Maniratnam films reflecting time trends(80s-2000s). Review on Mani Ratnam

Any hardened fan of acclaimed director will notice Mani Ratnam actually changes with time over the decades with his movies?..I meant his movies reflect the time period I n which the movie is set..here's how:- Mouna Ragaam (1985) This is the era of the mid 80s.People wearing tight jeans, flowered shirts and having unkept hair seemes to be the norm.

And homely girls brought up by a conservative society..During the time whitish Florescent lights, in 80s urban life were a common sight and Mani used it to a great effect..And the typical natural sunlighting in the college scenes were carefully utilised to stagnant but yet great effect..still shots were prevalent throught the scenes and was the preferred cinematography technique used in those days by Mani and a few others.Indoor scenes were lit by lamps and point sources giving a granduer set feel.People who grew up in the 80s when watching this movie will instantly recollect nostalgic memories. With these as backdrop, Mani had taken a beautiful story of a girl who had fallen victim to conservative values.

One would surely recall that such arranged marriages were common during the 80s. Back then life was simpler slow and not so elegant as now so was the pacing of the movie which reflected the time period it was set in ROJA Thalapathy and others(1990s) This is the era where tamil movies ushered into a new dimension. Advances in film technology had enabled Maniratnam to take movies with even greater precision and vibrancy.Such an example is Roja And Thalapathy..In Roja and Thirudha THirudha , Harsh hues of red,blue and subtle whites were alternatingly used with lot of point source lighting.The result is a brlilliant picture with just the nice tonal quality required to bring out the emotions pertaining to the scene for the viewer.

The story is a coming of age Indian cinema. Roja for the first time Attempted a Patriotic theme to express the freedom of speech during the 90s..Mani's later movies echoed this trend , Bombay, Dil Se .It was the age of the Yuppie, an acronym for 'Young Upwardly Professional Person'. .A far cry from the ethics presented by Mouna Raagam..And the same goes for Thirudha Thirudha which represent the new Generation of kids and young people growing up in the 90s The Generation Y..Such that the movie was shot in shades of coloured hues to captivate the viewer. The story echoes love with youthful radiances with soul touching music.Then came Alay Payuthey and Ayutha Ezhuthu(2000s) .Well the millenium has arrived.Maniratnam dispenses from the controversy and hype with a new love story similarly in the vein of Mouna Raagam.

But seems Maniratnan has taken a 80s style of story and repackaged into a new one.But which is not really a bad thing though.. This was the millenium and many indian movies seem to be going Retro. Some cinematography techniques,music from the past are being used in tamil movies of the millenium and recylced with added gloss.. What Mani has done was to reflect not the freedom of speech but its effect ..In the millenium more and more Young people opt for love marriages and it has become a norm,What basically follows are problems and sociopolitical conflicts that many face in today's competitive society where expectations are more..In Ayutha Ezhuthu, Mani had used a story similar to his 1991 Thalapathy without the melodrama.He had repacked it with new techniques and on screen effects , slow motion and new camera pannings with presentation in some parts reminiscent of the trend started by the ''Matrix'' and some hollywood movies in the dawn of the millenium..

Sharper images , contrasting sceneries with dramatic editing are in favour in the millenium instead of glossy, or lens flare effects of the 80s and 90s .Lighting aesthetics takes a slight backseat with Mani.What Mani has done in the millenium was to rely on natural and outdoor props to drive his story presentation without too much studio stuff.