Celebrating Mani Ratnam and his brilliance in cinema as he turns a year older

One of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema, Mani Ratnam turned a year older on June 2. Over the years, the ace filmmaker has delivered some top-quality cinema with a strong narrative that has been emotionally intoxicating and musically breathtaking. 

From 'Bombay' to 'Yuva': 6 iconic movies by the ace-director you can stream. 

 

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

The 1995 movie 'Roja' is one of the milestones of his career. This film gained Mani Ratnam national and international recognition and also marked the beginning of his collaboration with AR Rahman. The movie follows the story of a simple girl and her desperate efforts to find her husband after he was kidnapped by militants during a secret undercover mission in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The film won three National Film Awards, including Best Film on National Integration and National Film Award for Best Music Direction for A. R. Rahman.

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Mani Ratnam's another movie on terrorism was 'Bombay'. Touted to be one of the best Indian movies ever made, Ratnam's drama faced several censorship issues and a lot of hurdles, as it showed inter-religious relations between a Muslim girl and a Hindu man and communal riots that broke out after the Babri Masjid demolition.

Following the controversy, two homemade bombs were thrown at the house of the director, who had to be hospitalized with shrapnel injuries.

The classic starring Arvind Swami and Manisha Koirala in the lead follows the story of an inter-religious couple in Bombay who lose their children during riots. Its soundtrack, composed by AR Rahman, was a huge hit and is considered one of the greatest Indian soundtracks of all time.

Streaming on: Amazon Prime

Mani Ratnam's another gem 'Iruvar' is widely regarded as one of the greatest Tamil films of all time. Starring Mohanlal and Aishwarya Rai, the movie was a gripping drama that explored the link between cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu. The movie follows the story of a struggling actor and a writer-politician who become friends as young men and rise to great heights in cinema and politics respectively.

Streaming on: Netflix

The third film in Mani Ratnam's terror trilogy is 'Dil Se' after 'Roja' and 'Bombay'. The 90's classic gave a lot of real and entirely different perspective about love and life despite any other Bollywood movie back then. For the movie, Ratnam brought together composer AR Rahman and lyricist Gulzar to create iconic songs like 'Chhaiyya Chhaiyya', 'Jiya Jale' and 'Dil Se Re', which are stuck with all the movie fans till now. 

The movie plot follows the story of a radio broadcaster's intense attraction to a mysterious woman that opens the door to a tidal wave of powerful emotions and desires.

Streaming on: Netflix

An absolutely phenomenal film. Mani Ratnam’s 'Yuva' is still relevant today with the same fire. The political drama movie showed the relationship between India’s youth and the country's politics. The filmmaker elegantly tells the story of three male protagonists and their journey to the climax of the movie. 

The movie stars Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Esha Deol in the lead role.

Streaming on: Netflix

In 2015, Mani Ratnam gave another creative and modern age heart-warming story, 'OK Kanmani' -- telling the soulful and vibrant story of a young couple who don’t believe in marriage and start living together. The movie traces their whole journey with a breezy romance in the urban city.