Ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam has opened up about directing a biopic on Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, with whom he has collaborated only once in his three -decade-long career for the superhit film Thalapathi.
It is definitely not a bad idea for a biopic on Rajinikanth, but I can make it only if I find a suitable actor who has the ability to portray Rajinikanth on the big screen. I have worked with Rajini only once. It was a delightful experience. I’m really fortunate I could bring out the actor in him to a certain extent hidden behind his star image.Mani Ratnam, Filmmaker
“I like his dedication, commitment and sincerity towards work. When we were shooting in Mysore for Thalapathi, his fans used to throng in large numbers, which in turn would hamper our productivity during the shooting. There were people who used to come from as far as Bangalore just to get a glimpse of Rajinikanth. But he still managed to interact with his fans and reported to the sets punctually at the dawn and dusk as he was completely aware that we were shooting under natural sunlight,” Mani Ratnam reminisced.
With classic films like Nayagan, Iruvar and Guru under his belt, Mani Ratnam has brought to screen the life stories of Mumbai-based don Varadarajan Mudaliar, MG Ramachandran, Kalaignar M Karunanidhi and Dhirubhai Ambani. Who else could be a better bet in Tamil filmdom to direct a biopic on Rajinikanth?
Mani Ratnam is currently working on the casting of his yet-untitled next Tamil project, which is likely to star Karthi in the lead role. Sai Pallavi, who made heads turn with her supremely nonchalant performance in the recent Malayalam sensation Premam, auditioned few weeks back in Mani’s office to play the female lead opposite Karthi.
(Karthik Kumar is an independent film critic and journalist. He actively follows and writes on popular South Indian cinema and covers independent films too.)
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