Mani Ratnam is one among two Indian movie directors to have stayed relevant and healthy (both aspects are important) over four decades. The other is Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Mani Ratnam’s 29th directorial, Thug Life, releases on June 5, 2025 across India. Ratnam reunites with the mercurial Kamal Hassan for Thug Life, 38 years since their first collaboration, Nayakan (1987). An apt time to reflect on a cinephile curiosity —What makes Mani Ratnam tick?
We at 9PM Movies admire numerous Malayalam movies released between 1980 and 1995 for balancing art and commercial aspects. Mani Ratnam brought a never-seen-before sleekness, clarity and stunning beauty to the form. Though he has largely directed Tamil movies, the cinematic essence is universal.
A movie at its best, is the seamless combination of all art forms. Have you watched Mani Ratnam’s Agni Natchathiram (1988) yet? Observe, if you will, how minimal, deliberately spread, measured lighting is used to telling effect. Watch the title credits closely, and how the songs are shot.
Over the years, Ratnam has ruthlessly, wisely evolved with the times, while retaining a compassionate core.
Here are five memorable Mani Ratnam movies that we at 9PM MOVIES love returning to:
Roja (1992): Breakthrough Romantic Thriller
How retelling the Sati-Savitri myth forms the vivid, sensual love canvas for a political kidnapping thriller is the genius of Roja. A.R. Rahman’s stunning debut soundtrack lights up the deftly edited visuals. That conversations may be the only sane solution to end any conflict, is beautifully put across. Violence and killings have no end, a subtle, warmly conveyed context in Roja.
Ratnam doesn’t use verbose dialogues to convey. He communicates core ideas without dialogue, in the totality of the movie, between the lines. When he does uses dialogue, it lifts, chirps, resounds off the screen. There lies his enduring cinematic appeal.
In Roja, Ratnam steers far from clichés. A hurried marriage brimming with male lust, a woman’s discomfort to forced intimacy, are themes Indian mainstream cinema hardly touches upon.
When Roja (Madhoo) pines for her kidnapped hubby’s (Arvind Swami) return, sheer courage and persistence shines through. No crybaby emotions or escapist melodrama here. The finale is convincing, because no character is a cliche. They are raw, organic humans with their own convictions.
Bombay (1995): A Hindu-Muslim Love Story That Challenged Taboos
A Hindu man (Arvind Swami) falls for a Muslim woman (Manisha Koirala) under looming monsoon skies. He almost coerces the woman to marry him, proclaiming his desire to the girl’s family. Both orthodox families object strongly. An inter-religious marriage is unheard of in their sleepy village. The man and woman elope, marry and settle in Bombay (now Mumbai).
Bombay is Mani Ratnam’s searing, heartrending take on the 1992-1993 Bombay riots. Ratnam unblinkingly melds real-life politicians to the tale too. The result is a hard hitting soulful drama, with gorgeous, uplifting A.R. Rahman music (for us, among A.R. Rahman’s top five soundtracks), while retaining popular aspects like choreographed songs.
Few movie directors tell prominent stories, despite social backlash, controversy or threats. Bombay is one such Mani Ratnam gem.
Iruvar (1997): Masterful Blend of Politics and Cinema
How does one craft a fictional take on real-life political figures and keep it wondrously engaging? Ask Mani Ratnam.
An aspiring actor and a gifted writer become close friends in pre-independent India. As the stakes rise, and politics takes the spotlight, their friendship withers to rivalry. Then there is a new actress who resembles a dead wife.
Ratnam has always seen the cinematographer as a co-filmmaker. Through Santosh Sivan’s lens, Ratnam creates compelling drama using angles, monuments, mirrors, and silences. He uses heights, black & white, revolving camera shots, circling top shots, extended single shots to convey power shifts, altering human perspectives, intimacy, uneasiness and disappointment. Iruvar is a pure sweep of emotions.
Mohanlal and Prakash Raj light up the screen with masterclass lead performances. Aishwarya Rai, Revathi, Tabu and Gautami complete the impressive ensemble. Another Mani Ratnam movie feature: Every character feels like a living, breathing organism in a Mani Ratnam movie, but for rare instances. As a friend once said of Ratnam, “He can make a rock act.”
Kannathil Muthamittal (2002): War, Identity, and a Child’s Quest for Belonging
Again, Ratnam goes where any mainstream filmmaker rarely ventures: The deadly effects of an extended armed struggle, lost motherhood, hapless victims, complex mother-adopted daughter relationship and insights to a writer’s life.
Nowhere does Ratnam take sides. Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek) is a tender, compassionate take on life at a war zone, laced with lovely A.R. Rahman music. Featuring beautiful performances by child artist P. S. Keerthana, Simran, Nandita Das and a good turn by R. Madhavan.
Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023): Power, Betrayal, and Royal Intrigue
Almost every top Tamil director and actor has wanted to adapt Ponniyin Selvan for the screen. The looming hurdles included the estimated fort-high costs of a historical production, challenges of an extensive source material, casting numerous key characters, and slim chances of box office recovery.
The monster success of S.S. Rajamouli‘s two-part Bahubali, profiting immensely from its multiple-language release, pushed Ratnam (Already a huge fan of Kalki’s 1954 five-part Ponniyin Selvan novels) to helm the once seemingly impossible adaptation.
The only Ponniyan Selvan movie hiccups were the brief, hastily done battle scenes. Both parts otherwise, showcase Ratnam’s terrific hold on the craft.
The Ponniyan Selvan screenplay: To breathe life to a complex narrative and make it coherent, is a cinema high. Numerous characters, multiple plot lines, yet super engaging, a spectacular achievement.
Ponniyan Selvan would have been a confused mess in a lesser director’s hands. Ratnam pulls it off magnificently, executes an impressive ensemble performance. Again, A.R. Rahman conjures magic.
Ponniyan Selvan is proof of a director ready to take risks, fear of failure be damned.
Memorable Mani Ratnam Movies: Afterword
That Mani Ratnam will continue to surprise us, is a given. In an industry where success is fickle, and oblivion assured, Ratnam’s consistent passion, his search for new cinema adventures and storytelling, has been and will be, continually, fascinating to witness.
(Article by Snehith Kumbla)
