Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker who works primarily in Tamil cinema, with notable forays into Hindi and other Indian languages. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in modern Indian cinema, he is known for blending mainstream storytelling with technical sophistication, layered politics, and lyrical visual style. His films are often credited with shaping a generation of Tamil filmmakers, technicians, and actors.
| Full name | Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (known as Mani Ratnam) |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 June 1956, Madurai, Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), India |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Primary industry | Tamil cinema |
| Production company | Madras Talkies |
| Spouse | Suhasini Maniratnam (actress) |
| Education | MBA, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2002); multiple National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards |
Mani Ratnam was born into a family with deep links to Tamil film distribution and production; his father, Ratnam Iyer, and uncles were involved in film financing and production in South India. He trained as a management graduate before entering cinema, an unusual route for a Tamil filmmaker of his generation. He is married to actress Suhasini, daughter of cinematographer Charuhasan and niece of actor Kamal Haasan.
Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983), for which he received the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay. He followed this with the Malayalam film Unaroo (1984) and the Tamil films Pagal Nilavu (1985) and Idaya Kovil (1985). His breakthrough came with Mouna Ragam (1986), a study of a reluctant arranged marriage that won the National Film Award for Best Tamil Film.
Nayakan (1987), starring Kamal Haasan and inspired loosely by the life of Mumbai don Varadarajan Mudaliar, established him as a major filmmaker. The film was included in Time magazine's list of the All-Time 100 Movies and won three National Film Awards. He followed it with Agni Natchathiram (1988), Geethanjali (1989, in Telugu), and Anjali (1990), the last of which was India's submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
Mani Ratnam's exploration of political violence across three films—Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), and Dil Se.. (1998)—drew national and international attention. Roja, set against insurgency in Kashmir, marked the Tamil debut of composer A. R. Rahman, with whom he would form one of Indian cinema's most enduring director–composer collaborations. Bombay, dealing with the 1992–93 communal riots, and Dil Se.., his first Hindi film, expanded his audience beyond Tamil Nadu.
Subsequent films include Iruvar (1997), a fictionalised account of Tamil Nadu politics; Alaipayuthey (2000); Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), set against the Sri Lankan civil war; Yuva (2004) and its Tamil counterpart Aayitha Ezhuthu; Guru (2007), inspired by the rise of an Indian industrialist; Raavan/Raavanan (2010); Kadal (2013); O Kadhal Kanmani (2015); and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018). His two-part historical epic Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023), adapted from Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel about the Chola dynasty, became among the highest-grossing Tamil films of their time.
In 2000, Mani Ratnam founded the production company Madras Talkies, through which he has produced his own films and supported projects by other directors, including Kaakha Kaakha (2003) by Gautham Vasudev Menon and Aaytha Ezhuthu.