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| Saturday, 13 September 2003 |
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Mani Ratnam by Murali Jayadeva At a time when Tamil Cinema was plagued by a cavalcade of films religiously following the 'Masala' approach, the advent of film directors like Sridhar, Bharathi Raja and Balachander helped retrieve the Tamil Cinema from hotchpotch presentation of romance, fights, songs and dances and infuse a certain degree of realism into the story line and characterisation. The pioneering work done by these directors found echo in the works of Mani Ratnam who made remarkable Tamil films like Anjali, Nayakan, Roja, Bombay, Thalapathi and Kannaththil Muththamittal. Each one had a different approach and presented in a realistic style with professional insights. Speaking to Daily News, Mani Ratnam, who was here as an honoured guest to participate in the Sarasaviya Awards Ceremony and Mani Ratnam Film Week in retrospect said, it was the pioneering work of Directors like Sridhar, Bharathi Raja and Balachander that paved the way for new film makers like me to enter the field with greater confidence and move out of the formula pattern and make realistic movies which were well received by the public. Question: Do you have any particular methodology in film making? Answer: Yes, we do follow a methodology in our cinematic expressions. This is how we work. Once we have an element of thought, invariably that dominates and takes over the film. That really decides and pulls you in one direction in terms of structure, the plot and Characterisation. In that manner we are able to achieve what we really want to portray on the screen. Q: What do you think of the larger than life syndrome associated with Tamil and Bollywood Cinema? Do you agree with the view point that the average Tamil film goer goes in a big way for larger than life portrayals in cinematic creations? A: I don't agree. It is not only the average Tamil film goer who is fascinated by larger than life portrayals in cinema. Picture goers the world over have this tendency. Take for instance the Super man Series, everyone in the world sits and watches this series with great glee. Why, it is the element of fantasy that attracts people. Take the James Bond films, it is a world beater wherever it is shown. Again it is the larger than life portrayals that make James Bond films the biggest draw ever. Filmgoers wherever they are whatever langauge they speak, they all want to see something larger than life on the screen because it tickles their imagination, excites their emotions etc. We all have a little bit of child left in us. This childish mindset comes out every now and then and gets attracted to things larger than life. At the same time adults normally prefer intellectually stimulating stuff. It is my opinion that the two can merge and coexist resulting in aesthetically satisfying movie creations. Q: As a realistic film maker, producing films of different genres, do you contribute to the view point that Cinema is not only an art form but a social force as well? A: A Cinema is a medium as much as newspapers, journals, literary works, radio and TV channels etc. It is also a powerful medium through which we can communicate. It should be our concern to use it carefully with proper checks and balances, so that it could be used to send socially relevant messages, to entertain people and to make the people think. We as film makers have a choice of all three factors when we handle this medium. And it is my belief that while handling the other elements, the cinema could very well remain an art form. As regards social comment, Tamil Cinema has been focusing on this aspect time and again, but my gut feeling is that it is not the responsibility of the cinema to take over the social burden on its shoulders. The moment this happens the audience will move away. No one wants cinema to be a pulpit. Would you like any film maker telling you how you should live your life? What we do as film makers is to share a thought, an emotion, an experience and so on. We seldom realise that even a comic strip in the papers serves a purpose. It satisfies a requirement, a need in the child who eagerly looks out for that feature and enjoys reading it. In a way that is also a social need and a social comment. We as film makers are more concerned in making the people laugh, cry and angry thereby find an outlet to release their emotions. You can focus on social responsibility in more ways than one. Unfortunately we are working only on one wave length. Social responsibility is certainly a much larger picture than what we conceive. Q: Do you think that the time is ripe to evolve a new style, a new idiom for Tamil Cinema on the liens of Bengali and Kerala schools of film making where directors like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopaalakrishnan and Arvindan have produced some of the masterpieces of Indian Cinema? A: I don't think it has any relevance to a language or region. Satyajit Ray was an individual and so was Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Ray belonged to Bengal and Adoor belonged to Kerala. We need another Satyajith Ray, wherever he is born. It doesn't matter whether he is born in Tamil Nadu, Andhra or Karnataka. They are individuals who created movies as individuals. It just so happened they either came from Bengal or Kerala. When you have a Ray and Sen happening one after the other, there is an impact on the new generation of film makers. It creates a wave that builds up. We need to have those brilliant film makers happening more often and more in numbers. Because every time a brilliant film maker is born he inspires the next lot. In Tamil Nadu because there was a Balachander and Bharathi Raja there had been a spate of film makers who followed their technique and made very successful films based on social and pastoral themes. Q: What are your plans for the future? A: I don't have ambitious plans. I just want to make another film. To have a chance to make one more film when you finish one is the ideal situation for a film maker. I am not saying, I am going to spearhead the Tamil film industry in one way or the other. My objective is not to carry the enmasse and say that I am taking you to the shore. My job is to make a film as well as I can. The rest will do what they want to do. I want to take the full responsibility of my film and that is my total focus. Q: what are your impressions of the Sarasaviya Film Awards? A: I was really impressed by the meticulous organisation of the event. I was only sorry that I couldn't follow the proceedings as I did not understand the Sinhala language. However it was a rewarding experience and I shall carry very happy memories of the event. Talking in general, Mani Ratnam said vast changes are taking place in the Tamil film industry. New talents and new trends in film making are emerging. The directors will continue to do what they are good at in a more professional way, using the most modern devices of film technology now available locally. There are sure signs of positive development and growth in the industry which augurs well for the future of Tamil film industry. It may perhaps pave the way for Tamil cinema to reach world standards in the near future, where film art and literature could harmonize to produce qualitative development in the richness and variety of Tamil Cinema, he concluded. ############## Mahagedara on Sirasa TV Mahagedara ("Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi") is the latest tele series that will be telecast over Sirasa TV from September 15. This Hindi tele series will be dubbed into Sinhala and will be telecast at 8 p.m. daily. It will comprise 600 half-hour episodes. The story revolves around the powerful industrialist Govardhan Virani and his family members who reside in his home named Shantiniketan (aptly adapted into Sinhala as "Mahagedara"). The three daughters-in-law of Govardhan - Savita, Daksha and Gayatri - have anything but "Shanthi" in them. They love nothing better than to put the rest of the family through trying times. Mihir is the eldest grandson who returns from overseas to the delight of the entire family. Mihir's visit leads to many happy moments in the extended Govardhan family. But, not for too long - to the utter dismay of his mother and two aunts, Mihir forms and instant love relationship with Tulsi, the family Poosari's daughter. Tulsi who has been a loving companion and peace-maker to all in the Mahagedara, now becomes an enemy overnight! The three daughters-in-law, plan and plot everything possible to stop the romance between Mihir and Tulsi. Find out more about "Mahagedara", the blockbuster drama series that took India by storm currently the No. 1 rated tele-serial on Star Plus with over 500 episodes and still running! |
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