" Mani Ratnam" is the Legend I was referring to in my title. I am not here to write about his merits as a filmmaker as that would require extensive knowledge in the field which obviously I don't have. I grew up admired and attracted to his movies. Most of his movies dealt with emotional hurdles amongst a grueling environment. I feel his biggest strength is the ability to blend the past and present and connect to reality with the obvious truth. Mastermind directors have been always influencing the viewers with their products, that's why they were called the Legends. So this blog is all about this legend's connect with me, my thoughts, my emotions, my growth and everything else.
I got fascinated to cinema through his "Anjali", the story of a mentally disabled child and the strained relationship with her mother. I saw the movie in the"deck", a gadget that today's kids might not know. No laptops, not even DVD players, we rented deck and watched our favorite movies. Nostalgic moments those were. I was hardly 5 or 6 when I first watched Anjali movie and I kept on watching it again and again for the next 2 years !! Back then, I was a short bubbly chubby girl with long hair, was nearly as cute as baby Shamili, that's what everyone around me told !! I think that's the reason I loved that movie so much, I used to talk, laugh and cry like anjali. My parents used to tease me saying whenever I get a fever, they played the Anjali movie and I will become fine, totally fine.
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| Baby Shamili in Anjali |
Then came "Roja", a romantic flick set in the backdrop of terrorism. I don't think I knew the meaning of Patriotism at that age but still when I listen to Tamila Tamila song, I used to get goosebumps and some kind of strange anger feeling on those villains for doing this to India. Probably Mani Ratnam taught me what patriotism is and also what "crush" feeling is !! I was barely 7 or 8, not even a teen, but I liked Aravindswamy so much. Roja, the uneducated village girl yet bold and fearless goes all the extreme to save her husband. The plot, music, acting, everything about the movie was so mesmerizing to me that I used to watch it every time when they screen in DD for independence day and republic day. They screened Gandhi movie too, I never saw that !!
Now that I knew Mani Ratnam is the one who directed Roja and he is the ace director now, I started following his movies rigorously. I eagerly waited for "Bombay" release and I got more addicted. The funniest part was, I learnt there is lot of religious riots happening in India due to Hindu-Muslim clash and so to contribute to the unity of nation, me being a hindu girl, decided to marry a muslim guy if I get a chance !! Now if I think, it looks so silly but back then I was roaming around with that thought for almost a year, staring at the muslim guys in my class and thinking "ya.. but they are no where near Aravindswamy "!! Such was Mani Ratnam's influence on me.
I don't know how, but my father sensed that I am taking movies very seriously and getting into all sort of crap ideas. So in the name of my education, he put an end to my movie craziness by no more movie watching rule and the biggest disappointment - no cable connection in our house. We were still in the Antenna - DD national era when everyone around us was going gaga over the newly arrived Sun TV. Now my only chance of watching movies was restricted to summer holidays when I visited my granny's house. My uncle was running a rent cassettes shop in my native town so those two months of holidays were the most awesome period in my life. I requested him to get me all old Mani Ratnam movies and thus watched Mouna Ragam, Nayagan and Thalapathi. I repented for have lived so many years without watching these classics.
I watched Mouna Ragam, my most favourite among Mani's film, 14 years after its release !! Initially I thought I sinned but later I felt it was good because I wouldn't be mature enough to understand it before. I saw it just at the right age to appreciate the ideas of feminism and love the movie conveyed. I admired Divya played by Revathy, she was bold, stubborn, rude yet she was a lovely women caught between the past and present but slowly changing to appreciate her god given gift. This movie made me more practical and so I decided to settle for an arranged marriage ( given my dad's aversion towards even romantic movies !!). I started praying to god to get me someone so nice and majestic like Mouna Ragam Mohan so that I could live my life in bliss.... !!
Well now I was the perfectly crafted middle class tamil girl, who will study nicely and get a decent job and then marry a guy arranged by parents and then lead a happy life forever.... wait.. then came the biggest spoiler for most of the Tamil parents - the "Alaipayuthe". My ambition was to become a Doctor and was doing pretty good in my studies topping my 10th exams with a whooping score. So obviously I started fantasizing myself as the "Shakthi" of alaipayuthe. The setting of the film almost matched my familys' with a public servant dad, a home maker mom and 2 sisters except that I was the eldest. I thought I will study hard and somehow get into Madras Medical College and may be travel like Shakthi in a train, may be I will find some computer science guy like maddy who will madly fall in love with me and unlike the movie I will somehow convince my parents and get married. I won't do a secret marriage like Shakthi, thats bad, I am a good girl you see.. !!
By the time "Ayutha Ezuthu" was released, my fate was reduced to a decent engineering college from my MMC dream and all those train scenes evaporated from my mind. But Mani is always there to give some hope. The characterization of Michael Vasanth in Ayutha ezuthu played by Surya, talent+ courage+social responsibility+ handsome, all in one package, the search continues to PSG College of Technology where I got admitted. My hopes were back again as its the best college in the state and all bright minds converge there so you got chances kid !!
Off late, Mani did give few flops like Raavanan and Kadal, but by now I have reached that point when you just cannot dislike some one, whatever they do, you start liking it for some reason or the other like the intriguing love of Veera on Raagini (based on Ravan's love on Sita in Ramayana) or the evolution of evil and faith from the same place ( Arjun and Aravindswamy) and finally the triumph of faith. But his latest flick "Ok Kanmani" emerged as an blockbuster, a trendsetter for tamil cinema. This movie was a proof of his connect to the present generation even though he doesn't belong to the group. The way the older gen Ganapathy and Bhavani sport their lives together with abundance of love and care influences the younger gen Aadhi and Thara to arrive at a realistic conclusion on their life. I think thats the only way you can teach today's youth. Advices and threats are not going to yield the result, just show them by living it and they will learn themselves. The characterization of "Thara", a fierce, bold, talented, independent girl seriously made me jealous and the "live-in relationship" concept... phew.. no way close ( my ideology - even kissing your boyfriend before marriage is a sin and god will punish you for that act by separating your love !!!) I did miss few things because of that ideology !!
So if you ask me now, do those dreams and fantasies from movies become true in real life ?? I will tell you one thing - that's Cinema and this is Karma.. !! The only thing common is - you can either enjoy both or keep complaining. I didn't go for an arranged marriage like Mouna Ragam Divya, I did fall in love like Shakthi ( point to ponder no. 1), not with a computer guy but a mechanical guy and ended up marrying him with everyone's consent ( yes.. my dad agreed.. point to ponder no. 2) and right now living happily with my little son and having plenty of time to think about all these and write a blog !!
BTW, the latest news is Mani joins with Dhanush for his next film. Great combo and I am all excited.. Always Mani ... :)
