Mani Ratnam: 'I Don't Know If I Can Write A Script for Rajinikanth Today'

Much has been made of filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s reunion with actor Kamal Haasan 38 years after Nayakan (1987) with the upcoming gangster-drama Thug Life that is set to hit theatres on June 5. Ratnam has revealed that he has met with Haasan several times over the years to discuss the possibility of them coming together again, but it took the better part of four decades for the stars to align the right way.

Now, could we see the director team up with another one of his favourite actors, Superstar Rajinikanth, soon? The duo collaborated memorably on Thalapathi (1991), and talks have been rife that the pair could work together ever since Rajinikanth took the stage (along with Haasan) during the audio launch of Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan two years ago.

“I have no idea if it will happen,” Ratnam smiles when asked about making a film with the Superstar during an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India. “I should have a script for him, and I don’t know if I have it in me to write something for him given the scale of his market. He’s become bigger and bigger over the years…”

Does he find the nature of stardom in the country becoming so outsized these days, that it’s hard to contain within narratives? “It really depends on the star, and if he is interested in acting and making films that don’t just cater to the fan following. Of course you can’t deny the fandom, but whether that alone should dictate what they do... that’s a call that the filmmaker and actor have to take. If the stars can look at making something that acknowledges what the fans want, but also move slightly away in a different direction (from the template), then it’s possible to work with them,” he replies.

There is also talk that Ratnam’s next film is a romance-drama with Telugu actor Naveen Polishetty, with search underway to finalise a female lead.

“That was news to me! I did read a couple of such reports; I have no idea what they are talking about. My next film, being a light and breezy romance, is not true for sure. There are a few scripts I’m working on at the moment, but I don’t know what will fall in place. What looks promising for me today will disappear the next morning! So I haven’t locked in anything yet,” he says. 

But fans of Ratnam’s classics over the decades like Roja, Bombay and Dil Se will be intrigued, as he admits that though none of the scripts that he’s currently mulling over are straight romances, “There is (an element of love) in all the scripts…” 

“But none of them are full-fledged love stories. When I make a romance today, I need a backdrop and setting that resonates with the time. Where is the love story set and what is it trying to say? The film can’t just be about this man and a woman; it has to deal with something more, something bigger than them… Till I find that topic I want to communicate, discuss and reflect upon, I can’t crack the script,” Ratnam muses.

What does he plan to do immediately after the Thug Life madness settles down? Take a vacation? “Not at all. The best way for me to rest and lie is to start working on my next project.. I don’t know how many films I have left at this point, so I might as well make as many as I can!”

Watch the full interview with Mani Ratnam on The Hollywood Reporter India's YouTube channel.