With just a few days to go before the release of the much awaited OK Kanmani`, we managed to catch up with the genius filmmaker Manirathnam and the goddess of Luck was shining on us as the director who only lets his work do the talking was in a rare talkative mood and here we present excerpts from the IG Exclusive.

The Songs of OK Kanmani`

Mani sir, as he is fondly called by the Indian cine industry revealed that all the songs in OK Kanmani` are part of the narrative. Mani feels that the tune of the song Mental Manadhil` is so good that anyone other than him and Rahman could have written the song and it would have been a hit. Only one song has been choreographed and all the other songs have been shot as montages in OK Kanmani`

The Story of OK Kanmani`

OK Kanmani` is set in Mumbai and is the love story of two urban youngsters Aadhi and Tara and is about their dreams, what they want to do with their lives, what they want to do with commitment and what they don`t want to do with it and how they change during the course of the film.

About the UA from the Censor Board

Mani sir jokingly told us that he has been having problems with the censor board during Mouna Ragam` itself when an A certificate was issued for the film just because the heroine asks for a divorce. The celebrated director feels that personal prejudices of the board members influenced them when they view a film. The director wondered how much bolder themed Hindi films pass through the censors, and he finally had to accept the UA after trying in vain to convince the members. Manirathnam is of the opinion that it is time the attitude of a school headmaster that the censor have to change and while all the other arts do not have censor why should films have censors that curb the creative freedom of artists.

OK Kanmani` being shot on Sync Sound

Manirathnam says he loves sync sound which posed the extra challenge, but is worth it for the life that he got from his performers and he recommends that when the actors speak the language one should always go for it . In the film the sequences shot outdoor has been dubbed as there were extra noises, but all the indoor scenes have been recorded live. Dulquer, Nithya, Prakash Raj and Leela Samson have all done a great job speaking Tamil spontaneously.

About his Actors

Mani seems to have met Dulquer during an audio release function and immediately took a liking to him as he is smart, reachable and warm and when he narrated the script of OK Kanmani` to Dulquer the way the young actor took it in convinced Manirathnam to cast him as Aadhi and the director is full of praise for his acting skills which is very much different from his illustrious father Mamooty. The ace filmmaker feels he is lucky that he got Nithya Menon, who is so very close to the character Tara that he had created.

The Long Collaboration with Mozart of Madras

Manirathnam who introduced A.R.Rahman in Roja` twenty three years ago has worked with him in fourteen films considers the musical genius as a very director friendly technician and they always work to make the entire album of a film a success. Both of them consider every film as their first and are open to drastic experimentation and they both push each other to give their best.

About his Eye` P. C Sriram

P.C and Mani go back a long way and the director said that they are constantly in touch and bond even when they are not working together. He treats his cameramen as part of the direction department and takes suggestions from them.

How the great Man Works

Manirathnam catches the lives of youth by getting to feel their characters and behaviors and he does not write dialogues, but his characters just speak what they have to say based on their backgrounds. He does write a bound script, but is not bound by the script as a director and while the essence stays and on the sets with the actors he tries to get something more than what he has written. There is always a constant struggle for the words to come alive on the screen.

Closing Shots

On Social Media Manirathnam is of the opinion that it is there to stay and not only film people, but even the Prime Minister is not spared. About reviews he generally treats them as a glimpse of what the audience feels and he is fully confident about his concept, which he decides after much thought, but if at all he fails it will be in communicating his thought and he usually learns from his mistakes. About Box Office Manirathnam feels that it is very important his films reach the most number of people which gives him freedom to experiment again. He tries to bring elements of art film into the mainstream. Songs are an integral part of Indian cinema as they not only help to communicate a scene musically, but also serve as teasers for the film itself. Songs need not be choreographed, need not be long and it can be a tool which sets the mood in a scene. The changing business scenario of a film's life decided on the opening three days does not go well with Manirathnam as he feels he has put a year and a half into the film and it is hard to take. The great director says he enjoys his golfing which was introduced to him by actor Madhavan and this ended a rare Manirathnam interview in which he spoke at length exclusively for IG.