Mani Ratnam

Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam commonly known as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and is based in Chennai. Widely regarded as one of the leading directors in Indian cinema, he made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi in 1983. He came into prominence after Mouna Ragam, a story that dealt with the friction between a newly–wed couple. He followed that with the Godfatheresque Nayagan (1987) that went on to gain national acclaim. The film was among the three Indian films to be named by Time magazine's list of All-Time 100 Greatest Movies. Ratnam is widely credited with having revolutionized the Tamil film industry and altering the profile of Indian cinema. In 2002 he was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India. Ratnam has won several National Film Awards. In addition to these, he is a recipient of a number of awards at various international film festivals.

Born on: 2 June, 1956

Born in: Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India