Two of Tamil Cinema's biggest filmmakers Mani Ratnam and Shankar were the subject of a recent interview question, with respect to the outcomes of their respective last outings—Thug Life (2025), and Game Changer (2025), Indian 2 (2024). Director Shankar, a filmmaker known for making big canvas productions, saw his Rs. 350 Cr+ Telugu movie Game Changer, gross only Rs. 195 Cr. in its lifetime, and his Rs. 250 Cr+ Tamil movie Indian 2 grossing a little over Rs. 151 Cr in box-office collections.
Mani Ratnam's self-produced Thug Life on the other hand saw a box-office collection of Rs. 97 Cr, whereas it was made on the budget of Rs. 200 Cr+. However film's other producer Kamal Haasan before Thug Life's release had stated that both him and Thug Life's distributor Red Giant Movies had ensured such a deal with Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, that the director himself would be relieved of any losses from the movie.
Not to mention a huge chunk of Indian 2, Game Changer and Thug Life's budget was compensated by massive deals over their exclusive OTT, and satellite rights. So while the producers of said movies may have seen only bearable losses (or none at all), filmmakers Shankar and Mani Ratnam became the subject of criticism despite their legacy. AR Murugadoss is another Tamil filmmaker who despite his legacy of giving memorable hits like Ghajini (2008), and Thuppakki (2012), has faced similar criticisms over movies of his that have performed poorly.
His upcoming movie Madharaasi starring Sivakarthikeyan releases on September 5, 2025, and during a promotional interview for the same AR Murugadoss was asked his view of the criticisms Shankar and Mani Ratnam face today. The Madharaasi director replied to this,
"Both Mani Ratnam and Shankar are legends in their own right, we cannot weigh them based on one slip (in their career) alone. Shankar isn't a normal commercial director. Even Rajkumar Hirani's movies (with a message) are compact. But Shankar is the first filmmaker to insert a message in a big canvas movie.
If you look at a man walking on a road and wonder why nothing has happened to him, it is because he is walking on an already paved road. But the one who gets his feet dirty to pave the road is the one facing all the thorns and stones.
So if you say why the thorns are always poking Mani Ratnam, why the stones are always in the way of Mani Ratnam - It is because he is paving the path. When someone paves the way for the first time, there will be potholes that need to be filled,..this is because they are in the department of paving the way.
If someone's travelling on the smooth road, it is bound to see success. Only the ones who attempt new paths and roads are bound to see failures. Just because I am a ticket paying audience who didn't get to see what I liked in a movie theater once or twice, I cannot write them off, because Mani Ratnam, Shankar are not just extreme hard workers but are also big brains."
When the interviewer posed his surprise about an established name like AR Murugadoss still getting to learn from a Shankar or Mani Ratnam, as opposed to a newcomer, the filmmaker said, "No matter how much world cinema one consumes, there are pioneers in our own Tamil film industry to learn from like K Balachander and Bharathi Raja. I know there is a lingering question about why Tamil Cinema hasn't given a Rs. 1000 Cr. hit, where as other industry movies have, I'd say Tamil filmmakers don't just entertain but also educate, which is why the gap perhaps."