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Mani Ratnam says making Raavan as a bilingual was a mistake: ‘It was a case of neither here nor there’

Mani Ratnam talks about the box office failure of his 2010 film Raavan. The movie starred Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead roles.

By: Entertainment Desk
Chennai | October 31, 2023 06:04 PM IST

2 min read

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a still from Raavan.

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In 2004, filmmaker Mani Ratnam ventured into the realm of bilingual cinema with his film Yuva, released in both Tamil and Hindi. However, in 2010, when he repeated this approach with Raavan, the Hindi version failed to resonate with the audience and became a box office disappointment, while the Tamil counterpart, titled Raavanan, enjoyed success.

In a recent interview with The Times of India, Ratnam opened up on his decision to make Raavan in two languages, which wasn’t a norm at that time. The director said making Raavan as a bilingual was a mistake. He also said that making two films simultaneously put a strain on him, leading to a lack of connection with both his Hindi and Tamil audience. “It was a case of neither here nor there,” Ratnam said.

Also read | Mani Ratnam’s wife Suhasini didn’t want him to make Ponniyin Selvan after Iruvar’s failure, told him: ‘Our people don’t want history, give them…’

Raavan, directed and co-produced by Mani Ratnam, featured Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Govinda, Nikhil Dwivedi, Ravi Kishan, and Priyamani in pivotal roles. Interestingly, it marked the Hindi film debut of Vikram and Priyamani. The film’s storyline, while rooted in the epic Ramayana, offered a modernised perspective from Ravana’s point of view. Despite its underwhelming performance, the film’s music, composed by AR Rahman and featuring lyrics by Gulzar, achieved significant popularity with the audience.

In terms of upcoming projects, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan, who last collaborated on the cult gangster drama Nayakan 36 years ago, are set to reunite. The launch event of their yet-to-be-titled film, tentatively referred to as KH234, was recently held in Chennai.

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