--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let me be very frank. I make films…" description: "\"Let me be very frank. I make films keeping within the mainstream and my cinema is popular cinema. I love it this way.\" — Mani Ratnam" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/mani-ratnam-6434_cinema_let-me-be-very-frank-i-make-films-keepin_2197621.jpg" --- # Let me be very frank. I make films keeping within the… ![“Let me be very frank. I make films keeping within the mainstream and my cinema is popular cinema. I love it this way.” quote by Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/mani-ratnam-6434_cinema_let-me-be-very-frank-i-make-films-keepin_2197621.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/mani-ratnam-6434_cinema_let-me-be-very-frank-i-make-films-keepin_2197621.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/mani-ratnam-6434_cinema_let-me-be-very-frank-i-make-films-keepin_2197621.jpg) > “Let me be very frank. I make films keeping within the mainstream and my cinema is popular cinema. I love it this way.” [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He embraces mainstream cinema, finding value and love in popular, accessible storytelling. **In simple terms:** I love making popular films. Key Takeaway Embrace popular cinema with pride. Themes cinema mainstream pop culture artistic integrity audience connection Mood proud confident Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - budget planning - script development - marketing strategies - festival circuits Key Concepts film theory commercial vs. artistic balance cultural relevance Questions to Reflect On - What makes a film both popular and meaningful? - How do you balance personal vision with audience expectations? A Different Perspective Mainstream constraints can limit experimental storytelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Cinema Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [What's very important for me is that I want family audiences - all kinds of audiences - to watch my films, and the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamannaah/what-s-very-important-for-me-is-that-i-want-family-audiences-all/) [Tamannaah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamannaah/) > [In terms of popular cinema, 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' is as near perfection as I can think of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mullan/in-terms-of-popular-cinema-one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest-is-as-near/) [Peter Mullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mullan/) > [Film fests are an opportunity to see different kinds of films that you usually don't get to watch. When I'm part of a jury,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/film-fests-are-an-opportunity-to-see-different-kinds-of-films-that/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Within the mainstream cinema, I feel you can experiment and make sensible films. It's possible to tell a story with characters and emotions which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/within-the-mainstream-cinema-i-feel-you-can-experiment-and-make/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [I rate 'Naan Thaan Bala' as one of the best performances of my career. It was a rare feat, perhaps in Indian cinema, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek/i-rate-naan-thaan-bala-as-one-of-the-best-performances-of-my-career/) [Vivek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek/) > [I strongly believe cinema is popular culture. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 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I love the art of telling stories and I'm happy doing one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/be-it-acting-writing-directing-or-producing-i-love-cinema-i-love-the/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [People who speak different languages, they are watching the movie from our language. So, I think all of us should be proud as nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anushka-sharma/people-who-speak-different-languages-they-are-watching-the-movie-from/) [Anushka Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anushka-sharma/) > [I like action movies, even though I think action movies are kind of derided now. But there is something extraordinary about action movies, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/i-like-action-movies-even-though-i-think-action-movies-are-kind-of/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [It's cool for me because I'm a director, but I'm also a teacher. I'm a lover of cinema, and I love working with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singleton/it-s-cool-for-me-because-i-m-a-director-but-i-m-also-a-teacher-i-m-a/) [John Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singleton/) > [Cinema has always been my first and only love and there came a point in my life when I realised that this was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuthirakani/cinema-has-always-been-my-first-and-only-love-and-there-came-a-point/) [Samuthirakani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuthirakani/) > [I am extremely eclectic in choosing my films as an audience, and as a direct result of that, I love exploring, I love cinema,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishaan-khatter/i-am-extremely-eclectic-in-choosing-my-films-as-an-audience-and-as-a/) [Ishaan Khatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishaan-khatter/) > [For me, there's cinema, which I love and would fight for, and then there's also entertainment, and I see them as very, very different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-martin/for-me-there-s-cinema-which-i-love-and-would-fight-for-and-then-there/) [Stacy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-martin/) ## More by Mani Ratnam > [I don't believe in giving advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-don-t-believe-in-giving-advice/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [I like songs. It's a weakness that I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-like-songs-it-s-a-weakness-that-i-have/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [As a filmmaker, every tool you get to tell the scene better is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/as-a-filmmaker-every-tool-you-get-to-tell-the-scene-better-is/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [When Kamal Haasan did 'Nayakan,' he had done a few roles that had him aged and demanded a lot of commitment from. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/when-kamal-haasan-did-nayakan-he-had-done-a-few-roles-that-had-him/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [I want to make a film that can reach as many as possible so I want to talk in a language which I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-want-to-make-a-film-that-can-reach-as-many-as-possible-so-i-want-to/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Format is just the language. Content is the only thing that is important. Form is like handwriting. Whether you write in a scribble or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/format-is-just-the-language-content-is-the-only-thing-that-is/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [What I feel is great acting might be rubbish for another filmmaker. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/what-i-feel-is-great-acting-might-be-rubbish-for-another-filmmaker/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Writing is nagging, fascinating, troublesome and exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/writing-is-nagging-fascinating-troublesome-and-exciting/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Film fests are an opportunity to see different kinds of films that you usually don't get to watch. When I'm part of a jury,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/film-fests-are-an-opportunity-to-see-different-kinds-of-films-that/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Language, I think, has nothing to do with film-making. It is how you make your point and whether you exploit the visual medium maintaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/language-i-think-has-nothing-to-do-with-film-making-it-is-how-you/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [I grew up on the commercial film format. I have grown up all my life watching films and they have all been mainstream commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-grew-up-on-the-commercial-film-format-i-have-grown-up-all-my-life/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [For a filmmaker, whether the film is liked, understood or appreciated counts as much as the moolah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/for-a-filmmaker-whether-the-film-is-liked-understood-or-appreciated/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [The thing is that when you make a film, it is such an intense experience. It's like being married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/the-thing-is-that-when-you-make-a-film-it-is-such-an-intense/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [Indian cinema will continue to grow, I am very sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/indian-cinema-will-continue-to-grow-i-am-very-sure/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) > [My job as a director is to communicate, and I want to communicate to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/my-job-as-a-director-is-to-communicate-and-i-want-to-communicate-to/) [Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) [Explore all 99 Mani Ratnam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Let me be very frank. 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