Veteran actor-director Suhasini Mani Ratnam, who made her acting debut in 1981 with 'Kotha Jeevithalu', has worked with some of the best filmmakers in Indian cinema including K. Balachander, Bharathiraja, and of course, her filmmaker-husband, Mani Ratnam. Having worked with some of Tamil cinema’s legends, Suhasini, in an exclusive interview with Mathrubhumi, said that the industry today doesn’t have legendary filmmakers. She also highlighted how the directors today are succumbing to the pressure of box office numbers.
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While talking about the difference she sees in her directors from the early years of her career to filmmakers of today’s time, Suhasini said, “My directors, they enveloped us. They literally held us together, protected us, and took us to the success of the character. But today, the directors are not like that. They feel that you come to do your part and they would utilize you as much as possible. But I was really surprised to get a note from Srikanth Mohan (‘Jai Mahendran’ director), saying, ‘Ma’am I’m looking forward to working with you again on another project.’ It is usually not like that. My earlier directors always wanted to continue. They were like, ‘You have done this role now, what next? We have to do something which is unique.’ That is the difference that I see in my time’s directors and now.”
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She also spoke about why she thinks there are no legendary directors nowadays. “Today I don’t think we have legendary directors as such because they are all looking at pan-Indian cinema and box office collections. I think the directors that were there during my time, didn’t have to worry so much about box office collection.”
She further added: “Earlier if the film was not doing well, it was not doing well. But today, they know everything from whether it has done well, how many zeroes are added or reduced. I think there is too much pressure on the directors. They deviate from art and are going to commerce. My directors, Balachandra, Bharathiraja, Balu Mahendra, K Vishwanath, Mani Ratnam, and Padmarajan, didn't have to look only at the box office numbers. That is the difference that I find. Today’s directors are too pressurized to deliver money.”
Suhasini reminisced how factors like empty seats in a theater weren't a concern in the older times, but have become one now. “Today, somebody told me that I went to a theater to watch a big star’s film but there were only 15 or 20 of us. You wouldn’t notice that earlier. You would just see the film. But now they are counting the number of empty seats. So many people come up to us and say, ‘How many crores did ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ collect?’ My husband asked me, ‘Did you like the film?’ I said yes, and you know it’s a commercial hit so let’s leave it at that. Let's not get into the numbers. It is not your or my area. I’m a creative person, I made a film, you saw it and you liked it. Why are you getting into the finances now? There is an extra effort to bring in the numbers. I think it has become a fashion. Only if this goes away, the pressure on the youngsters will go away too,” she concluded.
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SUHASINI MANIRATNAM
TAMIL CINEMA
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