music by illayaraja: “Thenpandichi mayille” in fact every time i hear this song…it brings tears to my eyes….

If you haven’t seen Nayagan… You haven’t seen Mani Ratnam… You dare not call yourself a fan of the legends (Kamal Hassan or Mani Sir)

 

Agninakshatram(1988): (Remade as Vansh in hindi)

“Vishwanath is a senior law enforcement officer with a wife and an “other woman”. Gautam(Prabhu - Sivaji ganeshan’s son) is the legal wife’s son and Ashok(Karthik)is the paramour’s son. Gautam and Ashok hate each other in the beginning and as the movie progresses they join hands to protect their father from the Mafia he is investigating. There are also a couple of subplots involving Gautam and Ashok and their respective girlfriends.”

An ideal successor to Nayagan…This film is most remembered for its glossy style and MTV - music video sort of lighting. In fact LIGHTS dictate a major part of the entire movie (a trend which mani was to follow in rest of MR’s films)

Sparkling…cracking chemistry (the I hate you - you hate me types) between the two sons. The confrontations between the sons are the USP of the film…

Songs by Illayaraja …”poo waali..” and “Ninno ko ..” are melodious numbers. U FALL IN LOVE WITH AMALA (she’s Nagarjuna’s wife and was also there in Shiva) after seeing her in these two songs… Karthik gets the foot tapping tapori sort of song “Raaja…” sung by the maestro Illayaraja himself.Stylish…sleek ….eye catching (this movie was released long befor MTV came up with Music videos etc) Mani was the trendsetter here….

 

Anjali(1990)

“A happy household gets a kid with a terminal disease. The husband keeps this a secret in collusion with the local hospital, and lets his family believe the kid is dead. When, the truth is known, the mentally challenged kid is brought to the household. Will she be accepted? Did the family love the kid? Did the kid get along with the family? Did the kid get along with the other kids in the society building?”

Loooooooooooong before the topic of physically/mentally challenged capers like Black…Tom Dick and Harry…Teesri Aankh… Pyaare mohan… and the hundred other films that are coming out these days… Anjali was made. If you thought Ayesha’s performance in Black was good… you’ll be blown away by the kid in Anjali…

Seriously NO DIRECTOR IS BETTER AT HANDLING-MANAGING KIDS TO PERFORM THAN MANI SIR (yes yes… even better than Shekhar Kapoor: Masoom and Mr. India) The kids are the soul of this film… Its amazing how the kid Anjali comes nearly in the interval and steals the show from seasoned actors like Raghuvaran (for the unitiated..the villan in Shiva) and Revati.

Negative points: Mani sir got a little carried away with the star wars sort of song …which looked a little amateurish due to the not so special effects…but the forgive him for that..the movie was made in early 90’s….

Thalapathi(1991): (the leader)

“15 year old Kalyani(Srividya) gives birth to a baby boy, wraps him up in a yellow cloth, and leaves him in goods train coach which contains bags of rice. This child is transported in this manner, until the train comes to a stop, and some children enter this coach to steal the rice, and on being challenged by a railway guard, the children flee together with the child, and leave him in a nearby river. The river transports the child to a slum, where he is picked up and looked after by the community in general, and is named Suraj (Rajnikant).

Years later, Suraj has grown up and is affectionately regarded as a kind-hearted man, who will help anyone in distress and trouble. One day Suraj defends a woman, and gravely wounds a man molesting her. This man is hospitalized, and subsequently dies. As a result Suraj is arrested by the police, and severely beaten. It is then Devraj(Mamotty), a much feared gangster comes to Suraj’s rescue, and gets him out of custody. Suraj finds out that the man he killed worked for Devraj, and he becomes indebted to him for life, and both become close friends. Their friendship is tested when a new Collector, Arjun(Arvind Swamy), comes to this community, and is bent upon arresting Devraj, and Suraj is instructed to kill him immediately. Suraj agrees to do so, not knowing that Arjun is none other than Kalyani’s son.”

A Mani Sir’s version of Mahabharatha with the stalwarts like Rajnikant (Surya - playing the role similar to Karna), Malayalam superstar Mamotty (Devraj - analogous to Duryodhana) and of course Arvind Swamy (debut role - step brother of Rajnikant..with the name of - Arjun). The predicament of Rajnikant is palpable. His resentment for his mother who abandoned him… his predicament to choose between Mamooty or Arvind swamy…and… the fact that his lover (Bhanupriya) is now the WIFE OF ARVIND SWAMY… (lines of Draupadi - Karna match not being made… and eventually Draupadi going to Arjuna). Hats off…The only other time the epic has been put on cinema that I can remember is Kalyug (NO NO …I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE MAHESH BHATT FILM HERE) by Shyam Benegal.

The music - Rakkama track was of course copied into Tu tu tu tu tu Tara (Bol radha bol) and it was among the top 5 hit tracks in UK (made famous by Brit indians).

Coming back to Oz’s Rajni post…this was one of the memorable films of Rajnikanth. He wasn’t Rajnikanth here… He WAS SURYA…Mani Sir exploited his acting capabilities to the full. Mamotty , Srividya, Amrish puri (Bald - brilliant cameo), Arvind Swamy…all put in brilliant performances…

Somehow I get the feeling Dalpathi was in many ways attempted to take off a Nayagan… but the magic of Nayagan overpowers that of Dalapathi. Nevertheless, A very under rated classic….

Roja (1992)

“Roja(Madhoo), a young lady born and brought up in Southern India, who prays that the handsome young man coming to see her sister will be her future brother-in-law, only to have the tables turned on her when he openly choses her over her sister (as her sister loves another). So Roja marries Rishi(Arvind Swamy) and they leave the village to settle in the city, where both fall in love. Rishi, who works for the Indian Government, is instructed to go to the troubled state of Kashmir on a classified mission, Roja also goes along. Then the innocent world of Roja is shattered when Rishi is abducted and held for ransom by a “Jihaadi” group of militants who want an independent Kashmir, and the release of a terrorist held with the Indian military forces. Will the passionate appeal of this young lady move cold and ruthless military and politician’s hearts and minds?”

This is again a film drawn from the Indian mythology… (Satyavan - Savitri). A wife’s struggle to get her husband back from the jaws of death…This is the film from which Mani Sir started going National…He introduced AR Rehman. MR and ARR became household names…..Brilliant music… Dil hai chota sa..Rukmini (with atrocious lyrics)… Yeh haseen waadiyan… Roja Janeman… and Bharat humko jaan sey….

Performances… Pankaj Kapoor… Madhu… Arvind Swamy… the more said the lesser it is… the handsome Arvind Swamy (I believe he became very popular among the fairer sex… at least in the Tamil girls residing in different parts of the country). The simple rustic village belle Madhoo… she started getting bollywood offers after this film and of course Pankaj Kapoor…

Who can forget the expression on his face when he eventually sets Arvind Swamy free…

Who can forget the scene where Pankaj Kapoor is offering namaz and the militants are burning the Tricolour and Arvind Swamy thwarts them….

The scene where Madhoo breaks a coconut in the temple (in Kashmir) and out of nowhere the army soldiers come into the frame… expecting a gunshot..

The scene where Madhoo goes and explains to the army that her husband has been kidnapped in her best Hindi- English (Dubbed version sucked here)

From now on every film MR made, had to be watched… it came under scrutiny from the critics and the masses. He became the first South Indian film maker to get acceptance in Bollywood (Mani Sir’s guru K Balachander tried it with Ek Duje key liye and succeeded with it but failed thereafter).

Make a million films from now on Kashmir/Terrorism… (Mission Kashmir, The Hero, Zameen, Maa tujhe Salaam, Yahaan- (although it was a real good attempt), Sheen, and blah blah blah….) You mention Kashmir the first film that comes to your mind is Roja.

Thiruda Thiruda(1993)

“Fresh printed bank notes to the value of incredible 10 billion rupees are stolen in India from a train by the henchmen of super-gangster Vikram living in London. The code card only being able to open the container with the money comes into the possession of beautiful Chandralekha (Anu Agarwal). On the way to Vikram she comes across the two thieves Kadir and Azhagu who are on the run from the police - having in tow country-girl Rajathi(Heera Rajgopal) whom they kept from committing suicide and who then ran away from her ruthless uncle.

After some attempts of cheating each other Chandralekha is making friends with the thieves. When she discovers that Vikram is stopping at nothing - especially not at dead bodies - on his hunt after the loot, she informs the three others about the real value of the code card.

In the following pursuit between Vikram, the four heroes and a special police brigade which has to get back the money before a state crisis comes about, not only fierce action, but also love comes to its own.”

THIS IS THE BEST MUSIC ARR HAS EVER GIVEN FOR A MR FILM.At least at par if not better with Dil Se… All the songs… I mean all the songs… special mention to Chandralekha (Kunal kohli did an atrocious rip off in Fanaa- Des Rangeela), Veerpandi Kottayile (Western - Brazilian inputs - tap dance sort of music), Thee Thee - (oh my GOD… awesome fast number alternating between fast paced disco and slowish melody and classical interludes and Raasathi (the only full film song in Bollywood that I can think of in which there is NO MUSICAL INSTRUMENT except vocal chords….

In fact Thee Thee song is probably the most sensual and yet non sexy romantic duet I’ve ever seen (No, Jo Haal dil ka from Sarfarosh, Kaate nahi kathey yeh din - MR India and any other similar song does not come close)

Acting debut of SP Balasubramanium (See: I told you Mani Sir can make a wood act !!!) Heera Rajgopal and Anu Aggarwal (the Rahul Roy - Aashiqui girl) never looked better.

Sadly the movie bombed… It was MR’s first attempt at a frivolous Road adventure comedy. Critics claimed that it was - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid…..

Bombay(1995)

“A south Indian Hindu man (Arvind Swamy) falls in love with a Muslim woman (Manisha Koirala) — taboo in the small village from which they hail. They marry against family wishes and move to Mumbai, where he works as a reporter for a large daily newspaper. Eventually, the couple has twin boys.

The rest of the film is set in the December 1992-January 1993 period when the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy had raised religious tension in Mumbai and other parts of India, which sparked rioting and violence. The couple is separated from their children, and the fathers of both parents are killed when their home is burnt by miscreants.

The reporter is shown interviewing politicians from both factions as well as the police. An underlying moral of thinking of oneself as an Indian rather than a Hindu or a Muslim is prevalent throughout the latter part of the film. The family is finally reunited after much searching through hospitals, morgues, and shelters. But the violence has left indelible impressions in the minds of the children.”

Tu hi re… Humma… Kehna hi kya…

The scenes of the riots… fundamentalist opinions : Tinnu Anand as the leader of Shakti Samaj (Do I need to say whom I’m referring to) and the bearded Muslim (I think he was Panditji in Company),

The kids being questioned by the rioters “Tu hindu hai ki muslim ??? ”

The scene where Arvind Swamy goes to Manisha’s father’s house for proposal and father’s reaction.

The scene where the one of the kid (being carried in the shoulder by Arvind Swamy’s Dad…who upon seeing some goons, immediately wipes their Veebuthi (Tika), the comic interludes between the once warring fathers,

The scenes with the children on the bed (when Arvind and Manisha shift to their new house)….

a muslim women screaming to an angry mob and pointing to a hindu lady “Yeh meri bahan hai…yeh mera bachcha hai”..the rioters realising..the knives dropping in the muddy water… the list is endless.

The entire sets of Mumbai chawls etc were constructed in Chennai studios…would you believe this ?????

Is the film more relavent in wake of the recent godhra riots ???
Communalism is a topic that often is used stereotypically. If the hero has a muslim friend, he will always be standing by him and they would be the underwear buddies…A muslim man dying will always mouth prayers from the holy Quran…Or worse..a hijra will always demand money at weddings/he-she is an evil red light area type person.

You won’t find them in the film.The smallest character like even the eununch is potrayed with amzaingly delightful freshness and non stereo typicalism….God lies in Details…thats what Mr Manirathnam believes in….

Iruvar (1997)- The Duo

“A struggling actor Anandam (Mohanlal) is befriended by up and coming grassroots leader and scriptwriter Tamilchelvam (Prakashraj). As Anandam grows in popularity, he becomes an important tool for the Tamilchelvam and his party in wooing the public. After the death of the party leader Annadurai (Nasser), both protagonists find themselves in candidacy for the top spot, the schism is inevitable.”

The similarities between Mohanlal-PrakashRaj character and MGR(A southern superstar)-Kaunanidhi(Now the head of a political party-DMK) are striking. This was almost a docu-drama sort of movie which concentrates on the changing relationships and thirst for power-fame. The movie chronicles their coming together, the flourishing of Mohanlal in the Tamil film industry, how their relationship sours, their individual lives…different ambitions, professional rivalries…jealousy….all over a period of few decades.

This movie also marks the debut of Aishwarya Rai who is looking the ‘freshest’(similar to Priety Zinta in Dil Se…more on that later) and who is also playing the role of Jayalalitha(minus the weight).

The movie belongs to Mohanlal as he has given a brilliant performance in the film…Mani Sir himself lamented that Mohanlal should’ve got the National Award for the film. It was perhaps the first film to show the relationship between cinema and Politics (at least that’s what happens in Tamil Nadu).

Special mention to two songs: Narumugiye…probably the most romantic South Indian Classical song I’ve ever heard, and Hello Mister..with Aishwarya Rai dancing to Reggea like -piano number.

Dil Se (1998) - From the heart

“Amar Varma, a producer for Indian news radio, meets an enigmatic woman at a railroad station and then again at a hill station. He falls in love with her, but the woman, who calls herself Meghna, rejects and leaves him although she seems to be interested. Later, Varma agrees to marry his family’s choice, Preeti. But suddenly Meghna is back, and what is the secret that she holds?”

Ok ok ..this movie bombed but let me stand up and say once and for all : “I love this film”

Sadly for the average cinegoer… the film was over once they saw Mallaika Arrora (What’s so great about her???) gyrating on the rooftop of the train to Chaiyya Chaiyya with SRK.

The meetings of SRK with the terrorist Leader…

The scene where Manisha’s ‘brothers’ beat him up…

The scene where SRK says “Sirf itna ki main tumhe chahta hoon….Dil Se”…

Title track…

Satrangi Re (Ok Ok..MR mightve gone a little overboard here),

the scene where Manisha gets into the trance/traumatic fit while SRK tries his best to assuage her, where they share what are the 3 things they like and hate the most….and all the post interval Delhi shots.

Delhi has never looked better (I’m pretty much sure MR wouldve passed off old delhi as some studio and we did not even realise that)…

Priety Zinta’s bubblyiness…

The ENTIRE SCENE WHERE MANISHA COMES TO SRK’S RADIO OFFICE ASKING FOR WORK..there is just one ventilator-square window in the door and light comes thru in that scene(reminds me of Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam - Kaagaz ke phool)…

the entire tomb scene where Manisha confesses she’s a terrorist, the scene where Meeta Vashist takes her out in the rain and reminds her of the ‘terrorist pledge’ they must have taken before joining the outfit. Piyush Mishra’s performance (He comes up with another one in Maqbool… but that for another post)….

and the end.

For those who did not like the ending… one question… Do you think there was any other ending possible. Details details..details…..love them…

Negative point: SRK hamming just in the last 10- 15 mins of the film…from the moment he escapes from the hospital.

MR going slightly overboard in Satrangi Re….

A very very under rated film…unfair treatment meted out to Mani Sir.

Sidetrack: Mr Kunal kohli…this is how u shldve blended terrorism and love..in Fanaa…

Alaypayuthe (2000)/ Saathiya

“Karthik (Madhavan) is frantic after the disappearance of his wife Shakti (Shalini). Told in flashbacks, the film traces their brief marriage as the couple’s dreamy romance runs through the usual gamut of highs and lows.”

Frothy,simple plain love story culminating in marriage and slowly romance fades…eventually it is rekindled due to the wife meeting a freak accident….

This film introduced Madhavan…and he became the superstar of tamil film industry…girls went gaga over him and he became the guy next door…the tamil - Hrithik Roshan. Shalini acted well…Arvind Swamy (SRK) and khusbhoo (Tabu) did a good job..although their sub plot looked like chewing the gum…

Songs: Pachiye Nirame (Saathiya-title song) and Sneghithene (Chupke Se) were composed and shot brilliantly. Pachchai nirme actually shows the girl in different colours and in matching colour backgrounds.Aye udi udi too was much much better in Tamil than in hindi.

Good scenes: The shaadi scene and Hero’s accidents with heroine’s dad…hero’s parents come to meet heroine’s parents…the alay payuthe song..(Jhoot kapat Song) and the rumor spreading like a chinese whisper…and i can’t think of any other scene coz…perhaps MR took up a regular masala film…Nevertheless give me Saathiya/Alay payuthe any day rather than a hamming SRK’s chalte chalte…

Negative point: among others…do we really have to hear songs like “Geeli hansi…pee le hansi(wet laughter…drank laughter)”…”Fervari ki garmiyon mein…(in chupke se)”…and an out of synch “ae zindagi ae zindagi…”…

Gulzar sahib … I have a lot of respect for you…please don’t make me feel ashamed ….

Kannathil Muthamittal(2002): A peck on the cheek

“A little girl’s search for her biological mother who had abandoned her as a new born baby is brought out poignantly in ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’. Amudha, adopted by Thiru(Madhavan) and Indira(Simran) and growing up with the couples two sons, is blissfully unaware of her parentage, till the couple decide to inform her of it on her ninth birthday. At first shocked into disbelief, Amudha then expresses her determination to search out for her biological mother(Nandita Das). The search takes the family to strife-torn Sri Lanka, where Amudha comes face-to-face with reality, and reconciles herself to it”

Brilliant…brilliant…simply brilliant…no wonder the film won 5 national awards. Srilankan Terrorism…child adoption…childs yearning for her real mother…all roped into one seamlessly… Performance by everyone is captivating(Wonder why Maddy doesnt perform so well in other directors’ films ???) But the icing on the cake is the little girl… the mad… rebellious… lovable… young amudha…

My fav scenes: Nandita das’s wedding…amudha’s song (Sundari). In fact sundari is a brialliant pice of camera work ..where the camera establishes the girls energy… moving and rotating camera… JUST SEE THIS SONG… FOR THE SHEER MASTERY OF USAGE OF CAMERA TO ESTABLISH A CHARACTER… title songs take your breath away by the visuals… the maddy-simran flashback…the scene in the car where maddy scolds his jijaji for giving ‘free advice’. the grandfather… the scenes in sri lanka… remind you of Saving private ryan… when maddy and prakash raj are caught by sri lankan terrorists… maddy uses his poetry and the terrorist leader recognises him by the poem… art transcends boundaries…the scene where the young amudha comes face to face with kids of her age…all dressed up in a militant outfit… the suicide bombing scene…

Actually Maddy’s character is resembling Mani Ratnam himself… short tempered.. self respecting… slightly arrogant… uncomfortable with praise and concentrating more on his work…. Those who see the film might agree with me…

I saw the film at the National award film festival in Delhi… there were few members from the army in the audience who had been posted to Sri Lanka… later in an open discussion some of them confessed about having a lump in their throats with the reality shown in the film since they could relate the Lankan settings so well. Actually MR shot Tamil Nadu for Srilanka….

Ayutha Eyuthe/Yuva

“Lallan is a criminal don, based in Calcutta. He loves, marries, and abuses his wife, Sashi Biswas; Michael Mukherjee is a student leader, who wants politicians like Prosonjeet Bhattacharya, to keep away from college elections; and then there is Arjun, carefree and spoilt, in love with Mira, who he just met, and who at one time wanted to relocate to the U.S., but then after meeting Michael, changes his mind and wants to be a politician. The paths of these three young men cross each others’, resulting in violent changes in all their lives.”

This was the movie which made AB’s baby hot property… this was the movie in which Rani performed brilliantly… this is one of the few movies of Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol that I like… Vivek oberoi fitted the role to the T. Ajay devgan might have looked a little old for the character… and Calcutta never looked so beautiful…

The film is based on real life case of a student of (Hyderabad) Osmania University joining Politics… (and more recently the political party - Paritrana formed by IIT passouts). Critics screamed it was Pulp fiction- Amorres Perros…

I reply, just because both Satya and Company are gangster movies don’t mean they are clones… or better still… Virrudh and Saaransh are two different films. Sooraj ka saatwan Ghoda IS NOT pulp fiction. The theme/format might be the same but the stories are different. Give some credit to the director for that.

Fav scenes: Dol Dol… Fanaa… Khudahafiz… are my personal favourite songs picturised. However i thought Badal song was totally unnecessary. Abhishek slapping Rani… the cafeteria where Abhishek beats up students… Ajay Devgun’s first meeting with Esha deol, he bargiung into her French class… Ajay Devagan’s interactions with ther police stn… and Sonu Sood (look at Sonu in Yuva and then look at him in Aashiq banaya Aapney… you realize the difference a director makes to an actor’s performance), Devgan’s meeting with Om Puri (what’s with the horribly put on Bengali accent??) Vivek oberoi’s interactions with his Dad and his brother… AB breaking down in front of Rani after the abortion…

The last 10-20 % of the movie is where Mani lets the audience down. You dont become a student political leader by simply going to villages and dancing in the rains with kids… by digging up wells… Politics is much much more than that… RDB is compared to Yuva by some… I personally feel Yuva was a little ahead of its time… Nevertheless, its a very good film by bollywood standards… but not by Mani Sir’s standards….

GURU: (from various internet sources)

“Guru is the story of a 16-year-old school drop out from a village, whose first assignment was as a petrol bunk attendant in Istanbul. He comes back to India with very small savings but rises slowly, to become the path breaking industrialist and the richest man of the country over a span of 40 years.

At a time just after the Indian Independence where the difference between the rich and the poor was huge, where the businesses were controlled to a large extent by licenses and quotas, a visionary broke several rules, traveled on the borderline of legality, but brought with him the middleclass of India to a meteoric rise they had never experienced before. He was called the `Guru of business’.

GURU is the story of this controversial hero. Sujatha is the woman behind this controversial Guru.

Sujatha, a girl from his village, a rebel. She is a woman caught in the shackles of post independence India who asserts her independence. She is strong willed and does not bow down to meaningless laws laid down by society. She grows to love her husband Guru passionately.

Through the modest beginning in a one room flat in a chawl in Bombay, shared by Guru, Sujatha and her brother and the struggle that follows, Sujatha is his pillar of strength and his first critic and greatest admirer”

This is one movie which I’m looking forward to. It bears an uncanny resemblance to life of Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani. AB junior, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan, Vidya Balan, MithunDa(watch out for him … just watch out for him in this film)… and supposedly an item number by Mallika Sherawat… Interesting….

 

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Summing up…I would like to narrate a short real life incident that truly illustrates how media and the country have usually ignored the big man. I had the good fortune of attending the Siri fort Auditorium National Award films screening where Kannathil muthamital was being screened. I saw the big man MR himself walking in casually to the preview theater before the screening. I went upto him and told him that I’m a big fan of him.. he politely thanked me…I was wearing a pass but he wasn’t (or probably it was in his pocket)… We were talking and abt to enter the hall when the SECURITY GUARD STOPPED MR ..” Kaun hai aap ???? Kahaan jaa rahein hain ???”

I was livid… the entire hall is packed to see a film that has won 5 national awards… a man who has made classics and has reinvented indian cinema… is stopped at the screening of his very own film ???? Luckily an escort came running from the back and told the guard ” Arey jaaney do sahib ko…sahib ki film hai…”

This tells you two things:
1. MR is a genius who’s true worth hasnt been recognised….
2. Life is a great leveler !!!!

Hope I’ve covered all of his films (Gitanjali and a few others, I’ve not seen.. if anyone wants to post the review/info please do).