'Aamir Khan, SRK, Amitabh Bachchan Do Stereotypical Roles': Mani Ratnam's Wife On Bollywood
Mani Ratnam's wife, Suhasini Maniratnam, once criticised Bollywood for lack of originality and stereotypes.
Filmmaker and actor Suhasini Maniratnam, wife of director Mani Ratnam, known for her strong and thoughtful opinions, has never held back when it comes to calling out what she sees in the film industry — especially in Bollywood. A few years ago, in an interview with The Times of India (2010), she openly spoke about her disappointment with how Hindi films sometimes handle originality.
When asked for her views on Bollywood, Suhasini mentioned she had reviewed the Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra-starrer Anjaana Anjaani and was surprised by how much it reminded her of Before Sunrise and The Girl on the Bridge. 'I realised that in Bollywood they sometimes blatantly copy without as much as buying the rights or even acknowledging the original work," she had said.
Still, she pointed out that there were glimmers of hope, praising Dibakar Banerjee's Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! as 'cleverly written."
In a separate conversation with The Telegraph nearly a decade ago, Suhasini took a dig at Bollywood's biggest stars, questioning their range as actors. 'Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan are still doing stereotypical roles. I don't think Amitabh Bachchan attempted anything different — except the angry young man image — in his time," she said. Suhasini also admitted she had stopped watching mainstream Hindi films years ago, calling them 'absolutely unbearable."
She further pointed out how Hindi films have traditionally avoided being rooted in specific regions, unlike South Indian cinema. 'It's only now that Hindi films are trying to be regional. They have a typical Punjabi family wedding or a film like Shahid which is about Mumbai and being a Muslim. Otherwise they make only pan Indian films like a Kal Ho Naa Ho or Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham," she had observed.
Suhasini Maniratnam is a well-known actress, writer, and director in South Indian cinema, especially Tamil films. She won a National Award for her acting in the Tamil film Sindhu Bhairavi (1985), directed by K. Balachander. Besides acting, she has directed films like Indira and written for both movies and TV shows.
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