Mani Ratnam, the Steven Speilberg of Indian cinema, owes his success to his ability to set new trends in filmmaking, plot lines and direction. His films showcase technical wizardry, through beautifully co-coordinated plot sequences, excellent photography, peppy songs and well-synchronized song sequences.

This management consultant turned director began his film career as director with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi , in 1983. This Kannada film, starring Anil Kapoor, Lakshmi and Kiran Vairale, did not make much impact on the audience, but there was one song in this film, shot in typical Mani Ratnam style, which gave an idea of what  this director could give.  His first films, made in Tamil and Malayalam, also did not do much for this dynamic director at that time.

It was his film venture, Mauna Ragam (1986), starring Mohan, Revathi and Kartik, that made people sit up and recognise his talents. Mauna Ragam was a beautiful love story without the syrupy song sequences and hero-villain fight scenes usually found in love stories of that vintage time. The story line unfolded the emotions of a woman in a very truthful and artistic manner, as she changes her mind to accept her life, her husband and leave behind old thoughts as decided by fate.

This was followed by Nayakan (1987). Its plot was based on the story of the Bombay-based gangster Varadarajan. The film's stunning cinematography and precision shots turned Mani Ratnam into a brand. Kamal Haasan won the National Award for Best Actor for this film, which was India 's entry for the Oscars that year.

His critics feel his plot lines are in a way predictable, dialogues spoken fast or in monosyllables and that he nothing more than just an above average commercial film maker. If all this is true, he would not have been able to make such impressive movies and that too most of them huge hits. Here's a look at how he proved his critics wrong through the hits he made.

Agni Nakshatram (1988) was popular for its slick song sequences, glossy camerawork and the plot was about undercurrents of hate and tension between two half-brothers, who finally come together due to their father's illness. The kind of technicality used on the sets left a lasting impression on the audience and set the trend which Mani Ratnam followed in his future films. In 1989, Gitanjali – a touching love story between two terminally ill people, set in the backdrop of the misty climate of Ooty, struck an emotional chord with the audience. The emotional dimension to human nature was further explored in Anjali, starring Revathi and Raghuvaran, with baby Shamili playing the role of a mentally challenged child. The film was noted for its elaborately choreographed songs with the children in the film.

In Thalapathi , he brings the epic story of Karna and Arjuna to light with the hero Rajinikant and Arvind Samy. He has a beautiful way of retelling epics stories in modern day themes, a style unique to Mani Ratnam.

Next came the film that literally thumped the nation! – Roja . Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Kashmiri hills and valleys, with the underlying plot o Kashmiri terrorists and the love story between the heroine (Madhu) and her husband (Arvind Samy), this beautiful love story captured the minds and hearts of everyone in India . The concept of an innocent village girl fighting against all odds to get her husband back is the modern day version of the Savitri-Satyavan story retold by Mani Ratnam. With this semi-political, romantic thriller, Mani Ratnam became a household name; the movie was dubbed and released in Hindi, and was again a huge success.

Another aspect Mani Ratnam has been criticized for is that he uses controversial themes and hypes his movie to catch an audience. His next venture, Thiruda Thiruda (1993) did not do too well at the box-office, even though it had no political overtones or a plot based on controversial themes. But Bombay , based on the incidents of the Bombay riots of 1993, was a huge success. Mani Ratnam had to get a clearance from Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray before it could be released in Mumbai. He warded off bombs thrown into his home, due to the release this film. Starring Arvind Samy and Manisha Koirala, this film's runaway success, established Mani Ratnam as one-of-a-kind filmmaker.

In 1997, Mani Ratnam released Iruvar . The film once again showed the director's interest in politics since the movie's plot was loosely based on the MGR-Karunanidhi story. Starring Mohan Lal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai and Gauthami, the film was critically acclaimed and is considered one of Mani Ratnam's best films to date.

Dil Se (1998), starring Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala and Preity Zinta, did not bring him bombs, but did bomb at the box-office, though it won international acclaim. The film was shot over a 55-day period in the exotic locales of Kashmir and Bhutan and is famed for being shots in beautiful locations in deserts, mountains, snow and temples.

Mani Ratnam has been charged by critics for importing actresses from the North for item numbers in his films, exploiting them just for their glamour. For example, Sonali Bendre performed an item number ‘Humma Humma' Bombay . Actually, his introduction of north-based heroines in south films, set a trend for glamour in the industry, making way for actresses from the north to become popular and much sought after actresses in southern films.

2000 saw the release Alaipauthey staring Madhavan and Shalini. The film was a hit and it brought out a new dimension to love stories – which is… what happens after two people in love get married? Do they live happily ever after? Not really! Mani Ratnam brings out the real life tensions and discontent of married life in contrast with the exuberance of romantic love through this movie.

His next film, Kannathil Mutham Ittal , showcases him again as an expert story teller. A moving story of a young girl who comes to know that she is an adopted child, the plot describes how she learns to accept the harsh realities of the life faced by her real mother in Sri Lanka and ordeal which her foster parents go through to bring about this realization.

His next venture, Ayudha Ezhuthu, with its theme of youth in politics, did not work very well with audiences. His upcoming venture Guru, starring Bollywood's hottest couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan is much expected .

Mani Ratnam has done what most directors find it difficult to do – showcase typical South Indian mentality to the world, through his use of wicked wit and ribaldry, which is so part of being a Tamil. Most Tamil films are usually extensions soap operas with the hero and the heroine playing larger-than-life characters. Amidst all this, Mani Ratnam began to tell the truth about life in general to the audience, through movies, which touched upon sensitive topics as in Anjali, Roja, Bombay ... It is for this fresh perspective that he is acclaimed.

Over the course of his movies, he does tend to romanticize important political issues as seen in Iruvar, Bombay and Roja , but nevertheless, these movies succeeded at the box-office because of their strong entertainment element. Mani Ratnam is both an artist and an entertainer and his critics will have to accept that he will mix both these elements in his movies.

In 2006, Mani Ratnam directed Netru, Indru, Naalai, a Broadway musical style tribute to Tamil filmdom. This three-hour song, dance, and drama extravaganza brought to life important moments from Tamil cinema, right from the hoary past to today. The show was a great tribute to the Tamil film industry, bringing together 100 dancers, as well as actors and actresses from across the country. This is Mani Ratnam's first theatre production and was conceived along with other artists to help ‘The Banyan', a charity organization for mentally challenged and destitute women.

Mani Ratnam is not just a popular director but a trendsetter in filmmaking. It has taken a while for people to accept his new trends, but the popular styles set by his films are soon followed by other filmmakers for box-office success.