Watch Order
0 / 17 watchedKey features in release order.
About Mani Ratnam
Mouna Ragam from 1986 and Nayakan from 1987 made Ratnam's name with a broken marriage drama and a Mumbai crime epic modeled on the Godfather. Thalapathi from 1991 retells the Mahabharata through friendship, while Roja from 1992 and Bombay from 1995 pair love stories with terrorism and riots. Dil Se from 1998 closes that political run with a radio producer and a militant drifter.
The later years move from the business rise of Guru in 2007 to the dual-language Raavan in 2010 and the romance of O Kadhal Kanmani in 2015. Chekka Chivantha Vaanam from 2018 returns to crime families before the two Ponniyin Selvan epics adapt the Chola classic. Watch in release order.
Good to know
Start with Nayakan for crime or Roja for politics, since both explain his reputation in one sitting. Several films exist in two languages: Ayutha Ezhuthu and Yuva from 2004, plus Raavanan and Raavan from 2010, so pick one version each. The A. R. Rahman scores from Roja onward are part of the experience. The Ponniyin Selvan pair assumes no prior Chola knowledge.
