Nikkhil Advani on Mani Ratnam retrospective: He inspires courage to tackle difficult subject

Mumbai, Jan 25 (PTI) The ability to tackle complex social issues in movies is something every director should learn from Mani Ratnam, says filmmaker Nikkhil Advani.

A three-day retrospective on Ratnam is being held from January 24 to 26 by not-for-profit organisation G5A at the G5A warehouse in South Mumbai.

Films such as “Nayakan”, “Bombay”, “Raavan”, “Kannathil Muthamittal”, “Kaatru Veliyidai”, “Alai Payuthey”, and “Iruvar” will be screened at the retrospective.

“I admire his courage to be able to pick up a difficult subject that no one else is talking about, whether it was ‘Bombay’, which was about Hindu-Muslim riots, ‘Raavan’, which talks about caste politics, ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’, which talks about adoption or ‘Nayakan’ about a man look after his family,” Advani, who serves as an advisory council member of G5A, told PTI.

“Apart from his courage, his short-taking, and the incredible music in his films, all of this is a standard for filmmakers. Filmmakers need to be fearless, it’s extremely important,” he added.

Advani said it’s fascinating that artists like Shaad Ali, Vijay Krishnan Acharya and Bejoy Nambiar continue to assist Ratnam on his movies even today despite embarking on their solo careers as filmmakers.

“They are directors in their own right. So, that kind of loyalty that every filmmaker aspires for,” he said.

Building on the success of last year’s retrospective on late Bollywood star Irrfan Khan, G5A aims to replicate the same by honouring the legacy of Ratnam this year, said Advani.

The filmmaker also gave an update on his upcoming projects, including “The Revolutionaries” for streaming service Prime Video.

Advani said the second season of his recent show “Freedom At Midnight” will be released this year.

“I start shooting for ‘The Revolutionaries’ for Amazon (Prime) by the end of February. Then we’ve season two of ‘Freedom At Midnight’, which is in the post (production) and edit. We finished shooting along with the first one. So, that will come out in the second half of the year,” he said

“The Revolutionaries”, an adaptation of the book by the same name by Sanjeev Sanyal, will narrate the tale of the fearless individuals who played a pivotal role in India’s struggle for independence.

“Freedom at Midnight” was released in November last year on SonyLIV. The political drama sheds light on the tumultuous events surrounding India’s struggle for independence, especially the contribution of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel.