Mani Ratnam has recently emerged as a strong voice in Tamil filmmaking, combining popular appeal and technical sophistication in his work. Ratnam`s movies are all noted for their brilliance in technical aspects like art direction, cinematography and background score. His work has come to be recognised nationally and internationally, and in 2002, he was awarded the Padma Shri. His first movie was Pallavi Anu Pallavi in 1983 starring Anil Kapoor.

1992 - Roja: This movie starred Madhoo, Arvind Swamy and Pankaj Kapoor in important roles. Roja lives in a Tamil village, and her sister is about to get married to a man from the city. He decides to marry Roja instead, and gets a job assignment in Kashmir. However, the innocent world of Roja is shattered when her husband is abducted and held for ransom by a group of militants who want an independent Kashmir, and the release of a terrorist held with the Indian military forces. The movie was subsequently dubbed in other Indian languages, catapulting Mani Ratnam to national acclaim. This film`s score and soundtrack were composed by A.R.Rahman, who debuted in this movie. The film was recently re-released for international audiences in light of the growing fear of terrorist attacks the world over.

1995 - Bumbai: This film starred Arvind Swamy, Manisha Koirala, Tinnu Anand, in lead roles. This movie is set in the December 1992-January 1993 period when the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy had raised religious tension in Mumbai and other parts of India, which sparked rioting and violence.

1997 - Iruvar: This film was Mani Rathnam`s take on the real-life rivalry between M.G. Ramachandran and Karunanidhi. This film had a great cast including Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu and Revathi among others. A struggling actor Anandam is befriended by up and coming grassroots leader and scriptwriter Tamilchelvam. As Anandam grows in popularity, he becomes an important tool for the Tamilchelvam and his party in wooing the public. After the death of the party leader Annadurai, both protagonists find themselves in candidacy for the top spot, the schism is inevitable.

2000 - Alai Payuthey: This film starred Madhavan and Shalini. This film explores the tensions of married life and the maturing of love. Karthik is frantic after the disappearance of his wife Shakti. Told in flashbacks, the film traces their brief marriage as the couple`s dreamy romance runs through the usual gamut of highs and lows. He narrates his love story; a difficult romance in a class-divided society and both find out marriage is not what they thought it would be.The film depicts real- life romances that can turn sour. The movie was well received by critics, did well at the Tamil box-office and re-established Mani Ratnam`s reputation as a popular film maker.

2004 - Aayitha Ezhuthu: It starred Surya, Madhavan and Siddharth in the lead roles. The title of the movie is the name of a Tamil alphabet letter, represented by three dots as the film deals with three different personalities from completely different strata of society. The film calls for the involvement of the youth in the nation`s highest decision making processes.The film was made in Tamil and Hindi (as Yuva) simultaneously.