Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam ( born 2 June 1955 ) , commonly known by his screen name Mani Ratnam , is an Indian film director , screenwriter , and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema . Cited by the media as one of India 's influential filmmakers , Mani Ratnam is widely credited with revolutionising the Tamil film industry and altering the profile of Indian cinema . However , his fifth directorial outing , Mouna Ragam ( 1986 ) , established him as a leading filmmaker in Tamil cinema . Mani Ratnam is well known for his `` Political trilogy '' consisting of Roja ( 1992 ) , Bombay ( 1995 ) , and Dil Se . The commercial and critical success of Roja established him as a leading filmmaker in Indian cinema .
Mani Ratnam is a filmmaker.