Birthday Special: 5 widely popular Mani Ratman films to watch

Ratnam is celebrating his 67th birthday today.

• Mohnish Singh
• 02 June, 2023

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By: Mohnish Singh

Veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam is celebrating his 67th birthday today. He is presently riding high on the thunderous success of his latest directorial Ponniyin Selvan. However, Ratnam has several blockbuster films to his credit. Let’s look at his top 5 widely popular films that one can watch several times.

Roja

Fronted by Arvind Swamy and Madhoo in lead roles, Roja is considered one of the finest films by Mani Ratnam. The film had music by AR Rahman, and some of its songs are popular even today. The film hit screens in 1992 and turned out to be an instant hit at the box office. In addition to the original Tamil version, the Hindi version of the film also did phenomenal business. The film has an 8.1/10 rating on IMDB.

Bombay

Yet another masterpiece from Ratman, Bombay featured Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala on the cast and told a beautiful love story set against the backdrop of the communal riots in Mumbai. Bombay was a pan-India hit, with AR Rahman’s music being one of the highlights of the film. The film won several awards including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. It enjoys an 8.1/10 rating on IMDB.

Dil Se

Dil Se, which hit screens in 1998, did not set the box office on fire when it released but has attained cult status over the years. The film starred Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala in lead roles and marked Preity Zinta’s acting debut. This was Ratnam’s first out-and-out Bollywood film and is having 7.5/10 rating on IMDB.

Guru

Guru, released in 2007, featured Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and Mithun Chakraborty in lead roles. The film is based on the geographical story of famous businessman Dhirubhai Ambani. Abhishek received an overwhelming response for his performance in the film. Guru enjoys a 7.7/10 rating on IMDB.

Nayakan

Released in 1987, Nayakan featured veteran actor Kamal Haasan on the cast and turned out to be a commercial and critical success at the box office. The action family drama released in Telugu as Nayakudu and emerged as a hit there as well. The film has an 8.6/10 rating on IMDB.