Mani Ratnam

I wish I had gone to a film school.

— Mani Ratnam

Before the release of any film, I feel like a beginner.

— Mani Ratnam

Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city.

— Mani Ratnam

Sometimes, I think filmmakers grab too much from real life.

— Mani Ratnam

A song is a burden that you carry happily.

— Mani Ratnam

I did my first film in Kannada.

— Mani Ratnam

Seeing any film after I have made it is difficult.

— Mani Ratnam

Kamal Haasan is a huge talent.

— Mani Ratnam

When your principal artists deliver convincing performances, the film's quality is elevated.

— Mani Ratnam

I liked Guru Dutt, the way he used songs and the way he shot songs. He was a class apart.

— Mani Ratnam

A director is a very selfish person. For him, his film is like his baby.

— Mani Ratnam

Bilingual films come with a certain inbuilt practical problem with respect to the setting of the story and the dialect.

— Mani Ratnam

Whatever film you do, even if it's a children's film, you do with the same amount of sincerity.

— Mani Ratnam

I used to wonder how anyone could treat a fellow human as God. I never understood why they would do this.

— Mani Ratnam

Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director.

— Mani Ratnam

When I made my first film, I was arrogant and over-confident.

— Mani Ratnam

With each film, you are still trying to get the length and measure right. And failure is all about others' perception of…

— Mani Ratnam

My films are as much for the people as they are for me. The reception affects me, but doesn't change me as…

— Mani Ratnam

I don't watch my old films like 'Roja,' 'Dil Se' because I only see mistakes. I see five minutes of the film…

— Mani Ratnam

It is usually the setting that decides whether a movie can be made in two languages. If the subject is rooted up…

— Mani Ratnam

What you write sets the visual style for the film. But you have to compromise your style in your first few films…

— Mani Ratnam

I don't believe that to be mainstream you have to be foolish. I don't think you have to be a buffoon to…

— Mani Ratnam

There are filmmakers who get lucky with the first film itself, and then there are some of us who have to face…

— Mani Ratnam

Any good film you see gives you enough motivation and adrenaline rush to produce good content, while a bad film can get…

— Mani Ratnam

Format is just the language. Content is the only thing that is important. Form is like handwriting. Whether you write in a…

— Mani Ratnam

In a film like 'Kannathil Muthamittal,' I can't have a Rajnikanth or a Kamal Haasan. If you have a star, the expectation…

— Mani Ratnam

If you take 'Agni Natchathiram,' it is about two half-brothers and their emotions and those are genuine, which can be made into…

— Mani Ratnam

Filmmaking is not a one man show. It is not like I'm thinking something and they are expressing it. I try to…

— Mani Ratnam

Rahman is very very director friendly. He is ever ready to go whichever the director wants, the story wants, depending on the…

— Mani Ratnam

The journey of filmmaking is so amazing. You start off with great confidence, and develop insecurity at the time of release. When…

— Mani Ratnam

When you break new grounds and try to do something different, it's always a high. I remember the first time we did…

— Mani Ratnam

I watch films, so I know what it is to be there in a theatre as the audience. So I always want…

— Mani Ratnam

Characters are not created on paper or laptop alone.

— Mani Ratnam

Every film you see at a festival teaches you something.

— Mani Ratnam

I am a big fan of sleek action films.

— Mani Ratnam

Writing is nagging, fascinating, troublesome and exciting.

— Mani Ratnam

What is film-making about if not romance?

— Mani Ratnam

Westerners are open to Indian films.

— Mani Ratnam

I am more comfortable with Tamil than Hindi.

— Mani Ratnam

I don't believe in giving advice.

— Mani Ratnam