Adapting literary classics into films is an art that requires maintaining the essence of the original work and balancing it with the demands of visual storytelling which was achieved by Mani Ratnam in ‘Ponniyin Selvan’. It focused on his ability to capture the essence of the original text while infusing his unique vision.
In a conversation with Tamil filmmaker, Gautam Vasudev Menon, he spoke about his movies and his process. He said he still feels like a beginner before any film. He said, “When I did my first film I thought I would learn everything and be a master but after that I realised it would always be like that. You go into a shoot not knowing how to shoot but wanting to do something and searching for it”.
Asked if movie making was about sharing but not about delivering a message, what was it that made it worthy of sharing. He said it could be sharing something that bothers you, or brings joy to you or sharing something you think is truth and it can come out in some form. It could be sharing or it could be reflection and if you were able to identify with something to put on the screen.
When Gautam asked him why some stories speak to him more than others, he said perhaps those literary masterpieces were not made into films. Asked if it was guts or passion that helped him make Ponniyin Selvan that was loved by millions who thronged the theatres and the many people who went to see what the fuss was all about. Was there any fear it would turn into a damp squib or the historical characters from the past might not live up to the scale. Mani said he trusted Kalki, the author and it has been a classic, bestselling book from the 1950’s
It was a book he read when he was finishing school and it had everything and was calling to be made into a film. He said, “It has the scale, the intrigue, it has a period, it has horses, adventure character which are brilliant and it was always asking to be made into a film. I knew I wanted to and that is all. I was not afraid, I was afraid of how I would be able to do it. With a story like that everyone has read it and they are all experts in it. Each one has their vision of how each character should be, I was not only battling with a five volume books but also their perception but I was also passionate about it. I would go with what I felt I could put on the screen”.
It was a passionate conversation that covered aspects of film production as well as how one would approach a script and the selection of a script. The audience which included several of his fans from south India were very animated whenever he mentioned the name of a film they liked and the cheering almost brought the ceiling down. Questions were asked to Mani in Tamil and even Telugu by young students of cinema.