Mani Ratnam Vs Ram Gopal Varma

This blog was written in 2003 but has changed URLs again and again in search of a decent place in the internet...

this is about 2 of my favourite contemporary movie makers in India- Mani Ratnam and Ram Gopal Varma and some thoughts on the changing Indian Film Industry. Comparing these two great men is too difficult, they have completely different way of thinking and their works are just poles apart. But some things are common. They both hail from the south, both were highly educated (Mani was an MBA graduate while Varma was a Civil Engineer), both never were assistants before making films themselves and then, of course, both make simply great movies.

Well, for those who dont know much about these men, a short intro: Maniratnam had the advantage of having a producer/distributor father and brother. He started making a kannada movie "Pallavi Anu Pallavi" starring Anil Kapoor which was a failure. Then came "Pagal nilavu" (Tamil) and "Unaru" (malayalam), both flops. The movie which gave Mani ratnam his first commercial success was "Mouna Raagam" (tamil). A splendid movie on husband-wife relationship. But the movie which put him on the National dias was "Nayagan" which earned Kamal Hassan, the national award for best actor, though Mani came under criticism for kindling anti-hindi sentiments among the Tamilians through the movie. But then there was no looking back. "Anjali" (Tamil), "Geetanjali" (telugu) came as hits. With "Roja", Ratnam became a house hold name country wide.Then came many more memorable movies like "Bombay"(Tamil), "Dilse.."(Hindi) and more recently "Kannaththil Muththamittal"(tamil). Today, he makes his own movies under the Madras Talkies banner.

Ram Gopal VArma, well, was a regular movie goer like you and me during the college days in Vijayawada (AP). Movie making was his passion since then. Unlike Mani, he started with hits like "Shiva", "kshanakshanam", "Money" and "gaayam"(Telugu). He got the reputation of making voilent but realistic movies in a rather feudal Telugu film industry. But then even he had to face Box office disasters with "Antham", "Govinda Govinda" (Telugu), "Daud" and "Mast" (Hindi)."Rangeela"(hindi) was his first step in Bollywood and soon after that his name has become inseparable from the hindi film industry, with the creation of the company Varma Corp. Movies "satya" and "company" established him as a movie maker with calibre and today he is the most sought after director in Bollywood.

Well, forget all the history. What makes these two men different from others? Well, the kind of picturisation you get to see in their movies, you realise how technically strong these men are. A well thought over script, realistic visualisations, stupendous screenplay is all these men have to offer. Surprisingly (many dont know), these two have worked together- while Ram gopal varma wrote Mani's "Thiruda Thiruda"(tamil) and exe-produced "Dil Se..", Mani wrote Varma's "Gaayam"(telugu), a box-office hit. Both the men were inspired by one another. Mani, Varma and Shekar Kapoor together own a company. While Mani introduced talents such as A.R.Rehman and Madhavan, Varma's finds include the likes of Vivek Oberoi, Antra Mali, Manoj Bajpai, Aftab and ofcourse, the ever gorgeous and immensly talented Urmila Matondkar. While Mani mastered the art of showcasing the life of terrorists on the screen ("Roja", "Dil Se...", "Kannaththil..."), Varma successfully sneaked his camera into the dark corners of the Bombay Underworld ("Satya", "company", "Ab tak Chahppan"). Using violence to make a point seems to be the style of the two.

Ramu pursuited his fancy for Horror in the movies "Raathri" (telugu), "Bhoot" and "Darna Mana Hai" (Hindi). Barring "Bhoot", the others did not make any mark on the charts. Both the directors revolutionised the art of cinematography with unusually realistic camera work,which completelty mix with the story . Manis"Agni Nakshathram" (Tamil) is a good example, So is Ramu's "Road". Mani got Rajiv Gandhi's National Integration Award for "Roja" while Ramu Bagged AP govts Nandi Award for Best director. Movies like "Iruvar", "Bombay", "Indira" "satya" and "company" brought out some very serious problems the country faces today along with sound techniques of modern movie making. Ramu's "Rangeela" and more recently "Main Madhuri Dixit..." depicts the struggles of young girls trying to make their place as heroines in Bollywood. Both these men now have a place of their own in the hall of fame of the legendary directors of India of the likes of Guru Dutt . The very recent flicks of both the directors have bombed at the box-office (Mani-"kannaththil...", "five star", Ramu-"Darna mana hai", "Main madhuri...", "Ek Hasina thi"), which shows that ,the conception that the Indian Film Industry is increasingly becoming close to real life, is a myth. The talk that Cinema is undergoing a revival of the kind of the "golden era" of 70s is just bogus.

Producers still rely on conventional-masala oriented movies for success. Item numbers, uncorrelated comedy, heart kindling sentiments, gravity defying stunts still play a major role in the fate of a movie. The "vertically integrated film industry", as Kamal hasan puts it is still an Utopian dream. India makes 30 times as many movies as Hollywood every year. But the total earnings of Bollywood is hardly 2% of that of Hollywood. Culturally, we have a handicap- Movies in Indian languages cannot reach people world wide. And also, the concepts that Indian cinema deals with are quite local in nature, which the international audience cannot relate with. But upcoming directors like Nagesh Kuknoor and Mira Nair have proved that movie making is beyong cultural barriers and they have put Indian Cinema on the world map. But then, their takers are but a minority in India. Majority still wants light hearted commercial masalas. Strong willed directors like Mani and Ramu fight a seemingly losing battle, falling prey to the latest trend -Flops. Critics obviously dismiss any improvement in the industry for many years to come... But the situation may not be that bad after all. With immense acting talent like Aamir Khan, Kamal Hassan and Urmila Matondkar in the country, directors with determination can still taper the industry well on the lines of Hollywood.

Now, vertical integration DOESNOT mean mimicking the Hollywood but learning the art of "real life" movie making from them- "trying to get the true essence of life which the common masses can relate with". After all movies are supposed to showcase the society. "Dil Chahta Hai" and "Anbe Sivam" were such movies. They put the actors in real life kind of situations and the actors too brought out reality in their performances. Another common perception is that songs are a draw back in Indian movies. This is not true. Supposing there were songs in all the Hollywood movies and there weren't any in Indian cinema, we would say there OUGHT to be songs and dances in cinema!!!! Every country has made some contribution to the world of cinema, and songs, are something unique to India. Songs and dances, in India, have traditionally been the means of expression- of delight, of sorrow, of devotion and of hatred. And this is exactly why they have been incorporated in Cinema. Songs are an attempt to explore greater depths of human emotion, not to exaggerate them. So when Maddy suddenly disappears from Chennai and reappears, jumping and waving his hands outstreched in the gardens of Shimla in "Alaipayuthey", the director is not trying to be funny. Nor is he trying to divert the attention of the audiences. As a matter of fact, he is trying get the audiences under the character's skin and let them actually experience the same emotions. Dance sequences, if shot sensibly with picturisations pertaining to the situation, go a long way in telling the story all by themselves. Ofcourse, directors who dare to make movies without songs must be appreciated. It is also true that when dealing with serious issues, songs are but an irritant. Movies like "Kurudhi Punal"(Tamil) and "Hyderabad Blues"(English) surely didn't need songs. Serious movies, have this responsibility of not compromising with the ground realities. But then, its the directors own discretion to decide whether songs make sense or not. Its a different story. But if you still think these dances in hill stations and holiday resorts are crazy, well, look at the song sequences in movies like "Lagaan" or "Dil Chahta Hai" or "Virumaandi", dont you think they completely blend with the movie and the story would be lifless without them?

Truly, Indian Cinema has come a long way, learning from its own mistakes, and has become more matured. There are 2 kinds of film makers in India- those who realise awesome scripts which bags scores of National and International awards but which just sink in the Box-office. These movies are so ahead of their time that people are not able to accept such a drastic change from the convention. So, they DONOT do any good in reviving the film industry, contrary to the common perception. Then there are those who make masala movies, which topple the charts and draw people to house full theatres, but technically, lack lusture and are far from qualifying as good movies.

This is where men like Mani Ratnam and Ram Gopal Varma come in. They have the ability to make movies of substance and yet give it a "mainstream" flavour drawing peoples' attention. It is they who actually help the smooth transition of the industry from horizontal to vertical integration. Even if their movies flop, they leave a bench mark. They form the missing link in this evolution of Indian Cinema. It all depends, now, on how well their successors inherit and even better the standards set by them. India has a long history of great movie makers and Mani, Ramu are the latest additions to the list. Whether, in future, Indian Cinema really comes to the standards of Hollywood or not, the work of men like these will always be remembered as an attempt break away from convention and make movies which are appealing to the masses not only of this generation but generations to come. In this success hungry industry, they taught us that it is possible to make make commercial movies while not compromising with the script. Mani Ratnam's "Ayutha ezhuththu"(Tamil, "Yuva" in Hindi) is due release in May end. Lets see what this man from Chennai has to offer us this time...