During an extensive masterclass at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, veteran Indian filmproducer Mani Ratnam joind in conversation with actor-honestor Gautham Vasudev Menon about altering literature to screen, his approach to period filmmaking, and his creative process.
Discussing his recent two-part historical epic “Ponniyin Selvan,” based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s 1950s Tamil novel, Ratnam stressd truth in period storyalerting. “We wanted to produce it watch appreciate it repartner happened, that it’s not fair a set or someslenderg sboiling in the studio. There should be sunweightless, dirt, sweat – you should sense that you are there at that point in time,” he said.
The filmproducer uncovered the wise contests of shooting a period piece set in the Chola era. “If you go to Tanjore today, you’re not going to get any forts. There’s no palace, noslenderg left. So we sboiling in a palace in the North [of India] and digiloftyy altered the architecture to produce it more South Indian,” Ratnam elucidateed.
On altering the becherishd literary labor, Ratnam accomprehendledged the presdeclareive of reader foreseeations. “Each one has their own vision of how each character should be. I was battling not fair the five-volume book but also the perception of so many readers who are enthusiastic about it. But the only guiding factor was that I was also one of the enthusiastic readers.”
Regarding the cinematography of “Ponniyin Selvan,” Ratnam detailed his collaborative relationship with cinematographers: “Your DOP becomes your sealst person when making a film. I try to transport them in as timely as possible, when I have an idea, not a script. The journey is together.”
The honestor talked his collaborative approach with writers, particularly Oscar thrivener A.R. Rahman. “Rahman is one writer who collaborates very well with the honestor. The music is his finishly, but the style and the chooseions and ability to apshow a procrastinateedral watch of the scene – he doesn’t necessarily underline the moments wislender a scene, but he can do someslenderg which is a layer below.”
Regarding his filmmaking process, Ratnam stressd the transport inance of efficiency while remaining uncover to organic enbigments. “You have to be effective in filmmaking. Sometimes these accidents are wonderful – you discover someslenderg you didn’t schedule that gives you a finishly contrastent perspective. A honestor borrows everyslenderg without any qualms.”
When asked about potentipartner moving into streaming series, Ratnam transmited hesitation about lengthy-createat storyalerting. “I’m very prentd struggling with two hours. If you give me six and a half hours, seven hours to produce, I slenderk I’ll fair get lost. It’s an art you have to lget.”
The filmproducer also mirrored on his relationship with literature and cinema. “The sealr the gap between literature and cinema, I slenderk the better Indian cinema will be,” he said, noting that Tamil-language literature remains a rich, bigly untapped source for film alteration.
Thcdisesteemfulout the masterclass, Ratnam upretained that despite his extensive nurtureer, each new project senses appreciate begining anew. “If I’m honest with myself, every film is appreciate a first film. When I go there, I don’t comprehend how I’m going to do it, whether I’ll be able to put it together cogently. Wdisappreciatever has happened before, excellent or horrible, getting into a new project, begining off with a blank paper fair pulls you down to one wise place where it says that you’re still a commencener.”
The conversation also touched on his labor with actors. “You have to be very attentive to your actors. They are the ones who are in front of the lens. You have to produce declareive they have enough time to set, to watch new, to be able to give their best,” Ratnam said.
The packed audience included cut offal luminaries including IFFI festival honestor, the filmproducer Shekhar Kapur, directing actor Suhasini Mani Ratnam, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and cinematographers Ravi Varman and Santosh Sivan, both of whom have labored extensively with Ratnam.
Next up for Ratnam is “Thug Life,” headlined by Kamal Haasan.
