Why Mani Ratnam said he 'can never make' comedy films
Critically acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam admitted that he cannot make comedy films despite how much he loves the genre.
Filmmaker Ratnam interacted with the media during the promotion of his upcoming film Thug Life in Delhi, which also stars Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR and Trisha Krishnan in the lead.
During a press conference, the Nayakan director opened up about his favourite genre and said he chooses to only watch comedy films.
"The genre I like most, I am not good at them, so I don't make them. I just watch it. He (Kamal Haasan) does comedy, and it's unbelievable the comedy films he does, and I can never make them," Ratnam said. "So, I just watch."
However, Haasan said it isn't that Ratnam cannot make comedy films, but he just chooses not to.
"...That's what I think. I have spoken to him. He is not those people who are very serious when we joke, this gentleman laughs," Haasan said. "So he gets it. But somewhere, he has kept himself that way."
During a recent interview with ANI, Ratnam got candid about being called a "dream director".
"Some people would like the dream to remain a dream," he quipped.
Explaining his collaborative process with the actors, the Anjali, Thalapathy and Roja director said, "So, it's not like you wanting to work with several actors ..(It's a two-way process)... But that just shows how much you appreciate their talent and how much they like this kind of film. You should have something, especially if they really like to work with you."
"I should have something to offer," he said.
"I can't just take a film because they want to work with me," Ratnam said. "I should be able to give them something a little more or almost as good as what they've done before."
Co-written by Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam, Thug Life will release in theatres on June 5.
The film also features Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, and Rohit Saraf.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
Who is Zainab Ravdjee? Indian star Nagarjuna's son Akhil Akkineni marries girlfriend
Akhil Akkineni, son of superstar Nagarjuna, married his longtime girlfriend Zainab Ravdjee in Hyderabad on Friday, June 6. The marriage ceremony was a star-studded affair as many celebrities attended the event. Akhil's brother, Naga Chaitanya, was also present at the wedding ceremony in Hyderabad. The wedding followed traditional Telugu-style rituals. Nagarjuna shared pictures from the wedding ceremony featuring the couple performing the sacred marriage rituals. For the ceremony, Akhil was dressed in while the bride wore an ivory saree matched with diamond jewellery. Akhil is the son of Nagarjuna and his second wife, Amala. In one of the pictures, the Akkineni family appears to be performing the rituals of a Telugu wedding ceremony. Indian actress Sobita Dhulipala, who married Naga Chaitanya last year and recently became a part of the Akkineni family, also shared a photo with the newlyweds. Who is Zainab Ravdjee? Daughter of industrialist Zulfi Ravdjee, Zainab Ravdjee is an artist, entrepreneur and a former actress. Zainab's father is said to have been a close advisor to the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Zainab has been recognised for her work in the arts. She was mentored by the celebrated painter MF Husain at a young age. She moved to Dubai at the age of 21, setting up art shows and earning appreciation for her work as an artist. She later moved to London. She has earned critical acclaim and a loyal following among art collectors. She also used to run a page called OnceUponTheSkin, an account dedicated to all things skincare. The age gap between Zainab and Akhil Their wedding came over six months after Akhil announced their engagement through an Instagram post. The news prompted negative comments on social media about their age difference and religious backgrounds. Zainab is said to be nine years older than the actor, accoroding to Indian media reports.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Why former diplomat-turned-filmmaker explores 'unpopular' communities
From diplomatic missions to international movie sets, Dubai-based Russian filmmaker Olga Sapozhnikova has spent her life trying to bridge divides between nations, between people, and even within the self. A former Russian diplomat stationed in Japan, Sapozhnikova describes her life's work as one continuous pursuit of 'cross-cultural communication'. 'In the beginning I was more interested in how it's possible to stop wars. Now I'm more interested in how to stop conflicts between people; like if two groups in a company hate each other, or a husband and wife don't get along, how can we make them be friends?' Her journey began with a fascination for Japanese culture and diplomacy. She studied Japanese at the Moscow Linguistic University and went on to take a course in political science, which she described as 'additional knowledge' to support her interest in diplomacy and conflict resolution. She eventually became one of the first female Russian diplomats to serve in Japan, posted at the Russian embassy in Tokyo, where she was responsible for cultural affairs. 'Before, there were never women in this position,' she recalled. But it was a deeply personal crisis that pivoted her career towards filmmaking. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. From trauma to storytelling In 2001, her younger sister was caught near Ground Zero during the 9/11 attacks in New York. For three days, Sapozhnikova's family had no idea whether she had survived. 'She lived next to it. She was studying for the New York Bar. For three days we didn't have connection with her,' she recalled. 'She survived, but she lost her house. She was living somewhere without clothes or food. She was helping Americans from under the ground.' That experience, coupled with rising Islamophobia at the time, pushed Sapozhnikova to take action. 'In Moscow [at the time], if somebody in hijab entered the underground, everybody would run away. So, I thought it was very important to do something to connect Muslim people and Christian people,' she explained. Her motivation was also shaped by her own childhood experience. 'When I was 12 years old, living in Kuwait, I was saved by an Iraqi doctor. Nobody could cure me, and he saved me. That's why I'm so devoted to Muslims, and I thought it would be great to build a bridge. I have a lot of Muslim friends, especially girls. They are very kind and very smart. I wanted to portray that.' She pitched a film concept to a Russian TV station, which turned into her debut work, Hareem. Though she clashed with the director, who openly admitted to anti-Muslim bias, Sapozhnikova fought to keep her vision intact. 'I was the idea author and the scriptwriter. I was doing everything. But because I was very young, they didn't put me in the credits at first,' she said. The film aired 25 times and reached an audience of 140 million people. 'After this movie, a lot of people in Russia started studying Arabic,' she added. 'I showed that we are all one blood.' Women on the edge Her follow-up project was a sharp turn from her last one. She began profiling women in extreme professions for a film titled Risky Girls. She documented female stunt riders, tiger trainers, and base jumpers — each pushing past boundaries often seen as male-dominated. 'I was studying why women choose risky professions. Because by nature, the heart of a woman is to be safe,' she said. 'One girl was jumping from buildings. It's the most dangerous because the parachute opens at the last minute. 'During one of the jumps, she crashed hard into the side of the building — so violently that the cameraman, normally calm, started yelling, convinced she might not survive the impact.' The film featured women who lived double lives: nurturing mothers and fierce athletes. 'Few of them really surprised me. They had three kids, they cooked in the house, they wore dresses. But then suddenly, they were doing things men were afraid to do,' she added. The beauty of growing old Another theme that has emerged in her work is ageing, particularly how it is perceived in different cultures. Her recent projects have spotlighted elderly icons from Kazakhstan, Russia, and the UAE. In Hidden Beauty, she told the story of Jamila, the first Emirati woman to work in ambulance services, as well as other pioneering women in the UAE. In a Kazakhstan-based film on longevity, she featured women aged 60 to 90 who were still modelling internationally, a 103-year-old Russian woman who recites classical poetry weekly to keep her memory sharp, and an 86-year-old dancer who believes 'love will never get old.' 'In Kazakhstan, people over 60 stay at home. Some said they felt shy to go outside because of their wrinkles. I wanted to show they can,' Sapozhnikova said. 'They have an incredible desire to live.' Rewriting life's script Living in Dubai, Sapozhnikova works as a life and public speaking coach, helping people, particularly women, reshape their internal narratives. 'A lot of women, even if they are very successful, will say 'Yeah, but I'm still not married' or 'I'm already 45'. I help them rewrite what they want,' she said. 'I ask questions, they write it down, and for 21 days, they read it to themselves. And they change.' The method draws from her experience in diplomacy and filmmaking. 'In a way, I work like a director, helping them rewrite their scenario." One woman from Kazakhstan, she recalled, came to her ready to give up after losing her husband, son, and home. 'She said there was nothing else left. But after the programme, she changed completely. Now she's living again.' A global vision Sapozhnikova's films have been broadcast widely and recognised at festivals from Cannes to Los Angeles. Her subjects range from Emirati policewomen to Kazakh Olympic champions training in cabbage warehouses. 'I choose unpopular topics. A boxer who didn't have gloves. A girl jumping from a vegetable market to a stadium named after her. People don't believe such stories exist,' she said. Next, she plans to host a forum in Dubai focused on longevity and is considering a new documentary on 'higher vibrations' — a concept she defines as the mindset that allows people to focus on what unites rather than what annoys or divides. 'When you start thinking about building something bigger, your vibration changes. Then you start taking all your resources, all your mind, all your network — and you do something that makes you and others stronger.'
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Akshay Kumar's 'Housefull 5' fails to deliver the laughs
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nana Patekar Rating: 1/5 stars Truth no. 1: This is a difficult feature to write. The task is to review a movie and that's where the biggest problem lies — Housefull 5 is not a movie. It is a 165-minute long gag featuring fairly good-looking people on a pretty set, which we are told is a cruise, pretending to act in a feature film. Truth no. 2: I was actually looking forward to it and went to the cinemas fully prepared. The brain cells had been switched off, reasoning and rationale had been dismissed, and expectations were carefully set to sub-zero. Bad jokes? I am game! Lame scenes where a man hits a monkey and the monkey hits the man? No problem. Foolish puns? They can be funny! Truth no. 3: Tarun Mansukhani's name as director raised one's hopes. After all, the man gave us Dostana, a funny, urban, and intelligent comedy all those years ago. Even if the Housefull series, by its very nature, is defined by below-the-belt humour, perhaps there would be some moments of genuine, albeit silly, laughter — much-needed in these grim times. I now realise it's futile to even hope. Bollywood slapstick comedies of the Housefull variety are always given a long rope. They have set the bar so low that each previous film seems better than the current one. Perhaps the fifth 'installment' in this 'franchise' will seem really good when the 10th edition comes out a few years later. Simply because, when you think back, the first Housefull (2010), directed by Sajid Khan, actually seems like comedy gold compared to this one. So, what is Housefull 5 all about? If you must know, it's set aboard a cruise where a rich old man (Ranjeet) dies amid his birthday celebrations, leaving his fortune to his estranged son, Jolly. Three men (Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, and Ritesh Deshmukh) accompanied by three women (Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, and Sonam Bajwa) turn up claiming to be Jolly. The team on the other side comprising Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea, Chitrangada Singh, Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, and Chunky Pandey (don't ask who plays what, it doesn't matter), have to find out who the real Jolly is. Suddenly, a few murders take place, which need to be investigated by two suspended Scotland Yard cops, Bhidu and Baba (Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff — so original!) with help from their boss (Nana Patekar). Apparently, this is a film that has two different endings. Depending on which theatre you walk into, the murderer probably changes. There is no logic for this stunt, but then when was the last time mainstream Bollywood did anything logical? In this Hangover -meets- Housefull -meets- Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron ripoff, there is absolutely no story, screenplay, plot points, performances ,or technique that can be discussed or dissected. So let's just list out some sequences that make up this…ahem…film, and you can take the call: ● A CGI ship where the entire madness is set. ● Characters named Julius, Jalabuddin, Jalbhushan, Kanchi, Sasikala, and Dhagdu Hulgund. ● CGI animals, notably a parrot and monkey, out to avenge the treatment meted out to their father by Akshay Kumar in the first film and end up punching him (lucky monkey!). ● One lead character suffers from a weird ailment that sees him doze off every few minutes. ● An elongated Priyadarshan-esque climax featuring the actors floating in a room, holding on to each other in a line when the villain switches on the ship's propeller. ● Some funny one-liners: - 'The ship wants to know' says a reporter seeking to interview Ranjeet. - Chitrangada to Chunky, after a parrot dies: 'May he rest in peace.' Chunky replies: 'He is resting in pieces.' - Akshay helping Jacqeline find her sheer dress after they 'accidentally' spend a night together: ' Yeh machli ki jaal tumhari hai?' (Does this fishing net belong to you?) An unhinged comedy requires actors who genuinely let themselves go. But in this case, the stars seem like they are in a hurry to mouth their lines and rush to the nearest restaurant. Kumar, who has the meatiest part, returns to comedy after eons and in some scenes, one can see flashes of the actor who entertained us with his comic timing in movies like Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag and Housefull. But in this film, most of the time, he is busy making obnoxious faces in the name of physical comedy. Abhishek Bachchan is so disinterested, he gives competition to Fardeen Khan and Dino Morea. Only Riteish Deshmukh comes across as natural and organic. As for the other seniors, Shroff and Dutt, let's just say, it's cringe to watch them mouth inanities and lust over women half their ages. The worst part: the best actors known for their comedy, Johnny Lever and Chunky Panday, are given the short shrift with barely a few scenes to make their mark. There is no point even mentioning the ladies whose only brief is to wear the briefest dresses and stand like pretty dolls. It's hard to say who's worse! One can only hope all the stars — and there are plenty of them in this one — were paid well to be part of yet another obnoxious abomination masquerading as cinema in Bollywood. One would imagine the script — if there was any — was written by artificial intelligence (AI). But then, AI is really smart. This had to be written by humans inhabiting the Hindi film industry these days. If lunacy and mild laughter is what you are looking for, then Housefull 5 can be your lazy Saturday watch. For the rest of the world, there's Netflix and chill. To round it off, not just the ship, even the nation wants to know: just when will we get a Bollywood comedy that makes us really laugh?
