IFFI 2024: Mani Ratnam talks to Gautham Menon on ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ and transforming literary masterpieces into engaging films

After more than four decades in the business of making films and after countless milestones that changed the course of Tamil cinema, ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam continues to wield his enchanting wand — his wit and magnetic way with words — as he addressed a hall full of fans eager to know all things Mani Ratnam. On Friday evening, the Kala Academy in Goa turned into an evening of celebrating the Iruvar-maker, as he answered candidly to questions from filmmaker and a Mani Ratnam aficionado, Gautham Vasudev Menon, on the art of transforming literary masterpieces into engaging films, at the International Film Festival of India. I’ve had a lot of trouble trying to convert one big piece into a film, so it’s an art that we have to learn a lot more.” Answering Gautham’s question on how he decides which literary work could potentially become an engaging film, the Thalapathi-maker advised filmmakers to follow their instincts. You are the best judge of what works for you.” In the Ponniyin Selvan films, Mani Ratnam famously retained the cliffhanger that Kalki had left the audiences with while addressing the mystery behind Adithya Karikalan’s death. “What’s great about our epics is that they throw so many fascinating characters like Karnan, and so much can be made out of them.” While reminiscing the time he spent at Kalakshetra, where he was exposed to theatre, art, dance, and music, the filmmaker recalled how they all spoke of fascinating interpretations of the mythology, “in which they dealt with characters that were portrayed as villains, and look at it from their point of view.” The session ended with a rather interesting QnA session with the audience, in which topics ranged from how he deals with last-minute issues that prop up on a film set to how he works with his cinematographers, like the celebrated Ravi Varman, who was observing the discussion from the sidelines.