Conversations with Mani Ratnam

by Baradwaj Rangan, A.R. Rahman (Forward)

His Nayakan is among Time’s ‘100 Best Movies Ever’; and Roja launched A.R. Rahman. This book, unique for Indian cinema, illuminates the genius of the man behind these and eighteen other masterly films. For the first time ever, Mani Ratnam opens up here, to Baradwaj Rangan, about his art, as well as his life before films.

In these freewheeling conversations, candid, witty, pensive, and sometimes combative, many aspects of his films are explored. Mani elaborates in a personal vein on his choice of themes, from the knottiness in urban relationships (Agni Natchatiram) to the rents in the national fabric (Bombay); his directing of children (Anjali); his artful use of songs; his innovative use of lighting, as also his making films in Hindi and other languages. There are fond recollections of collaborations with stalwarts like Balu Mahendra, P.C. Sreeram, Thotta Tharani, and Gulzar, among many others. And delectable behind-the-scenes stories—from the contrasting working styles of the legendary composer Ilayaraja and Rahman to the unexpected dimensions Kamal Haasan brought to the filming of Nayakan to what Raavan was like when originally conceived. In short, like Mani Ratnam’s films, Conversations with Mani Ratnam surprises, entertains and stimulates.

With Rangan’s personal and impassioned introduction setting the Tamil and national context of the films, and with posters, script pages, and numerous stills, this book is a sumptuous treat for serious lovers of cinema as well as the casual moviegoer looking for a peek behind the process.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, India, Indian Literature, Film, Media Tie In, Cultural

328 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2012

About the author

Baradwaj Rangan is an Indian film critic, writer, and formerly the deputy editor of The Hindu. He later became a senior editor of Film Companion. Rangan won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2006. Before joining The Hindu, Rangan wrote for The New Indian Express. He has also authored two books, worked as a screenwriter, and is a teacher at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.

Reviews

[Archana Sivassubramanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

While we were making a really (so-called) short film at college, it kind of struck me how difficult this process of filmmaking is, and how some directors have made filmmaking look so effortless and palatable. I revisited this book two years after I had first read it, some quick thoughts on the book:

Fancy what Mani Sir (as he is known in the industry circle) talks about his brilliant and equally outlandish 'Thiruda Thirudi'? "You do not need a story to make a film" is all. I saw Thiruda Thirudi way back in 2007, and wondered, whoa, what part of this stupendous film could be real. We all assume that filmmakers make films inspired by real life events and circumstances, but this film was so flippant and illogical that it mocked at every deified code in the manual of screenplay writing. The music was loony and fresh with a mix of synth, swelling strings and acoustics. The Background Score (IMO) is among the best of ARR's compositions (and I am underplaying my emotion here, also please listen to Thiruda Thiruda Chase Theme and talkme), PC had gone bonkers with colors and motifs, and the movie, like all the other great movies of our times, wasn't a commercial success. So this movie with all its deification does not have a plot, and this man Mani wanted it that way.

It was interesting to note that Mani Rathnam does not believe in giving a 'message' through his films. Then why make a Dil Se(/Uyire in Tamizh), or a Roja, or even a OKKanmani? He says he likes to capture how we are today. I found this careless answer to a weighty question a little incomplete. He even justifies that Iruvar was a plot that we grew up with, and the movement that inspired the youth of the 70s in the South. True that.But how can one make impersonal films that one does not identify oneself with? Maybe that is how he is. Maybe that is what makes his craft stand apart, and speak. He believes in ebbs and flows and movements and "having a gap between two emotional peaks because a valley is always required between two mountains", and sometimes likes to interpret too.

Oh and one more thing: I also liked how he defended the extraordinarily boring Raavan. (LOL). I loved that chapter on Iruvar because it is one my most favorite films. One film that tried to combine cinema and politics and made art out of the mixture. Rangan hit some jackpot questions on the chapter that was on Iruvar (Teaser: "You are saying that it's easier to fictionalize and dramatize the life of MGR when compared to the life of Sivaji")

We all talk about filmmakers outside of us.There is Godard and Micheaux from the other world. There is Linklater and Del Toro and the other awesome etcs. W read about them, and dissect their techniques. In all our fancy for cinema outside of us, maybe we are missing out on all the spice that is available inside of us. This book throws a perspective on how groundbreaking it actually is in India to make the kind of films like the ones that Mani Sir has made. Superb book. And also one book that clarifies why you cannot reduce Mani Rathnam as just this upper class filmmaker who works with an upper class team to portray upper class living. He definitely knows his art better than we do.

[Santhosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The equivalent of Harsha Bhogle talking to Ian Chappell at the end of day's play. Simply outstanding!

[Archana Amaragandhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most often, we don't recognize legends during their making. But when they are up there shining like brillant stars, we go back, revisit their work and say WOW. I said more wows reading about these movies from the creator's viewpoint than when I actually saw those. Such insights. Such details. Mani Ratnam is indeed a legend.

I am not sure if I am more in awe of Maniratnam for his earthly movies or the author Baradwaj Ranjan for bringing out the best from an otherwise reserved director, perfectly balancing between a fan and a critic. Not a biography, 'Conversations with Mani Ratnam' is a bibliography for all his works from 'Pallavi Anupallavi' to 'Raavan/Raavanan'. CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

[Ganesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a pre-loved book store and I am grateful to whatever fate or chances led me to this book. If I had missed reading this book, it would have been a huge loss for me as a huge fan of Mani Ratnam’s work.

Although I've watched a good number of Maniratnam movies, I don't think I've grasped them the way Mani sir wanted his audience to understand them. Each movie was made for a purpose, to tell an untold story. It is fascinating how Mani sir has combined storytelling with fine nuances of each character’s trait. And he has always stretched himself and his team to make movies that go beyond known frontiers in Indian movies.

Of course, his collaboration has brought out the best in A R Rahman as well.

A lot of further reading is required to understand a Mani Ratnam movie in its whole sense. A scene that we might have undermined as a usual scene, a prop, or even the character’s gesture might have a deep background.

For example, the use of trains, the shots showing sunrises or sunsets, the dress color — everything has a definite purpose and rationale for being placed so. Nothing in a frame is kept aimlessly. Of course, the darkness or the contrasting brightness that permeates most of his movies is for a reason. It is not a signature style without a purpose.

Reading this book was a blissful experience. I relished in taking in every ounce of the details about the backstory behind every Mani Ratnam movie that I have watched, have been intrigued about, and didn't think much about.

What I really loved about this is the way how each chapter is segmented based on Mani sir’s career journey, beginning from the first movie he made until the latest one at the time of this book’s publishing (Kadal). There is no jumping from the past to the present or vice versa which helps keep me, as a reader, absorb everything about that movie with full attention.

Each chapter was a deep dive into the fine nuances applied in moviemaking, the traits of the characters, the backstory, and trivia about what had to be compromised or removed to make the storyline tighter or even to make a compromise with the censor board. Needless to say, Mani Ratnam is someone who has been forced to make extensive changes to his movies, thanks to the intervention of the censor board. I wonder what kind of messages he could have brought to the world if not for this censorship.

There are moviemakers who have made good movies. And there is Mani Ratnam who has made milestones out of his movies. We need more moviemakers like him. Who can tell us untold stories, untold sides of the popular stories we know, somebody who can break cliches and explore new branches of moviemaking. We need more Mani Ratnams who can marry the fine art of moviemaking with the right technology, and bring a whole new experience to our screens.

Needless to say, all Netflix series and documentaries will have to be paused for a while. A long watchlist of Maniratnam movies has been made that needs immediate watching and re-watching.

[Selva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually reading this book for the 2nd time. Read it first when it came out in 2012 and I thought I would read it again coz I had watched many of his movies again in the in-between time and I had forgotten what I read in the first time and it was like a new book, except of course, one does remember certain things here and there.
Baradwaj Rangan is a critic I have been following for a long time; while he is certainly not your dime-a-dozen reviewer and always gets at a film from a different point of view...i used to find him getting too analytical sometimes and sees things that were not there in the first place. It is not exclusively his fault as I think any book/movie critic tends to be like that coz films don't come with a director's commentary. I find this the case mostly with seasoned critics writing for international publications. Hemmingway once said about his 'Old man and the sea' that 'it is just the old man, the little boy, the sea and the shark literally; there is nothing metaphorical'. I think plenty of reviewers would have intellectualised that book and found deeper meaning than intended by the author. Anyway, coming to the point: this analytical bent of mind adds flavour to the conversation and makes it interesting..else it will be just tid-bits and gossip and on the flip side, sometimes you just want to skip a bit coz it is a bit too much to wrap your head around especially when you don't remember certain scenes all that well. Mani Ratnam is very interesting with his answers and I think as honest as possible. He doesn't of course admit certain things like Anjali(1990) was inspired by ET and three stories intersecting at an accident scene in Yuva/Ayutha Ezhuthu(2004) and then branching out was a lift from Amores pherros. of course, Nayakan and The Godfather. People may not have been aware of it in 1990 but anybody would find the similarities too starking now. of course, BR does ask about it a little indirectly. I found all the chapters quite interesting and sometimes funny too. one thing is you should have seen the films in the near past to appreciate what is being said. And Tamilians would have seen most of the MR films multiple times and I watched even the box office bombs like Dil Se, Thiruda Thiruda, Iruvar, Raavanan quite recently for a 2nd time on prime not for re-reading this book but just like that, so that helped. They discuss every aspect ..technical choices, story, screenplay and every possible thing. It is very interesting in that way. And I couldn't think of anything that was missing.
A must read for cinephiles. only thing is you should have watched the films in the recent past. Most MR movies are available on prime.

[Viju · Rating 3 out of 5]

(A 3.5 actually. And I so wish Goodreads comes up with the 0.5 scale soon!)

The high you derive out of watching a good film is tremendous. This is a statement Mani Ratnam says at the very end of this book. I was hoping to be able to say the same about this book, as well. Unfortunately, Baradwaj Rangan comes across as a cross of a dissecting critic and a lame fanboy who looks for meaning in scenes/occurrences that were not meant to have any meaning. Mani Ratnam himself seems to be annoyed at various instances during the course of the book including a point where he mentions 'critics like to find films that they can bunch into one category and put under one chapter. You are trying to do exactly that.'

Baradwaj Rangan is an extremely resourceful movie critic. By resourceful I mean he makes the audience see things in movies that they might not have observed as such. He tries to do the same with the usually reticent director and mostly succeeds in capturing the candidness, which is something other 'journalists' have failed in. In the process, he tries to end up asking questions, a lot of them, which do not really matter to the Mani Ratnam fanboy (since he already knows the answers to those questions).

But it is also difficult to think of any other person who could have had these Conversations with the ace director and gotten a book better than what this book is. Full points to Baradwaj Rangan for working on something like this and as a fanboy of the director, I thank him for coming up with this book. However, one has great expectations from an acclaimed critic and a critically acclaimed director (no wordplay there), and this book barely meets those expectations.

[Darshini · Rating 5 out of 5]

grateful everyday that Mani Ratnam and I exist at the same time.

[Vijay Chengappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is presented as a Q&A to and fro between Baradwaj & Mani Ratnam, it assumes people are well versed with the directors work and delves specifically into questions related to individual movies, through which we get a glimpse into the movie maker's style and process.
There is a nice tension in the interviews between the obviously reticent Ratnam and the impish Rangan, and its a nice touch of the publisher to keep those bits in the book

[Komal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed it very, very much despite the number of words the narrator butchered- Tamil, Telugu, and the names of every single movie discussed.

[Manu Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book to read...

[Arun Divakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bigger canvas of film making and a lot of color and vibrancy is what a lot of film-goers associate with a successful commercial movie in an Indian parlance. A little more than 10 years or so ago, a movie that ran across multiple cinema halls in the country for more than a 100 days or so was deemed a blockbuster. If we measure success of a filmmaker with such a yardstick, then Mani Ratnam has certainly made his mark in Indian cinema. There are two movies of his which are my personal favorites : Nayakan (‘The Hero’) and Iruvar (‘The Duo’) which are packed with jaw dropping performances from its lead actors and with a good sense of the film making craft. This book features chapter long interviews with the film maker on each of his movies from the first one up until Ravan(an).

There is a good sense of growth for Mani Ratnam as an individual as you read through these interviews in a chronological fashion. In the interviews that cover the first films of his career, he appears to be hesitant and uncertain to a certain degree while talking of his choices as a director. Ratnam also rewinds some of the wrong choices he made in his movies which have from then on made him attain more maturity as a director. His movie Anjali which explores the relationship of a mentally challenged child with the members of her family and her neighborhood was perhaps the first of its kind in Tamil cinema. The conversation centered around this movie forms the most interesting and enlightening part of the book. The preparations they undertook in studying the subject at hand and also how the child actors got ready for their roles.

My first impression and expectation out of this book was to gain an understanding of how the mind of such a famed director works. But at the end of the book, I hadn't progressed much from the starting point. It is not that Ratnam does not open up, but that the interviewer does not succeed in drawing him out except at a few places. Bharadwaj Rangan who is the interviewer is quite a fan of Ratnam’s movies and somehow lacks a depth of cinema as a medium which sometimes makes the questions seem inane and pedestrian. The answers Ratnam gives are equally evasive and does not add much to a person who reads the interview. There are parts to the book where the questions do not venture beyond the ‘tabloid’ territory and the overall quality suffers as a result.

A very average book. It doesn't add to a deeper understanding of the craft that surrounds Ratnam’s movies but can be read of more as light-hearted conversations.

[Kaavya Srinivasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about the insights of this gem of a director to Indian Cinema. To be honest, the use of flowery, open dictionary to see meaning type words, could have been avoided by Bharadwaj Rangan.
I saw all the movies as I read each part of the book so I enjoyed it even more.

[Aishwarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now to spend one weekend watching all his movies one after the other. Fantastic book.

[Vignesh Suresh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book delves into each of Ratnam's films (up to the time of publication in 2013) in chronological order, providing a fascinating journey through his evolution as a filmmaker. Rangan's knowledge and passion for cinema shine through, making the conversations both informative and engaging.

While the structure might seem straightforward, it allows for a comprehensive understanding of Ratnam's filmography. The inclusion of stills and script excerpts adds another layer of interest, giving readers a peek behind the scenes.

While the book excels in its depth, some readers might find the conversation format a little dry at times. It doesn't follow the narrative flow of a conventional biography.

However, this is a minor impact. For those willing to delve into the intricacies of Ratnam's filmmaking, the insights offered here are invaluable.

[Ramkumar Jayaraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written book which details the dedication and efforts put in my an all-time inspiring Director. Good effort from Critic Rangan.
The best way to read this book is watch his movies in the sequence of his chapters before reading a chapter, then read his chapter and watch the movie again. You can feel the dimensions in which the Director, Musician and the Art Director have worked on.
Amazing read for all Movie Buff

[Veena Sridhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives more info on extra thoughts apart from the story. Also, he clears his perspective and endorses his justification on many whys? If you are in the field, it definitely is a value addition else for people with curiosity, it’s one read. Watching his movies along with the book, is what I enjoyed.

[Jeevan Koneti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great one

[Jaiganesh RV · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book completely gain maniratham's about total filmmaking about him..
Its like living with maniratham for few months though this book..
#useful

[Saritha · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I've edited this review after almost two months of trying to articulate it in so many ways. Hopefully, this captures some of the confusion in reviewing the book. Hopefully.)

Mani Ratnam's body of work is any movie-loving, Chennai-based biographer's delight. Mani Ratnam's self-professed intellectualisation of something that was an instinctive creative process is wonderful as one discovers some of the back stories that don't make it in the final cut, but are integral to the emotional honesty of the narrative. At the end of the book, I am left with a mass of trivia that I can flaunt about knowing and some deep insightful passages that leads me to believe that it was tough getting up what looks effortless on screen.

But this is not a biography, it's a Conversation. The Q and A format is alright for the most part and Rangan's questions are insightful. But something about it doesn't work. I didn't like being an onlooker to the parts of conversation that are usually edited out in other books, like Ratnam's chafing at Rangan's use of the word, 'masala' to describe some aspect of the films. I know this could be deliberate to allow the personalities of Ratnam and Rangan to seep in, but I thought the book could do without that little spat. I wonder if perhaps it could have been better formatted by shifting Mani Ratnam's well-written note to the end as a sort of culmination.

The book ends abruptly and left me with a vague unsettled feeling. I've always been a fan of Rangan's movie reviews on his site and a Mani Ratnam admirer to some extent. To be quite honest, I regard Rangan as one of the best writers on cinema in India for his sheer articulation of subtext. For the author's voice, read the introduction where he writes about being a movie lover at a particular point in time in Chennai.

But either it is a book that spectacularly captures the reticent nature of Mani Ratnam or Rangan's usual writerly voice has been toned down to suit the Q & A format. Or both.

[Arvind Srinivasan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a book which talks about movies, so when I was having an eye on this book I was fascinated to pick it up directly. One of the directors who has always been in the limeLight for technical excellence, showing different forms people and as well being critic for touching up on sensitive issues.

On reading the book I could realize how difficult it is to envision a movie and how much ground work is required. Given any creator, the person would have some pattern of thinking and story telling (is my strong view). Getting to know that pattern of mani rathnam could be very difficult if not for this book. The way he thinks about a script, how he goes backward, what all goes through his mind during script, how he gets music , lyrics done, what importance he gives to every technician, how he wants them to travel with him on the entire journey are great nuances to know.

The poetic way that mani wants to present his scene, use dialogues only when needed and make it powerful when it comes (keeping it short), leaving the rest to picture, location, music, nature, voices in background and actors ability (to carry it out) are something that are fantastic to know.

Where my expectation was let down were in conversation going more on character analysis and not film making. I wanted to read mani playing role of critic for his own previous thoughts, mani being questioned on the thought process of selecting a set / location and options that were there as part of the initial thought. I was more inclined towards mani's film making over mani's thoughts on bheera, ragini, rishi or so on. Never the less, if you are like me who see's movie as a story telling medium with no need for creative thinking, then you will be proved wrong through this book. Go for it you will enjoy it a lot.

[Suriya Gayathri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meticulous and in-depth interview by Baradwaj Rangan with the ace filmmaker on his craft and creativity. The book takes us into the making process of each of his movies and each chapter is dedicated to his movies individually. Ratnam discusses, in a very thorough manner, on how he had conceived the theme, story, screenplay, direction, songs, etc of his movies. He also says about his association with his colleagues in movie making such as P. C. Sreeram, Rajiv Menon, Ilayaraja, A. R. Rahman, etc. He also talks about the gifted talent of Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth sharing his experience while working with them. Reading each chapter gives us a feeling of actually watching the movie. The talk is as descriptive and compelling as that. However, I warn that it is for serious movie lovers and suggest that you watch his movies first before starting to read the book. Mani Ratnam comes across as a man of clarity and confidence. He is very clear about his methodologies and views about his craft. Even though I haven’t watched all of his movies, I absolutely loved reading this book and I'm going to watch the rest of them now. The latest news is that he has just started shooting a bilingual in Tamil and Malayalam with Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menon. I’m so excited about it because of several reasons. It is going to be his Malayalam movie after a gap of 30 years. I like Dulquer and Nithya as a pair. Ratnam’s team involves A. R. Rahman for music and P. C. Sreeram as the cinematographer. Expectations are high. I'm sure it's going to a great treat for his admirers. Let’s wait and watch.

[Vignesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who'd read even if Mani Ratnam was retelling stale news, this book was a delight to read. The format worked really well for me as I am a sucker for interviews. The book dealt with his movies in the order they released and that gave me a window to observe how Mani had grown with time, or at least how he reflected on his growth. The behind the scenes and him describing the process were a treat. I was only becoming sadder as the book was nearing its end.

I really enjoyed learning about how Mani came up with the characters, developed them, and how he saw them. It was fascinating to get that amount of insight into the characters I'd admired over time and the ones I go back to every now and then. The pictures accompanying the text were also wonderfully selected. My favorites among them being the ones of Revathy from Mouna Ragam.

When I was an undergrad, there was a period of time I'd watch Aayutha Ezhuthu almost every three weeks. I adored the film, the writing, and the screenplay so much that there was this mystical quality that drew me back to the film at such a frequency. I think it was Sujatha's dialogues and Mani's characters coming to life in such a vibrant mix which made this movie irresistible to me. The chapter on Aayutha Ezhuthu gave me one more reason to go back and revisit the film.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of Mani Ratnam, or in general likes good Tamil films. I think there will be a lot of crossover between people who belong to those two buckets.

[Amar Viswanathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thoroughly disappointed by this book! Perhaps I was too critical, but the kind of questions that the noted critic Rangan asks is quite childish! A good blogger, who is a Mani Ratnam fan can ask the same questions. Mani Ratnam has made some of the most influential movies of our times and can be credited for taking Tamil Cinema to new heights, but this book is not the book to glorify him. A balanced perspective is very important! Some of the questions were so juvenile. For example, questions about the shooting of a song is great, but then out of the blue, another question pops up, "Oh, but that song gave you the title for the next movie...". Somehow there is this big disconnect! What do you want to ask about a movie? Shouldn't the questions be framed in a way such that people, who haven't seen his movies, get a DVD copy and see it? Oh! what about the fans? Wouldnt't they want more trivia? Instead we have a fanboy who is like a kid in a candy store asking questions which he always wanted to ask! A boring snooze fest of a book!

[Dinesh Jayaraman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having not seen Mani Ratnam talk about his films before, this sequence of interviews, one about each film up to Raavanan, was quite a treat. Rangan is quite the consummate critic, but either he isn't a particularly great interviewer or MR is just hard to open up (as BR actually complains at one point), so there is often this awkward forced feeling about their conversations especially at the beginning, and Mani Ratnam appears not to have much patience for BR's "intellectualization" of his movies. Still, BR often points out interesting connections within MR's body of work that Ratnam himself appears not to have noticed.

Aside from making the reader want to watch every MR film again, this book offers fascinating glimpses into the creative process of a director who's up there among the best.

[Aravind Nagarajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was asked to describe the book in one word, I would say "Blade". A more appropriate title for the book would have been "How Mani Ratnam abstained from killing Baradwaj Rangan".

That said, the book has been written in an interview style, which is probably its saving grace. Rangan dons the hat of a film critic throughout the book and asks Mani Ratnam some of the most inane questions about his films, and one can sense the director's irritation through his responses.

The book is a storehouse of trivia, and while I've watched all his movies (barring the initial four), it was quite interesting to learn why he chose to do a particular film the way he did. It takes a lot of effort to read the book, particularly when you try and sidestep Rangan's over-analysis.

[Sandhya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the movies made by Mani Ratnam and also like reading articles of Bharadwaj Rangan but I did not enjoy reading this book as much as I expected to.The book gets technical at times and might be more suitable for a student of film making. There are a few revealing moments, like the passages where he talks about his original concept of "mouna raagam". These passages reinstate your faith in the man who off late has not been creating the same magic that he used to.The foreword by ARR and the introduction chapter by Rangan are also worth reading.
Overall not the finest book on Mani Ratnam.
The hunt is still on....

[dunkdaft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love it, but couldn't. Because, couple of movies which I haven't even heard of (TBH) because I am still a newbie at Southies. Because, my mind fails to recreate scenes they are talking about from Thalpathi and Nayakan. Need to revisit them, and this time from adult view and not from kid's, as I saw them initially.

Still, skipping a few things here and there, this still makes an engaging read. Every time I went home (as I mostly read during work commute) and 'had to' revisit the soundtrack I just read about. Rewatch videos they talked about. In that way, yes it's a must read, because - cinema.

[Vijay · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a big fan of Mani and you enjoyed all his movies, you would love this book. And I bet after reading about each movie, you would want to watch the movie again to observe the amount of detail that was actually put in each storyline. I was more fascinated to read about his older movies like Mouna Raagam, Agni Natchatiram and Nayagan than his newer ones (Guru, Raavan..) This book has also changed my point of view on Mani's films. I will for sure watch out for the rain, trains, umbrellas , dress color and appreciate every detail of it. Great book overall.

[Pradhija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mani’s thoughts, though (in his own words) intellectualized to some extent, made this book a page-turner. Being me, who has watched most of his movies while growing up, I was able to follow and partly relate to their conversations.

Baradwaj Rangan has done his homework– “Did Nirosha have a name in Agni Natchathiram?” is one brilliant observation.
And, that conversation around Nayagan scene - when Janakaraj is over-reacting and Kamal gives this what’s-wrong-with-you-now expression.
There are many interesting anecdotes throughout.

[Vidya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for every Mani Rathnam Fan. Its outstanding. Makes you feel like watching his movies again n again..