Mani Ratnam – Balancing Tradition and Modernity

On his 66th birthday, let’s look back at some of Mani Ratnam’s films that defined an entire generation.

Mani Ratnam followed in K Balachander’s footsteps by giving female protagonists more agency in his films and never shied away from depicting complex conflicts.

Iruvar

Nandan Maniratnam has directed numerous films with social commentary themes in his 30-year directing career, while still managing to keep an authentic Indian aesthetic intact in each. He has produced some of the finest music ever heard on Indian cinema screens while his themes explored in each film showcase the Indian culture; all qualities that define him as an outstanding filmmaker. This legacy makes Mani Ratnam one of the great classic directors.

Geethanjali and Anjali were his early works, where he established his distinct style of film making. These movies featured deeply mannered framing, unconventional lighting techniques and jump cuts in addition to featuring ethnic backdrops in many scenes – an aspect which would become signature features in subsequent works as well.

Iruvar stars Mohanlal as a village boy torn between loyalty to a corrupt village overlord and feelings for a policewoman’s sister. This film solidified Mani Ratnam’s reputation as a writer-director who could balance tradition with modernity.

Mani Ratnam’s movie stands out for its intricately choreographed song sequences, featuring melodies with an air of the 70s Indian films and lavish picturisation. Mani Ratnam took care to retain these aspects of classical American cinema in his work rather than moving away from them like many post-independent/educated new generation filmmakers do.

Alaipayuthey

Mani Ratnam’s first film to feature an actor who would become well-known, this film depicts the struggle of a Tamil girl and her family against pressures of marriage, touching upon issues like caste and discrimination in India.

Alaipayuthey is another masterpiece by Mani Ratnam that’s packed with symbolism. Here it takes the form of how light is used to portray characters’ emotions. Spielbergian shafts of light and jump cuts create a dream-like quality; shadows represent how society affects individuals.

This movie is one of the most stunning romantic comedies I have ever watched, and its songs are equally outstanding. My personal favorite song from it is Madhavan and Shalini singing Snehidhane with its exquisite costumes, lighting effects and choreography – simply outstanding.

One aspect that makes the film truly exceptional is the music composed by AR Rahman and PC Sreeram. Their soundtrack is both soulful and hypnotic, using traditional Indian instruments for authenticity, with modern synthesizer-based tracks using Sindhu Bhairavi. Additionally, traditional and modern styles coexist seamlessly within this music score – as does Carnatic classical music with some Carnatic classical pieces featuring classical orchestration in certain scenes from the movie itself.

Kannathil Muthammital

Political drama about Sri Lankan civil war and family’s struggle between coasts is one of Mani Ratnam’s signature works, exploring complex emotions and relationships amidst political unrest. It shows a woman’s helplessness as well as her love for her children, strength of fathers and power of friendship between family members; all beautifully captured with delicate imagery by Ratnam himself. This film stands out among his other works for its remarkable depiction.

Ratnam skillfully establishes a power balance among his characters throughout the film by strategically positioning them at various parts of the frame, showing us their plight as they leave their homes to live as refugees in another. Furthermore, the filmmaker creates a stark contrast between Divya’s unwillingness to join her husband back home and the joy she experiences working as an activist at a refugee camp.

Ratnam’s film illustrates his profound understanding of human relationships, as well as how best to use framing and the camera to bring out subtleties of character relationships. Using deep mannered framing, unconventional lighting, jump cuts, ethnic backdrops and unconventional blocking, his films stand out from others with elements like this making a strong statement about who people really are and the dynamics within relationships. He has become well known for this art form.

Roja

Mani Ratnam made his first attempt at creating a political thriller with Roja, an early precursor of Bombay (1995) and Dil Se (1998) which explore the relationships between individuals amidst Indian politics. Roja caused considerable outrage due to its depiction of communal violence; its release raised suspicion from the Central Board of Film Certification who believed it might incite strife between communities. It marked Ratnam’s introduction of subtle messages within his cinema without being offensively preachy.

Mohanlal made his cinematic debut with this critically acclaimed and commercially successful film directed by Mani Ratnam, and it was considered an enormous critical success. The plot involves a young Muslim man falling in love with a Hindu girl despite her family disapproval; their union ultimately causes great strife between both families involved. There are some outstanding sequences in the movie – such as when her mother attempts to shave off her hair or the emotional conclusion.

Kadal is the story of a wounded soul’s journey from darkness to light, inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Beatrice di Folco Portinari and featuring beautiful shots. It marked Mani Ratnam’s collaboration with Ilaiyaraaja on 17 of his films as music composer – which ultimately proved fruitful. Check out more about them on KulFiy