10 months ago
Mani Ratnam's 'Sweet Revenge' on Screenwriter Dennis Joseph
A famous movie director named Mani Ratnam made a movie called Anjali.
The writer who was supposed to help write the story, Dennis Joseph, left the movie halfway through.
This happened because Dennis Joseph got an offer to work on another movie with famous actors.
Mani Ratnam was a bit upset about this.
So, in his movie Anjali, Mani Ratnam apparently created a character as a way to get back at Dennis Joseph.
Dennis Joseph later shared this story himself.
He said Mani Ratnam had praised his writing a lot, which made him feel good.
Even though Dennis Joseph was busy and not fluent in Tamil, he agreed to help.
But eventually, he had to leave the movie.
Mani Ratnam's 1990 film 'Anjali' reportedly featured a character as 'sweet revenge' on screenwriter Dennis Joseph.
Dennis Joseph left the screenplay for 'Anjali' midway to pursue a project with actors Mohanlal and Mammootty.
Joseph recalled being initially flattered by Mani Ratnam's high praise for his work, calling his 'New Delhi' screenplay one of the best commercial scripts.
Despite reluctance due to Tamil language fluency and busy schedules, Joseph committed to writing 'Anjali'.
Joseph, who passed away a few years ago, shared these details in a past interview with Safari TV.
- Who
- Mani Ratnam and screenwriter Dennis Joseph
- What
- Mani Ratnam reportedly took 'sweet revenge' on Dennis Joseph by incorporating a character in his film 'Anjali' after Joseph left the project midway.
- Where
- During the making of the film 'Anjali'.
- When
- Around 1990, with Dennis Joseph recalling the events in a later interview.
- Why
- Dennis Joseph left the film midway to work on a project involving actors Mohanlal and Mammootty, despite initially being flattered by Ratnam's praise and agreeing to write the screenplay.
Key facts
- Film
- Anjali (1990)
- Director
- Mani Ratnam
- Screenwriter
- Dennis Joseph
- Joseph's other notable work referenced
- New Delhi screenplay
Quotes
Dennis Joseph
Malayalam screenwriter
“Mani Ratnam told me the story idea about this child with autism and how it affects her family. It was all there in his mind. He just had to write it down. I asked him why the screenwriter of a classic screenplay text like Nayakan needs someone like me to write his film. But he said something that surprised me, that after Sholay, my script for New Delhi is the screenplay he considers the best commercial script of Indian cinema at the time. I was so thrilled to hear that from the writer of Nayakan. So even though I was reluctant due to my lack of fluency in Tamil and busy schedules, I committed to writing the screenplay for Anjali, and we parted ways. We had many discussions whenever we met.”
indianexpress.com
