Happy birthday Mani Ratnam: Rare photos of the ace filmmaker

Even after three decades in the film industry, Mani Ratnam remains one of India’s finest filmmakers. The director has tackled a diverse range of subjects in his films and is best known for his modern view on relationships. His film, Nayagan, has been added to TIME’s All Time 100 Best Films list. Today, marks the 63rd birthday of the distinguished filmmaker. Take a look at some rare photos of Mani Ratnam from the Express Archives.

Mani Ratnam made his debut in 1983 with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi, starring Anil Kapoor and Lakshmi in lead roles.

Mani Ratnam considers Tamil directors P Bharathiraja, K Balachander and J Mahendran as his biggest influences.

The 1985 film Pagal Nilavu, featuring Murali, Revathi and Sathyaraj in lead roles, was Mani Ratnam’s first Tamil film.

From his debut project till Thalapathi, Ilaiyaraaja was Mani Ratnam’s regular music composer. The duo split due to some creative differences.

Academy Award winner AR Rahman made his debut as a composer with Mani Ratnam’s Roja. The film and the soundtrack became massive hits and Rahman has been the filmmaker’s composer of choice since.

The Government of India honoured Mani Ratnam with Padma Shri in 2002. He has won several National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Awards South and state awards. Mani Ratnam is also well recognized outside India.

The director earned widespread recognition after the success of his fifth directorial, Mouna Ragam. The film won the National Film award for Best Tamil Film.