Genius that's Mani Ratnam

Mani Ratnam is a filmmaker who needs no Introduction. Over the years, he has amassed a wealth of cinematic gems. Each of which is unique and priceless. Most directors stick to a particular genre but that's not the case with Mani Ratnam. Let's take a look at his oeuvre. He shot to fame with Mouna Ragam (1986), a finely crafted domestic drama.

- JITESH PILLAAI

The sensitive portrayal of what modern arranged marriage looked like broke new ground. His next offering, Nayakan (1987), made on the lines of The Godfather, gave him international recognition, making a place among Time's 100 greatest films of all time. He could have continued making gangster-themed films, given the project's stupendous critical and commercial success. He however, came back to the theme only in 1991 with Thalapathi.

Starring Mammootty and Rajinikant, the film took references from The Mahabharata and again proved both commercial and critical success. In between, he came up with films like Geethanjali M (1989), which remains the only Telugu film directed by him and revolves around two lovers suffering from terminal illnesses and Anjali (1990), a film about an autistic child.