In a country like India where national cinema is synonymous with 'Hindi Films'....it's no mean feat for any regional language film-maker to make his presence felt across the country by having his films known about,if not shown throughout the nation.Satyajit Ray,Mrinal Sen,Tapan Sinha,Adoor Goapalkrishnan,Buddhadeb Dasgupta,Gautam Ghosh,Rituparno Ghosh,Aparna Sen have done that... through subtitled prints/dubbed versions(Chokher Bali,Antarmahal,Khela)/hindi remakes of their bengali originals(Zindagi Zindagi,Sagina).
But all of them have been from Parallel or Middle Cinema.But,in the last three decades,a South Indian mainstream film-maker has been able to do it in style....none other than Maniratnam.I'm calling him a mainstream film-maker only because unlike the others I mentioned,his films have songs,dances,action and all other elements of popular cinema.But,still he's one film-maker who has been able to make superbly-crafted & socially-relevant films within the ambit of commercial cinema for more than 30 years,as a result of which his films much like the films of Ray,Tapan Sinha & Rituparno Ghosh have been well-received by audiences & critics alike & have also won accolades at national awards & international film festivals alonside breaking box-office records.
And,when it comes to box-office, going back to where I started,it's imperative to mention that his films have not just been limited to tamil/telugu audience....but dubbed versions of his films like 'Roja'& 'Bombay' have been seen,loved & appreciated by audiences all across India....to such an extent that They have become 'Cult' films in the history of 'Indian Cinema'.However,there are some earlier films of his as well which were dubbed into hindi or subtitled & got some viwing outside South India.I saw three such films recently 'Nayakan',Geetanjali' & 'Anjali'.Though I liked all,still can't say they reached the excellence of 'Roja' & 'Bombay'.Only,'Nayakan' can be said to be very well-made & well-crafted film where action,drama,social commentary,humanity were all wonderfully interwound into a magnum 'biopic'.Supposedly based on Francis Ford Coppola's 'Godfather',it showcased one of the finest performances by one of the fines Indian actors,kamal Hasan & is included in Time magazine's list of 'All-time great 100 Movies'.
The other two films 'Geetanjali' & 'Anjali' are relatively softer films devoid of too much action & emphasizing on human relationships. 'Geetanjali' shows the romance between two terminally-ill people....shot in the picturesque 'Ooty',it featured action-hero 'Nagarjuna' for the first time in a romantic role.'Anjali' tells the story of an autistic chld who changes the lives of people around her....it is regarded as one of the best Indian Children's films ever made.
All these films & also 'Roja' & 'Bombay' showcase Maniratnam's mastery over the language of Cinema,his eye for innovations & his concerns for under-served people & his ability to tell their story in simple & engaging way.According to me,he is also one of the best directors of child-artists as is evident from the performances of children in his films like 'Nayakan','Geetanjali','Anjali','Roja','Bombay' & 'Kannathil Muthamittal'. Watching a Maniratnam film is always a heart-warming experience & I eagerly look forward to watching more of his films.
But all of them have been from Parallel or Middle Cinema.But,in the last three decades,a South Indian mainstream film-maker has been able to do it in style....none other than Maniratnam.I'm calling him a mainstream film-maker only because unlike the others I mentioned,his films have songs,dances,action and all other elements of popular cinema.But,still he's one film-maker who has been able to make superbly-crafted & socially-relevant films within the ambit of commercial cinema for more than 30 years,as a result of which his films much like the films of Ray,Tapan Sinha & Rituparno Ghosh have been well-received by audiences & critics alike & have also won accolades at national awards & international film festivals alonside breaking box-office records.
And,when it comes to box-office, going back to where I started,it's imperative to mention that his films have not just been limited to tamil/telugu audience....but dubbed versions of his films like 'Roja'& 'Bombay' have been seen,loved & appreciated by audiences all across India....to such an extent that They have become 'Cult' films in the history of 'Indian Cinema'.However,there are some earlier films of his as well which were dubbed into hindi or subtitled & got some viwing outside South India.I saw three such films recently 'Nayakan',Geetanjali' & 'Anjali'.Though I liked all,still can't say they reached the excellence of 'Roja' & 'Bombay'.Only,'Nayakan' can be said to be very well-made & well-crafted film where action,drama,social commentary,humanity were all wonderfully interwound into a magnum 'biopic'.Supposedly based on Francis Ford Coppola's 'Godfather',it showcased one of the finest performances by one of the fines Indian actors,kamal Hasan & is included in Time magazine's list of 'All-time great 100 Movies'.
The other two films 'Geetanjali' & 'Anjali' are relatively softer films devoid of too much action & emphasizing on human relationships. 'Geetanjali' shows the romance between two terminally-ill people....shot in the picturesque 'Ooty',it featured action-hero 'Nagarjuna' for the first time in a romantic role.'Anjali' tells the story of an autistic chld who changes the lives of people around her....it is regarded as one of the best Indian Children's films ever made.
All these films & also 'Roja' & 'Bombay' showcase Maniratnam's mastery over the language of Cinema,his eye for innovations & his concerns for under-served people & his ability to tell their story in simple & engaging way.According to me,he is also one of the best directors of child-artists as is evident from the performances of children in his films like 'Nayakan','Geetanjali','Anjali','Roja','Bombay' & 'Kannathil Muthamittal'. Watching a Maniratnam film is always a heart-warming experience & I eagerly look forward to watching more of his films.
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