Readers Write In #804: Questions I want to ask Mr. Mani Rathnam and Mr. Kamal Haasan

By Sudharsanan Sampath

I’ve been watching Thug Life‘s promotional interviews, especially the one-on-one interviews with Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan. As expected, there are the usual questions about Nayagan, about what it’s like to reunite with this star or act alongside that person. Occupational hazard. My favorite interview of all this was Sudhir Srinivasan’s interview with Mani Ratnam. (Sorry BR) I’ve never seen the filmmaker this relaxed and willing to engage. And Sudhir almost asked some of the questions I wanted to ask, but ultimately didn’t. He skirted the line. Which got me thinking: if I ever have the opportunity to ask filmmakers like Mani Rathnam and Kamal Haasan some questions, what would I ask? These are a few off the top of my head.

1. To Mani Rathnam and Kamal Haasan

You often speak about your guru K. Balachander, and about filmmakers like Bergman, Kurosawa, and others who’ve shaped you as filmmakers. You’ve both had immense box office success, and in Kamal Haasan’s case, even opportunities like Bigg Boss. So I’ll assume that money is secondary to filmmakers as respected and passionate as yourselves.

That said, why don’t we see Tamil films like Wild Strawberries, Persona, or Ran? Why don’t we see honest, philosophical, existential explorations? Especially now, when a film like Wild Strawberries could be made with a fraction of the budget of even a small Tamil film.

Why do you think such films remain so rare here? Apart from a few exceptions, like Manikandan’s Kadaisi Vivasayi, or Lijo’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, or Tumbbad, even something like Thithi from Kannada cinema, they’re almost nonexistent.

What is holding us back from making films that are personal, meditative, and artistically daring?

To Mani Ratnam:

When I watch the trailer of Thug Life, it reminds me of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, the power dynamic and struggle between Simbu and Kamal, and the family dynamic within the gangster world. Even the visuals of a car drifting on the sand remind me of CCV. What attracted you to this story? Does CCV‘s reception have anything to do with it? Is it essentially a do over with better writing and different set of actors?

To Mani Ratnam:

I liked your answer in Sudhir’s interview that you are always trying to reach toward the mastery of the films you admire, to close the gap between what you like and what you make. You spoke highly of Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, and even said you envy filmmakers who make films with honesty.

What is stopping you from making films with the level of honesty you admire? We saw glimpses of that honesty in Mouna Raagam, Nayagan, Kannathil Muthamittal, Bombay, and others. But why do you think your recent films lack that same honesty? And what do you think you can do to get there?

To Mani Rathnam: Just as a side note: My favorite film of yours is Raavanan with the fantastic Vikram as Raavanan. I am willing to die on that hill.

To Kamal Haasan:

One of my favorite passages in any Tamil film is the 40-minute Afghanistan sequence in Vishwaroopam 1. I was blown away by what I was watching. Why didn’t the entire film maintain that level of brilliance? And what do you think went wrong with the sequel?

If you had all the money in the world, with no pressure from the audience, the film community, or political powers, how would Vishwaroopam look? Can you explore that vision?

To Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan:

When I look at films from around the world, I’m always blown away by the sheer range of cinematic brilliance across genres, space exploration thrillers, psychological horrors, folk horror, military dramas, political thrillers, and science fictions. I’m not referring to big budget, VFX heavy tentpole films, but more grounded, atmospheric works like The Wailing or Exhuma from Korea, Under the Skin, Children of Men, or even something homegrown like Kantara.

Would you be interested in exploring genres beyond gangster dramas and action sagas? For instance, I’d love to see Kamal Haasan in a horror film like Bramayugam, or witness Mani Rathnam direct a slow burn paranoia thriller like the Zodiac or Memories of Murder.

What are the chances of something like that ever happening? Do these genres excite you creatively?

To Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam:

If money, audience expectations, the pressure of being a star, and political influence were no longer factors, what would your next films be? Genre, themes?

To Mani Ratnam:

I love what you said about films with honesty. For example, I consider Children of Heaven by Majid Majidi to be a spectacularly honest film. But when the same film was remade in Tamil as Akka Kuruvi, it was stripped of that honesty. It became more melodramatic and sentimental, with a rousing background score. For lack of a better term, it was “Tamilified.”

I don’t believe this is cultural and we need a background score telling us how to feel, or scenes that tell instead of simply showing what’s happening.

What can future filmmakers learn from Iranian cinema or other honest films? And how can we begin to implement that kind of emotional restraint and authenticity in our own industry?

To Kamal Haasan:

What is your favorite Sivaji Ganesan performance and why? You have to pick one?

To Mani Rathnam:

What is the one film that made you feel jealous as a filmmaker? It could be any film from around the world.

To Kamal Haasan:

If Sivaji Ganesan and Nagesh were alive today and you are tasked to make a film with those two in the lead roles, what type of film would you make? Let us say they are both older. Thevar Magan Sivaji Ganesan, and Nammavar Nagesh for a reference.