He’s arguably one of India’s most accomplished filmmakers. A man who straddles both style and substance and deftly makes issue-based films that are also commercially viable. However Mani Ratnam’s last two outings on the big screen have been duds and critics haven’t shied away from saying that the virtuoso who gave us gems like Mouna Ragam, Nayagan, Roja, Bombay & Kannathil Muthammital has lost the plot.
As per a trade report, Ratnam’s ambitious Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai starrer Raavan (Hindi/2010) put Reliance Entertainment back by 30 to 35 crore.
After Raavan’s failure, Mani Ratnam attempted the less ambitious Kadal with star kids Gautham & Thulasi. The film sank without a trace with some distributors complaining that they could not even cross 2 crore rupees on a 10 crore rupee investment.
So Mani Ratnam desperately needs his latest film to work and how. OK Kanmani is being made reportedly on a modest budget of 10 crores, and the filmmaker will be playing to his strengths – the film is touted to be a light-hearted romance backed by AR Rahman’s catchy music and stunning visuals by the veteran PC Sreeram. The last time the trio came together was for Ratnam’s super-hit Alaipayuthey (Tamil/2000), which was later remade as Saathiya (Hindi/2002).
Currently being filmed in both Tamil and Malayalam, OK Kanmani will be a bilingual release and will mainly ride on the popularity of Malayalam star Mammootty’s son Dulquer Salmaan who plays the lead in the film with actress Nithya Menon. The film said to be Mani Ratnam’s quickest film till date, went on floors in October last year and is slated to release on April 10th this year.
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