27 Apr – Mani Ratnam recently admitted he has SS Rajamouli to thank for when it comes to creating the epic that is "Ponniyin Selvan" I and II. The Indian filmmaker, who spoke to the media and fans in Hyderabad recently, shared that the filmmaker paved the way for other directors to make historical films via "Baahubali", and proved that such a story can be told in more than one movie. "If Baahubali was not made, and not made in two parts, Ponniyin Selvan would not have been made. So we owe [Rajamouli] a big thanks," he said. "I've called him, met him and told him this. And I want to say here that it created the path for me to be able to mount Ponniyin Selvan in two parts. It gave confidence to the entire industry to do historical [films] and he opened a huge passage for a lot of Indian history to be converted into films."
At the same event, Mani Ratnam stressed that he would not pay any heed to whether or not his movie can go to the Oscars, after Rajamouli's "RRR" made a big splash in Hollywood, adding, "I only worry about directing another film and nothing else." It is noted that Mani will be working with Kamal Haasan next, with the movie to begin filming in August next year.