When legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam speaks, everyone listens. A masterclass by the legend himself at the ongoing MAMI film festival in Mumbai had cinephiles across all age groups throng the venue. The audience was mesmerised and glued to their seats during the two-hour masterclass, which was curated by director Imtiaz Ali. Ratnam’s witty one-liners and movie-making experiences had movie buffs in awe and splits. Clad in a simple white shirt and blue jeans, Ratnam said, “I have learnt that I need to pretend that I know everything and not let others know about it.”
Sharing interesting tips and anecdotes from his various movies, Ratnam said, “One (director) is like a “scavenger” who is constantly picking up moments from real life to incorporate in their films.” Talking about the first film that never got produced, Ratnam self-assumingly replied, “Despite the fact that the film didn’t get made, I GOT MADE” which welcomed a loud applause from the audience. Unafraid of failures, he said, “Failure teaches you to have strength. You know how to get up. It’s okay to fail”.
The award-winning director also revealed that the famous movie Bombay was not actually shot in Mumbai but in Chennai, except the VT station (now called CSMT) scene and a few others. The filmmaker stressed the importance of investing in female characters. “That’s how they are in the real world, might as well put it on screen,” he said. Music is an integral part of all Ratnam movies. Lauding Rahman’s style of creating music, Ratnam said, “I get confused at times that I am getting seduced by the production of his songs or the tune itself.”
Ratnam’s upcoming movie with the actor-producer Kamal Hasan is titled KH234 (stands for Kamal Haasan’s 234th film). The official teaser was released on October 27, 2023.
