Mani Ratnam says he wanted to make 'Alai Payuthey' with SRK and Kajol

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Mani Ratnam on Saturday said that he initially thought of making his 2000 hit "Alai Payuthey" with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol but then dropped the idea as he was unable to crack the climax of the film.

The Tamil-language romantic musical starred R Madhavan and Shalini and was later remade in Hindi as “Saathiya” with Rani Mukerji and Vivek Oberoi. The film revolved around two young people who elope and get married but soon cracks start to appear in their marriage.

"What I had planned to do with Shah Rukh was 'Alai Payuthey'. I wanted to do it with Shah Rukh and Kajol and I told him the story and he agreed. But I had not cracked the last element of the story.

“If you've seen 'Alai Payuthey' it is built around one day and we keep going back to that one day, and when the accident happens and the wife is missing, and he is searching through it. So, that element I didn't have at that point in time. So, we shifted to 'Dil Se'," Ratnam said at the open forum of G5A Retrospective.

The filmmaker said he finally cracked the ending of "Alai Payuthey" during the making of his 1998 film, "Dil Se" -- which featured Shah Rukh and Manisha Koirala in lead roles.

"Once I was finishing 'Dil Se', I was able to solve this problem (with 'Alai Payuthey') , and I was still interested in doing it (film)," Ratnam added.

"Saathiya", the Hindi version of “Alai Payuthey”, was directed by Shaad Ali.

Ratnam said every film goes through several changes during every step of the filmmaking — from inception to casting and editing.

"You are never sure you got it correct.. . You are still trying. Even when you've written fully, when you shoot, you are looking for something more because it's still getting constructed.

The director said films are “pieces of people and bits of life” and one tries to make them appear like a “reflection of entire life”.

"You need to elevate it… Actors have to come and make it alive, if they don't do so, you can shout at them," he said, adding, the process of fine tuning continues even while editing.

When asked if it is possible to make films like "Bombay" or "Kannathil Muthamittal" today, Ratnam said he will have to think "twice"before making one.

"Films like 'Roja' and 'Bombay', at that point of time, were not something about which I would be too worried. I thought if I'm honest and if I'm reflecting what a normal person like me is feeling, then that honesty will come through.

"You are not taking sides or trying to propagate anything. It's just the angst and pain, so I never had that fear. But every film got into trouble with censor (board) but that you've to battle."

Ratnam said he started working on the two films, he never imagined that they would face any kind of problem.

"Today, probably I'll think twice before I think of it," he added.

The director said "not all his films are political" as he chooses to weave a human story with the undercurrent of politics.

"It's not just politics. It's politics through human beings. And as human beings, they will not just make statements, they are living."

The filmmaker said these stories explore the characters, their relationship and their equation with family.

Citing the example of his movie "Kannathil Muthamittal", the director said the mother-son relationship allowed him to weave in the perspective of the people of Sri Lanka.

A three-day retrospective on Ratnam is being held from January 24 to 26 by not-for-profit organisation G5A at the G5A warehouse in South Mumbai.

Films such as “Nayakan”, “Bombay”, “Raavan”, “Kannathil Muthamittal”, “Kaatru Veliyidai”, “Alai Payuthey”, and “Iruvar” will be screened at the retrospective.