Mani Ratnam's 26 films to be digitally mastered for OTT release soon

All 26 films of legendary filmmaker Mani Ratnam are set to drop on OTT soon and the digitisation processes are currently underway for these movies to be streamed in various HD formats. 

A source told Tamil Nadu-based DT Next, "They are now in the process of digitising those films at a studio lab in Chennai. The release would be subsequent, and not all films will release at one go.”

As for the OTT service that would be streaming these films, the source said, "Though it is too early to confirm, it could be Netflix India that could have struck this deal."

The news is something that fans of the master filmmaker, who has worked across film industries, will rejoice. Some of Mani's classics include Anjali, Thalapathi, Roja, Bombay and Alaipayuthey. 

With all his directorials dropping on OTT, the audience could also watch some of his first few films such as Kannada movie Pallavi Anu Pallavi, Malayalam film Unaru and Tamil debut Pagal Nilavu that not many have not seen. It wasn't until Mouna Ragam in 1986 and Nayakan in 1987 that Mani established himself as a much sought-after filmmaker. 

His repertoire is filled with some stellar films that also saw him collaborating with the biggest stars in the country. These include working with Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se, Mammootty and Rajnikanth in Thalapathi, Mohanlal and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Iruvar, and Suriya and Siddharth in Aayatha Ezhuthu. 

In the past decade, Mani has also managed to keep things fresh, teaming up with young stars such as Dulquer Salman and Karthi, and tackling new themes in films such as O Kadhal Kanmani and Kaattru Veliyidai. 

Currently, the filmmaker is busy with his magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan that Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Trisha. He is also producing the Netflix anthology titled Navarasa, which has movies directed by nine filmmakers including Priyadarshan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Arvind Swami and Karthick Naren.