Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : To the prominent filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who turned 69 on June 2, 2025, and received messages from all his fans, including the film industry, the emotional highlight was the message from his long-time friend and collaborator Kamal Haasan.
Alongside a moving message, Kamal posted a picture in X (previously known as Twitter) and remembered the trip that started with the 1987 classic Nayakan and turned into a journey until their next movie together Thug Life.
Happy Birthday, Mani Ratnam.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) June 2, 2025
From Nayakan to Thug Life, we’ve journeyed through time together — as colleagues, family, co-dreamers, and above all, as lifelong students of cinema. Through every chapter, your presence has been a source of strength — a mind I turn to in moments of… pic.twitter.com/PVb9ejWdwL
He wrote:
“Happy birthday to you Mani Ratnam. Sweep away from Nayakan to Thug Life: we have traversed together in time as colleagues, family, co-dreamers, and, most important, as unconditional admirers of cinema. Your very existence is a reminder of so many things. An anchor in a storm: a mind I can rely upon in times of doubt, a body that is deeply a part of film. May stories for you keep unfolding, because every frame looks beautiful and has a deeper meaning due to your vision. Your Friend Forever, Kamal Haasan.”
Kamali Celebrates the Master Director
As actor Ravi Mohan, who played Arunmozhi Varman in Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan films, also paid tribute by sharing a picture and captioning:
“Happy birthday to the awsm of Indian cinema, #ManiRatnam sir. Great working in the projects under you. All the best for #ThugLife and everything else sir.”
Legacy of a Cinematic Icon
Few will argue that Mani Ratnam is one of the most remembered directors in India. He has always tried to come up with something new and different in his films, which are commercially successful at the box office and critically acclaimed at the same time. Born on June 2, 1956, Ratnam’s interest in films was quite early as he was brought up in a family involved in film production.
In 2022 he was awarded one of the prime civilian awards in India, Padma Shri.
Anticipation for ‘Thug Life’
While fans and contemporaries celebrate his legacy, many are waiting in great anticipation for Ratnam's next project with Kamal Haasan, Thug Life. The film is likely to become yet another milestone in the already fruitful association which has given Indian cinema some of the best films.
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