Mani Ratnam
| Mani Ratnam | |
|---|---|
 Mani Ratnam at the premiere of Raavan in 2010 |
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| Born | Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer 2 June 1956 Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Residence | Alwarpet, Chennai, India |
| Occupation | Film director Film producer Screenwriter |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | Suhasini (1988–present) |
Mani Ratnam (born Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer on 2 June 1956) is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983. Directing landmark films such as Mouna Raagam (1986), Nayagan (1987), Geethanjali (1989), Anjali (1990), Thalapathi (1991), Iruvar (1997), Alaipayuthey (2000) and Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) and his "terrorism trilogy" consisting of Roja (1992), Bombay (1995) and Dil Se (1998), he went on to become one of the leading directors in Indian cinema[1][2] Ratnam is widely credited with having revolutionised the Tamil film industry and altering the profile of Indian cinema.[3]
India submitted Ratnam's Nayagan (1987) and Anjali (1990) for Academy Award consideration in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.[4] His Tamil film Nayagan along with Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy and Guru Dutt's Pyaasa are the only Indian films that have appeared in Time magazine's All-Time 100 Greatest Movies.[5][6]
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[edit] Early life and background
Mani Ratnam was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu to Tamil Iyer parents[7] His birth name is Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer.[8] His father, Ratnam Iyer, was a film producer who worked under the production company banner, Venus Pictures.[9] Ratnam attended Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School in Chennai, earned a degree in commerce from Vivekananda College, University of Madras, and then an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.[10] Ratnam worked as a management consultant before becoming a filmmaker.[3] He was introduced to film direction with the help of his brother, producer G. Venkateswaran, who later produced many of his films, including Mouna Raagam, Nayagan, Agni Natchathiram, Thalapathi and Anjali.[3] His brother committed suicide in 2003, reportedly with financial problems as the chief impetus.[9] Unlike many film-makers, Ratnam neither assisted in film-making nor worked as a cinematographer prior to making a name for himself in the industry.[11]
A second brother, G. Srinivasan, was a producer but died in an accident in Manali on 27 May 2007.[12] In 1988 Ratnam married Suhasini, the niece of Kamal Haasan and daughter of Charuhasan.[13] Suhasini is a National Award-winning actress and a well-known filmmaker in her own right. They have a son named Nandhan. Charuhasan, his father-in-law, is a National Award-winning actor as well. Ratnam lives in Alwarpet, Chennai, where he runs Madras Talkies.[14]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early years: 1983–85
Mani Ratnam made his directorial debut in 1983, through the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi, starring Anil Kapoor and Lakshmi.[15] The film explored the relationship between a young man and an older woman.[15] Ratnam managed to persuade acclaimed director and cinematographer Balu Mahendra to serve as his cinematographer. Though it did not perform well at the box office, the film's score by Ilaiyaraaja became hugely popular and Ratnam's screenplay won a Karnataka State Film Award for Best Screenplay. His sophomore film was a Malayalam production titled Unaru, that explored trade union problems in Kerala. His next film, Pagal Nilavu, had to settle for quiet obscurity. In 1985 he directed Idaya Kovil, which was a major box-office success. All three films had music scores by Ilaiyaraaja.
[edit] Breakthrough: 1986–1991
In 1986, Ratnam finally attained commercial success in through the Tamil romantic drama Mouna Raagam with Revathi and Mohan.[16] The film told the story of the friction between a newlywed couple and remains famous to date as a relevant and realistic portrayal of romance among urban Tamils. Its score by Ilaiyaraaja became a huge success upon release. It was subsequently dubbed into Telugu under the same title and went to become a hit in Andhra Pradesh as well.
Ratnam's status was elevated further a year later after directing Nayagan that starred Kamal Haasan, which went on to become a huge success.[16] Many Indian critics dubbed it as India's answer to the cult The Godfather.[3] The film, which tells the story of an orphaned slum dweller and his rise to top of the Mumbai underworld hierarchy,[17] was included in Time magazine's All-Time 100 Greatest Movies.[5][6] Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy and Guru Dutt's Pyaasa are the only Indian films that have appeared in Time's All-Time 100 Greatest Movies.[18] The film won three National Awards—Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.[17] Its plot was inspired by the real-life story of underworld king Varadarajan Mudaliar.[16]
With commercial success coming back to back, Ratnam wrote and directed Agni Natchathiram. The film dealt with the story of step-brothers played by Prabhu and Karthik.[17] It was notable for use of new techniques in camera framework, especially during the songs. The film had a successful run in the box office.[3] Mani later returned to familiar territory of winning critical acclaim through his next film.
Until then, Mani had made films in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages, and a Telugu film would mark a milestone of having directed films in all major South Indian languages. Thus Mani opted to do his next project in Telugu: Geethanjali. The film which starred Nagarjuna in the lead role told the story of an ill-fated couple who are both suffering from terminal diseases.[3] It went on to win the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1990. Ratnam maintained a momentum of making emotional stories of underserved people through the Raghuvaran starring Chennai release Anjali in 1990. The film told the story of an autistic child and how she changed the lives of people in colony. Mani later made another underworld-themed Tamil film with Thalapathi in 1991 starring Rajinikanth and Mammootty. With a theme of friendship between a local don and a slum king, Thalapathi earned both critical acclaim and commercial success upon release. Thalapathi, based on the legend of Mahabharatha, ran into trouble when news leaked that the character of Karna, portrayed by Rajinikanth,[17] would die in the end. The climax was altered to appease his fan base.[19]
[edit] International acclaim: 1992–99
With Thalapathi, Mani Ratnam ended his long-term association with music director Ilaiyaraaja, bringing in debutant music director A. R. Rahman to score for his Tamil classic Roja. The venture became a successful one, earning him various awards. Roja, a romantic film, concurred the theme of terrorism in the regions of Kashmir.[3] Starring Arvind Swamy and Madhoo, it was released in 1992 and nominated for the Golden St. George Award at the Moscow International Film Festival.[20] It became highly popular, gaining an iconic status in Indian cinema and was dubbed into other languages and met similar success in other regions.[citation needed] Mani took a more light-hearted approach with his next film —Thiruda Thiruda. Scripted by Ram Gopal Varma, it explored the genre of action and thriller, a departure from the normal for Ratnam, and fared less well at the box office. In 1994, a retrospective of his Tamil films was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Ratnam again teamed up with Ram Gopal Varma to provide the screenplay for the latter's Telugu film Gaayam, a socio-politico film loosely based on The Godfather.[citation needed] In 1995, Ratnam returned to Tamil language drama through Bombay starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala, which told the story of a Hindu-Muslim couple in the midst of the 1993 religious Bombay riots and bombings. The film met with controversy and censorship upon release. However it was commercially successful and appreciated by critics. It won a number of awards such as Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, Special Award from the Political Film Society,[21] In the Spirit of Freedom Award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival[22] and the Gala Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.[citation needed]
Ratnam produced and co-wrote the feature Indira, the debut film of his wife as director, and the critical success Iruvar, his next film as director. Iruvar won the Best Film Award at the FEST film festival held in Belgrade. Then came the third part of his "terrorism trilogy" in 1998 named Dil Se starring Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala, with the latter fabricating the second collaboration.[23] It showed the relationship between a young =man and a dangerous and disturbed woman. Although they fall in love, she is unable to take it to a further level due to her bleak past. The album was again composed by A. R. Rahman. It attained a famous place amongst the masses and gave Rahman his next Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction in 1999.[24][25] Unlike his previous two projects, this one did average business in the Indian market, despite being a success overseas.[26] Dil Se gained cult status just after it released, was screened in many international film festivals, and won the Netpac Special Mention award in the Berlin International Film Festival.[27] In 2000 Mani directed the romantic drama Alaipayuthey that starred R. Madhavan and Shalini. The film was accomplished critical recognition and won the Netpac Special Mention award at the Berlin International Film Festival.[28]
[edit] Kannathil Muthamittal and onwards: 2002–present
Ratnam's following project, Kannathil Muthamittal, dealt with the story of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage adopted by Indian parents, who wishes to meet her biological mother during the Sri Lankan Civil War.[29] The film was critically lauded and commercially successful, winning six National Film Awards, Ratnam's second Filmfare Award for Best Direction in Tamil, his second In the Spirit of Freedom Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival[30] and an award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.[31] In 2004, he made a Hindi film titled Yuva, his second venture into Bollywood. The film, which tells the story of how one incident sends the lives of three youths on a collision course, received positive reviews and was a hit in the box office.[32] Ratnam made the film simultaneously in Tamil as Aayutha Ezhuthu, starring Surya Sivakumar, R. Madhavan and Siddharth replacing Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi respectively from the Hindi version.[32] The Tamil version was appreciated by critics, on the contrary to the Hindi version, which was also a failure at the box office. Ratnam also had his first heart attack during shooting for Yuva.[23]
In 2007, Mani Ratnam made Guru starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai under his production house, Madras Talkies.[33] The film's plot was set in the early 1950's. It became a box office success and received critical acclaim as well.[34]
In 2010, Ratnam worked on a bilingual titled Raavanan in Tamil and Raavan in Hindi.[35] The Tamil version was dubbed into Telugu as Villain. The film released worldwide on 18 June 2010.[36] The film is loosely based on the Hindu epic Ramayana and happened over 14 days when a mentally disabled character named Beera, who lives in the forests, kidnaps the wife of a cop to avenge his sister's death. The Tamil version received critical acclaim in America, Europe and southern parts of India. The New York Times called the movie a "critics' pick". However, the reviewers of the Hindi version panned the film; Rajeev Masand said "a crushing bore of a film, a disappointment on virtually every count"[37] while another critic, Raja Sen commented "It's profoundly sad to see a filmmaker of Ratnam's calibre reduced to this".[38] The Tamil version was declared a box office success. Mani Ratnam's forth-coming film Kadal is said to be set in the backdrop of fishermen in and around Rameswaram. It will signify the acting debut of Gautham, son of veteran actor Karthik.[39]
Mani Ratnam received the Glory to the Filmmaker! Award at the 67th Venice Film Festival on September 6, 2010. The ceremony was followed by a screening of Raavanan in Tamil.[16]
[edit] Filmmaking style
Ratnam is particularly known for his eye for technical detail in the art of filmmaking, having worked with and introduced some of the best music directors, cinematographers, art directors, dialogue writers and editors in India. Several international papers and books have been published on his critically acclaimed work. Mani Ratnam often makes movies inspired by real-life events and famous epics — Nayagan was loosely based on Varadarajan Mudaliar, an underworld Don in Mumbai. Bombay was based on the ethnic war between Hindus and Muslims that prevailed in Mumbai. Iruvar released in 1997 was based on Tamil Nadu political and cinematic icons — M. G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi.[16] His 2002 Kannathil Muthamittal was based on the Sri Lankan Civil War and Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004) focussed on student politics. Guru, released in 2007 was loosely based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani.[40] Thalapathi was based on the Hindu epic Mahabarata, and Raavanan is said to be inspired by another Hindu epic, Ramayana. His movies are notable for staccato dialogues. They often portray strong friendship. Examples are seen in Thalapathi, Aayutha Ezhuthu, Thiruda Thiruda, Iruvar and Nayagan among others. He revels in creating onscreen relationship tangles in many of his films such as Thalapathi, Mouna Raagam, Agni Natchathiram, Kannathil Muthamittal and Raavan.
[edit] Other work
Ratnam co-founded the independent production company Madras Talkies with his brother G. Srinivasan who died in an accident in Manali on 27 May 2007.[12] Ratnam along with Vasanth was instrumental in organising Netru, Indru, Naalai,[41] a stage musical that marked the first theatre production with numerous other artistes, to aid The Banyan, an organization that cares for and rehabilitates women and children with mental illness.[42][43]
[edit] Awards and honors
Mani Ratnam was awarded the Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian honour in India in 2002.[44] He has won several National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Awards South and International film awards. His film Geethanjali won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in the year 1990. Other films like Mouna Raagam, Anjali and Kannathil Muthamittal have won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Roja and Bombay have won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. Other films such as Bombay, Iruvar and Kannathil Muthamittal have been screened at seveeral international film festivals won many prizes. In 2010, Mani was honoured with Jaeger-Lecoultre Glory to the Filmmaker at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.[45]
[edit] Filmography
The following is the list of films directed by Mani Ratnam. Many have been remade or dubbed in several languages, mostly in Telugu and Hindi.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Bal, Mieke (2004). Narrative Theory: Critical Concepts in Literary and Cultural Studies. Taylor & Francis. pp. 339–44. ISBN 978-0-415-31661-3.
- ^ Pat Padua (2001). "FROM THE HEART: The Films of Mani Ratnam". CineScene. http://www.cinescene.com/names/maniratnam.html. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Mani matters!". Sify. Sify Technologies Ltd. http://www.sify.com/movies/tamil/profile.php?id=13477408&cid=2409. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6
- ^ a b "Time 100: Nayakan". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,nayakan,00.html. Retrieved 22 January 2007.
- ^ a b "Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Movies List". Time Magazine. 12 February 2005. http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/the_complete_list.html. Retrieved 22 January 2007.
- ^ "Guru's Grand Day: Mani Ratnam Turns 55!". movietalkies.com. Movie Talkies.com. http://www.movietalkies.com/news/9231/'guru's-grand-day-mani-ratnam-turns-55. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Quizzotica". The Hindu. 8 July 2006. http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/07/08/stories/2006070802900200.htm. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b N, Sathiya Moorthy. "Film producer GV commits suicide". Rediff Movies. Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/may/03gv.htm. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ "Mani mantra for B-school". The Telegraph (Calcutta, India). 10 September 2007. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070910/asp/bengal/story_8298530.asp. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ K., Jayanthi. "What makes Mani ?". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 October 1995. http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/(docid)/24DFE2FA7D520FBD65256940004C8AEE. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Film producer G. Srinivasan dead". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 28 May 2007. http://hindu.com/2007/05/28/stories/2007052806831200.htm. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ^ S. Pradhan, Bharathi (31 October 2010). "Star wives with working lives". The Telegraph (Calcutta, India). http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101031/jsp/7days/story_13121724.jsp. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Security cover for Mani Ratnam reviewed". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 18 January 2003. http://www.hindu.com/2003/01/18/stories/2003011807920300.htm. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Mani Ratnam – A Man in full – a profile by Anita Nair". anitanair. Anita Nair. http://www.anitanair.net/profiles/profile-mani-ratnam.htm. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Bhaskaran, Gautaman (7 September 2010). "Venice honours Mani Ratnam". The Hindustan Times. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Venice-honours-Mani-Ratnam/Article1-597191.aspx. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Nayagan (1987)". Rediff. Rediff Movies. http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jun/09/slide-show-1-looking-at-mani-ratnams-landmark-movies.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Three Indian films make it to top 100 list". Sify Movies. Sify Technologies Ltd. http://www.sify.com/movies/three-indian-films-make-it-to-top-100-list-news-bollywood-kkfv4igcfbe.html. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Rajni's Tamil Top 10". Rediff. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2007/may/22sli9.htm. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "1993 year". Moscow Film Festival. 1993. http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff33/eng/archives/?. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Previous Political Film Society Award Winners". Political Film Society. http://www.polfilms.com/previous.html. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "13th JFF". Jerusalem Film Festival. http://www.jff.org.il/?CategoryID=450. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Mani Ratnam admitted to hospital". The Indian Express. 15 April 2009. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Mani-ratna.../447218/. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Gopalan, Lalitha (2005). Bombay: BFI Film Classics. BFI Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-85170-956-7.
- ^ "Political Film Society – Previous Award Winners". Political Film Society. http://www.polfilms.com/previous.html.
- ^ Chatterjee, Saibal. "The power of Mani". The Hindustan Times. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/indian-filmmaker/mani.shtml. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ "1999 Winners". Berlin Film Festival. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1999/02_programm_1999/02_Programm_1999.html. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "2000 Winners". Berlin Film Festival. http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/2001/02_programm_2001/02_Filmdatenblatt_2001_20012425.php. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ Tulika, Pearl. "Delicate flower caught in a storm". Rediff Movies. Rediff. http://in.rediff.com/movies/2002/feb/16kan.ht. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "The 20th JFF". Jerusalem Film Festival. http://www.jff.org.il/?CategoryID=475. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "IFFLA 2003 Film Schedule". Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. http://www.indianfilmfestival.org/archive/2003/film03.html. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ a b KEHR, DAVE (21 May 2004). "Portraits From the Class Struggle in Modern India". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/21/movies/21YUVA.html. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Devi. K, Sangeetha (6 October 2006). "This is as big as it gets". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/10/06/stories/2006100601920100.htm. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ SALAM, ZIYA US (28 December 2007). "Twinkle, twinkle, all stars!". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/12/28/stories/2007122851010100.htm. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Mani Ratnam to be honoured at Venice". The Indian Express. 18 May 2010. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mani-ratnam-to-be-honoured-at-venice/620448/. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ SALTZ, RACHEL SALTZ (18 June 2010). "An Indian Epic With Bollywood Glamour". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/movies/18raavan.html. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Rajeev Masand. "Masand: 'Raavan' is a bore of a film". IBN Livedate=2010-06-19. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masand-raavan-is-a-bore-of-a-film/124771-47-84.html.
- ^ Raja Sen (2010-06-18). "Raavan is unforgivably boring". Rediff.com. http://movies.rediff.com/report/2010/jun/18/raja-sen-reviews-raavan.htm.
- ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/76479.html
- ^ Devi. K, Sangeetha (5 January 2007). "Regional films are more rooted". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/01/05/stories/2007010501040100.htm. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ R. Kamath, Sudhish (15 June 2005). "Rahman musical extravaganza in the offing". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/15/stories/2005061515900400.htm. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Kamath, Sudhish (4 August 2005). "The making of Planet Kollywood". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/08/04/stories/2005080400650100.htm. Retrieved 3 February 2005.
- ^ "Banyan pulls out of Dial 100 Mental Health Helpline services". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 23 November 2008. http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/23/stories/2008112350610200.htm. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ "Padma Awards". Government of India. National Informatics Centre. http://india.gov.in/myindia/advsearch_awards.php?start=1170&award_year=&state=&field=&p_name=&award=PS&awardsubcat=&search=search.
- ^ "Venezia 67 Awards". Venice Film Festival. http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/news/venezia67-awards.html. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
[edit] Further reading
- Benjamin, S. (2006 15(4), 423–435.). A rose by any other name: exploring the politics of Mani Ratnam's Roja.. Contemporary South Asia,.
- Chaudhuri, Shohini (2005). "Cinema of South India and Sri Lanka". Contemporary World Cinema: Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-1799-9.
- Chaudhuri, Shohini (2005). "Cinema of South India and Sri Lanka". Contemporary World Cinema: Europe, the Middle East, East Asia and South Asia. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-1799-9.
- Mallhi, Angie (2006). The Illusion of Secularism: Mani Ratnam's Bombay and the Consolidation of Hindu Hegemony. University of Victoria: CAPI Occasional Paper #31.Victoria: Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives.
- Terska Ciecko, Anne (2006). "National Cinema and State Authority". Contemporary Asian Cinema: Popular culture in a Global Frame. Berg: Berg Publishers. ISBN 978-1-84520-237-8.
- Gopalan, Lalitha (2005). Bombay: BFI Film Classics. London: BFI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85170-956-7.
- Nagappan, Ramu (2005). "Momentary Pleasures of Reconciliation". Speaking Havoc: Social Suffering & South Asian Narratives. Washington: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98488-9. http://books.google.com/?id=wdAgle6tCVoC&printsec=frontcover#PPA170,M1.
- Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Other Film Industry. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6.
[edit] External links
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- Indian film directors
- 1956 births
- Living people
- Indian Hindus
- University of Madras alumni
- Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies alumni
- Tamil film directors
- Tamil-language film directors
- Tamil screenwriters
- Tamil people
- Indian film producers
- People from Chennai
- Indian screenwriters
- Hindi-language film directors
- National Film Award winners
- Filmfare Awards winners
- Recipients of the Padma Shri
- Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
- Filmfare Awards South winners
