name	Mani Ratnam
size	200px
years active	1983–present
birth date	June 02, 1956Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
birth name	Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer
residence	Alwarpet, Chennai, India
occupation	Film directorFilm producerScreenwriter
spouse	Suhasini (1988–present)
children	}}

Mani Ratnam (born Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer on 2 June 1956) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer based in the Tamil film industry of Chennai, India. Born into a Tamil Brahmin family in Madurai, Ratnam worked as a management consultant before entering into the film industry. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film ''Pallavi Anu Pallavi'' in 1983, and followed this with the Malayalam film ''Unaru'' and the Tamil film ''Pagal Nilavu'', none of which were successful at the box office. Ratnam came into prominence after ''Mouna Ragam'' (1986), a film about the friction between a newly–wed couple. He made his Telugu language debut with the National Film Award winning ''Geethanjali'', which was critically acclaimed and a major commercial success. Ratnam is also well known for his "Terrorism trilogy" consisting of ''Roja'' (1992), ''Bombay'' (1995) and ''Dil Se..'' (1998). He is widely regarded as one of the leading directors in Indian cinema. Ratnam is widely credited with having revolutionised the Tamil film industry and altering the profile of Indian cinema.

Ratnam's ''Nayagan'' (1987) and ''Anjali'' (1990) were submitted by India for the Academy Award consideration in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. His Tamil film ''Nayagan'' along with Satyajit Ray's ''The Apu Trilogy'' and Guru Dutt's ''Pyaasa'' are the only Indian films to have appeared in ''Time'' magazine's All-Time 100 Greatest Movies.

Ratnam is married to actress Suhasini. In 2002 he was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India.

Early life and background

Mani Ratnam was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu to Tamil Iyer parents. His birth name is Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer. His father, Ratnam Iyer, was a film producer who worked under the banner of production company, Venus Pictures. Ratnam attended Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School in Chennai, earned a degree in commerce from Vivekananda College, University of Madras, and then an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, after which he worked as a management consultant before becoming a filmmaker.

Ratnam was introduced to film direction with the help of his brother, producer G. Venkateswaran, who later produced many of Ratnam's films, including ''Mouna Ragam'', ''Nayagan'', ''Agni Natchathiram'', ''Thalapathi'', and ''Anjali''. Venkateswaran committed suicide in 2003, reportedly because of financial problems. Unlike many film-makers, Ratnam neither assisted in film-making nor worked as a cinematographer before making a name for himself in the industry. A second brother, G. Srinivasan, was a producer but died in an accident in Manali on 27 May 2007. In 1988 Ratnam married Suhasini, the niece of Kamal Haasan and daughter of Charuhasan. Suhasini is a National Award-winning actress and a well-known filmmaker as well. They have a son named Nandhan. Charuhasan, his father-in-law, is a National Award-winning actor. Ratnam lives in Alwarpet, Chennai, where he runs Madras Talkies.

Career

Early years: 1983–85

Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut in 1983 with the Kannada film ''Pallavi Anu Pallavi'', which starred Anil Kapoor and Lakshmi. The film explored the relationship between a young man and an older woman. Ratnam persuaded acclaimed director and cinematographer Balu Mahendra to serve as his cinematographer. Though it did not perform well at the box office, the film's score by Ilaiyaraaja became hugely popular and Ratnam's screenplay won a Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay. His second film was a Malayalam production titled ''Unaru'',starring Mohanlal, that explored trade union problems in Kerala. His next film, ''Pagal Nilavu'', had to settle for quiet obscurity, and marked his directional debut in Tamil cinema. The same year he directed ''Idaya Kovil'', a romantic tragedy that was a major box-office success. All of Ratnam's first four films had music scores by Ilaiyaraaja.

Breakthrough: 1986–1991

In 1986, Ratnam attained his first commercial success through the Tamil romantic drama ''Mouna Ragam'', which starred Revathi and Mohan. The film told the story of the friction between a newlywed couple and remains famous as a relevant and realistic portrayal of romance among urban Tamils. Its score by Ilaiyaraaja became a huge success upon release. ''Mouna Raagam'' was subsequently dubbed into Telugu under the same title and became a hit in Andhra Pradesh. The film elevated Ratnam's status as a director and won many accolades including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil and Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Director.

Ratnam's status was elevated further in 1987 after he directed ''Nayagan'' that starred Kamal Haasan, which become a huge success and brought him recognition at the national level. Many Indian critics dubbed it as India's answer to the cult ''The Godfather''. The film, which was based on the real-life story of underworld king Varadarajan Mudaliar, and tells the story of an orphaned slum-dweller and his rise to top of the Mumbai underworld hierarchy, was included in ''Time'' magazine's All-Time 100 Greatest Movies. Satyajit Ray's The Apu Trilogy] and Guru Dutt's ''Pyaasa'' are the only other Indian films that have appeared in ''Time'''s All-Time 100 Greatest Movies. ''Nayagan'' won three National Awards—Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.

Following these two commercial successes, Ratnam wrote and directed ''Agni Natchathiram''. The film deals with the story of step-brothers played by Prabhu and Karthik and is notable for its use of new techniques in camera framework, especially during the songs. The film had a successful run in the box office.

Until then, Ratnam had made films in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages, and a Telugu film would mark a milestone of having directed films in all major South Indian languages. Thus he opted to make his next project, 'Geethanjali'', in Telugu. The film, which starred Nagarjuna in the lead role, told the story of an ill-fated couple, both of whom are suffering from terminal diseases. 'Geethanjali'' was critically acclaimed and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1990. Ratnam maintained a momentum of making emotional stories of under-served people through the Chennai release ''Anjali'' in 1990, which starred Raghuvaran and told the story of an autistic child who changed the lives of people around her. Following ''Anjali's'' release, Ratnam later made another underworld-themed Tamil film, ''Thalapathi'', in 1991, starring Rajinikanth and Mammootty. It was about a friendship between a local don and a slum king, and earned both critical acclaim and commercial success upon release. ''Thalapathi'', based on the legend of Mahabharata, ran into trouble when news leaked that the character of Karna, portrayed by Rajinikanth, would die in the end. The climax was altered to appease Rajinikanth's fan base.

International acclaim: 1992–99

With ''Thalapathi'', Mani Ratnam ended his long-term association with music director Ilaiyaraaja, bringing in debutant music director A. R. Rahman to score his Tamil classic ''Roja''. The venture was successful, earning Ratnam various awards. ''Roja'', a romantic film, was about terrorism in the Kashmir region. Starring Arvind Swamy and Madhoo, it was released in 1992 and nominated for the Golden St. George Award at the Moscow International Film Festival. It became highly popular, gaining an iconic status in Indian cinema and was dubbed into other languages and met similar success in other regions. Ratnam took a more light-hearted approach with his next film —''Thiruda Thiruda''. Scripted by Ram Gopal Varma, it explored the action and thriller genres, was a departure from Ratnam's previous style, and fared less well at the box office. In 1994, a retrospective of Ratnam's Tamil films was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Ratnam again teamed up with Ram Gopal Varma to provide the screenplay for the latter's Telugu film ''Gaayam'', a socio-politico film loosely based on ''The Godfather''. In 1995, Ratnam returned to Tamil language drama through ''Bombay'' starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, which told the story of a Hindu-Muslim couple in the midst of the 1993 religious Bombay riots and bombings. It was also the first Indian film to focus on marriage between Hindu and Muslim people. The film met with controversy and censorship upon release, was subsequently dubbed into Hindi and was commercially and successful and appreciated by critics. It won a number of awards, such as Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, Special Award from the Political Film Society, In the Spirit of Freedom Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the Gala Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Ratnam produced and co-wrote his wife's directorial debut film, ''Indira'', and the critical success ''Iruvar'', his next film as director. ''Iruvar'' won the Best Film Award at the FEST film festival held in Belgrade. In 1998 came the third part of his "terrorism trilogy", named ''Dil Se..'' and starring Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala, with the latter fabricating the second collaboration. It showed the relationship between a young man and a dangerous, disturbed woman. Although they fall in love, she is unable to take the romance further due to her bleak past. The soundtrack album, again composed by A. R. Rahman, gained mass appeal and gave Rahman his next Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction in 1999. Unlike his previous two projects, this film did average business in the Indian market, despite being a success overseas. ''Dil Se..'' gained cult status just after it released, was screened in many international film festivals, and won the Netpac Special Mention award in the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2000, Ratnam directed the romantic drama ''Alaipayuthey'' that starred R. Madhavan and Shalini. The film, unlike his previous films, focussed on marriage and explored relationships and their consequences, and garnered critical recognition. It was also screened at the Berlin International Film Festival.

''Kannathil Muthamittal'' and onwards: 2002–present

Ratnam's following project, ''Kannathil Muthamittal'', dealt with the story of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage adopted by Indian parents, who wishes to meet her biological mother during the Sri Lankan Civil War. The film was critically lauded and commercially successful, winning six National Film Awards, Ratnam's second Filmfare Award for Best Direction in Tamil, his second In the Spirit of Freedom Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival and an award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. In 2004, he made a Hindi film titled ''Yuva'', his second venture into Bollywood. The film, which tells the story of how one incident sends the lives of three youths on a collision course, received positive reviews and was a hit in the box office. Ratnam made the film simultaneously in Tamil as ''Aaytha Ezhuthu'', starring Surya Sivakumar, R. Madhavan and Siddharth replacing Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi respectively from the Hindi version. The Tamil version was appreciated by critics, unlike the Hindi version, which was a failure at the box office. Ratnam suffered his first heart attack while shooting for ''Yuva''.

In 2007, Ratnam made ''Guru'', a biographical film based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, a business magnate from India. starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, through his production house, Madras Talkies. The film is set in the early 1950's, became a box office success, and received critical acclaim.

In 2010, Ratnam worked on a bilingual film, titled ''Raavanan'' in Tamil and ''Raavan'' in Hindi. The Tamil version was dubbed into Telugu and titled ''Villain''. The film was released worldwide on 18 June 2010. The film is loosely based on the Hindu epic Ramayana; its narrative occurs over 14 days when a revolutionist named Beera, who lives in a forest, kidnaps a policeman's wife to avenge his sister's death. The Tamil version received critical acclaim in America, Europe and southern parts of India. The ''New York Times'' called the movie a "critics' pick". However, the reviewers of the Hindi version panned the film; Rajeev Masand said it was "a crushing bore of a film, a disappointment on virtually every count" while another critic, Raja Sen commented "It's profoundly sad to see a filmmaker of Ratnam's calibre reduced to this". The Tamil version was declared a box office success. Ratnam's forthcoming film, ''Kadal'', is said to be set against the backdrop of fishermen in and around Rameswaram. It will signify the acting debut of Gautham, son of veteran actor Karthik.

Mani Ratnam received the Glory to the Filmmaker! Award at the 67th Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2010. The ceremony was followed by a screening of ''Raavanan'' in Tamil.

Filmmaking style

Ratnam is particularly known for his attention to technical detail in the art of film-making, having worked with and introduced some of the best music directors, cinematographers, art directors, dialogue writers and editors in India. Several international papers and books have been published on his critically acclaimed work. Ratnam often makes movies inspired by real-life events and famous epics — ''Nayagan'' was loosely based on Varadarajan Mudaliar, an underworld Don in Mumbai. ''Bombay'' was based on the ethnic divisions between Hindus and Muslims that prevailed in Mumbai. ''Iruvar'', released in 1997, was based on Tamil Nadu political and cinematic icons — M. G. Ramachandran and Karunanidhi. His 2002 ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' was based on the Sri Lankan Civil War and ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' (2004) focussed on student politics. ''Guru (2007)'', released in 2007, was loosely based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani. ''Thalapathi'' was based on the Hindu epic ''Mahabarata'', and ''Raavanan'' is said to be inspired by another Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. His movies are notable for staccato dialogues, and they often portray strong friendships. Examples are seen in ''Thalapathi'', ''Aaytha Ezhuthu'', ''Thiruda Thiruda'', ''Iruvar'' and ''Nayagan'' among others. He revels in creating onscreen relationship tangles in many of his films such as ''Thalapathi'', ''Mouna Raagam'', ''Agni Natchathiram'', ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' and ''Raavan''.

Other work

Ratnam co-founded the independent production company ''Madras Talkies'' with his brother G. Srinivasan, who died in an accident in Manali on 27 May 2007. Ratnam along with Vasanth was instrumental in organising ''Netru, Indru, Naalai'', a stage musical that marked the first theatre production, with numerous other artistes, to aid The Banyan, an organization that cares for and rehabilitates women and children with mental illness.

Awards and honors

Ratnam was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in India, in 2002. He has won several National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Awards South and International film awards. His film ''Geethanjali'' won the Golden Lotus Award for Best Popular Film in the 37th National Film Awards ceremony. Other films like ''Mouna Raagam'', ''Anjali'', and ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' have won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. ''Roja'' and ''Bombay'' have won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. ''Bombay'', ''Iruvar'' and ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' have been screened at several international film festivals and won many prizes. In 2010, Ratnam was honoured with Jaeger-Lecoultre Glory to the Filmmaker at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.

Filmography

The following is the list of films directed by Mani Ratnam. Many have been remade or dubbed in several languages, mostly in Telugu and Hindi.

!Year	!Film	Film director>Director	Film producer>Producer	Screenwriter>Writer	!Notes
style="text-align:center;"	''Pallavi Anu Pallavi''
style="text-align:center;"	''Unaru''
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	''Pagal Nilavu''
''Idaya Kovil''
style="text-align:center;"	''Mouna Ragam''
style="text-align:center;"	''Nayagan''
style="text-align:center;"	''Agni Natchathiram''
style="text-align:center;"	''Geethanjali''
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"
				National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
style="text-align:center;"	''Thalapathi''
style="text-align:center;"	''Roja''
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	''Gaayam''				Telugu film
''Thiruda Thiruda''
style="text-align:center;"						''[[Aasai">Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
style="text-align:center;"	''[[Aasai''
style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	''Iruvar''
''Nerrukku Ner''
style="text-align:center;"	''Dil Se..''
style="text-align:center;"	''Alaipayuthey''
style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	''Kannathil Muthamittal''				National Film Award for Best Feature Film in TamilFilmfare Award for Best Film – TamilFilmfare Award for Best Director – TamilTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best DirectorBest Film award at Jerusalem Film FestivalITFA Best Director AwardAudience Award for Best Feature Film at Indian Film Festival of Los AngelesAudience Choice Award for Narrative Competition at RiverRun International Film FestivalBest Picture at Zimbabwe International Film FestivalAudience Award, Jury Award and Special Award at Film Fest New HavenBest International Film at Westchester Film Festival
align="left"				Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	''Yuva''				Filmfare Critics Award for Best MovieFilmfare Award for Best ScreenplayNominated—Screen Award for Best DirectorNominated—Screen Award for Best Screenplay
style="text-align:center;"					Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best DirectorNominated—Filmfare Award for Best ScreenplayNominated—Screen Award for Best DirectorNominated—Screen Award for Best Screenplay
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	''Raavan''
style="text-align:center;"	''Bloody Paki''				Filming
style="text-align:center;"					Pre-production

See also

List of films directed by Mani Ratnam featuring A. R. Rahman

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Technical Analysis of Mani Ratnam Films

Category:Indian film directors Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Indian Hindus Category:University of Madras alumni Category:Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies alumni Category:Tamil film directors Category:Tamil-language film directors Category:Tamil screenwriters Category:Tamil people Category:Indian film producers Category:People from Chennai Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Hindi-language film directors Category:National Film Award winners Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Category:Filmfare Awards South winners

br:Mani Ratnam ca:Mani Ratnam de:Mani Ratnam fr:Mani Ratnam gu:મણિરત્નમ hi:मणिरत्नम् it:Mani Ratnam ml:മണിരത്നം mr:मणी रत्नम pl:Mani Ratnam simple:Mani Ratnam fi:Mani Ratnam ta:மணிரத்னம் te:మణిరత్నం

colour	#DEDEE2
name	Dr. Bombay
series	Bewitched
creator	Sol Saks
portrayer	Bernard Fox }}

Dr. Bombay is a fictional warlock / witch doctor character who appeared in eighteen episodes of the television series ''Bewitched'' (originally broadcast from 1964 to 1972). The role of Samantha's family "witch doctor" was played by actor Bernard Fox. He twice reprised the role for the spinoff series, ''Tabitha'', where the character's first name, "Hubert", was revealed. Although fond of Samantha, he tends to regard her husband Darrin with little more than amused contempt.

Usually summoned by an incantation such as "Calling Dr. Bombay! Calling Dr. Bombay, Emergency! Come right away!", he would usually appear in an outrageous costume, appropriate for whatever bizarre activity he had been interrupted doing, and often with an attractive female assistant he was currently romancing. His antidotes for witch diseases and spells gone awry would often cause complications of their own. He usually ended his visits by teleporting away during a burst of laughter at one of his own witticisms. Dr. Bombay apparently served the witch/warlock community under the authority of the Witches Council, since Samantha's Aunt Hagatha once threatened to appeal to the Council to have him replaced, even though it was often mentioned that he was the only doctor available.

In 1999, Bernard Fox reprised the role of Dr. Bombay for two episodes of the supernatural-themed soap opera, ''Passions''; the series also included several other characters with allusions to ''Bewitched'', but Fox is the only actor from the sitcom to actually appear as his same character in ''Passions''. On an episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Jambi the genie was sick. Bernard Fox played Dr. Jinga-Janga, the “wish doctor”.

Category:Bewitched (TV series) characters Category:Fictional doctors Category:Fictional characters who use magic Category:Passions characters