100 Quotes by Mani Ratnam

I'm not saying that every song has to be an all-time hit or the greatest ever music. That's not what you should set out to do. But you have to find out what will work best for a particular story or theme or backdrop, and discuss how not to make it a cliche or fall into such traps.

When I am making a film, it's very instinctive, it's not preset.

Seeing any film after I have made it is difficult.

Bilingual films come with a certain inbuilt practical problem with respect to the setting of the story and the dialect.

I work with actors who fit the bill. I have worked with Abhishek in 'Yuva,' 'Guru' and 'Raavan' because he was the perfect choice.

Sometimes casting falls in place easily and sometimes it takes a while. Fifty per cent of my job is done when I get the right actors.

That's the beauty of Mumbai. While some parts have grown rapidly, there are places like Churchgate that have retained their character.

The idea of 'Roja' was with me for seven years before I made it.

What I feel is great acting might be rubbish for another filmmaker. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It all boils down to the trust between an actor and a director.