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There is something about these first time effort. Sparks of brilliance??? A glimpse of things to come??? A statement…I have arrived???? Or maybe just mere doing what one always wanted to do……make movies????? . Looking back 20 + years of this man who has inspired a generation of movie goers and wannabes …..What was his first outing with the megaphone like? An unusual choice of language and a few trivias it leaves behind…and yes it did win the State Award [Karnataka].

For starters it was The Mani Ratnam’s first film. He made his debut in Kannada Cinema. His leading man….Anil Kapoor. It was his first as the male lead as well. This was before Who Saath Din and this also sealed Anil Kapoors fate at the box office with South Remakes for a few years to come.

First things first. First film and already stamps all over. Great music, great camerawork and restraint and yes last but not the least…..Man-woman relationships. It had all the ingredients Ratnam was to showcase and captivate us with in then years to come.

The first time effort was also backed and supported with some degree of proficiency. A father who was a respected producer and a brother who also was in the same line. The only one without a background in films was Mr. Ratnam. An MBA from Bajaj and with no first hand film experience. This is what he had to say when quizzed about his debut.

“When I started `Pallavi Anupallavi,’ I had flow charts, budgets and cash flow all written up,” he said in reference to his business school background. “One week later, I tore it all apart.” “Pallavi Anupallavi” was a Kannada film, he said, “because at the time I didn’t have a choice. If I’d gotten the producer, I would even have made a Chinese film … and it would have been a very good Chinese film too.”

- www.hinduonnet.com

We bet it would have been a damn good. I am sure at the age of 29-30 when Mani Ratnam ventured into film making he did it with that much arrogance and gutso that any new film makers comes in with…..to change the way films are made….in the country at least. Mani Ratnam was one of he few who actually managed to do that. The after math of Nayagan and Agninakshatram saw a surge in the RATNAM way of doing it. Most of the films we saw in the 80s were backlit and stark. Coming back to his debut and his philosophy.

“I am a commercial filmmaker. I don’t think `commercial’ is a bad word. I don’t think a film becomes good just because it has no songs in it.”

- www.hinduonnet.com

Well don’t recollect much of the film. But yes it was a typical Mani Ratnam hero who will profess his love in jest to any old women [Roja,Bombay,Dil Se], The music was awesome. Those were the days of montage songs and there was a splendid one capturing Bangalore quite beautifully. In fact when idea cellular was launched….the 98…..commercial was a song from Pallavi Anu Pallavi.

The film explored the relationship of a man with 2 women. One his age and mind-set…they are in love. The other with an older women who is a divorcee with a kid. This relationship with the woman creates friction in his existing relationship with his girl, his family and the society in general. Here too Anil Kapoor’s char is quite rebellious…has a mind of his own and is quite aggressive…this characterization became a trademark in all his films to come.  And yes PAP also has the famous mirror scene which all Mani Films have….Though it did not set the BO ablaze…..Mani Ratnam sure sent a signal…he had arrived….a film maker to watch out for.