Dear Mani

I've never been a great fan of your movies. That said, your best film, IMO, is still Mouna Ragam. Nothing since has done anything to change my opinion. But after watching the latest offering "Raavanan", I have a few suggestions. I'm no movie critic and these are aimed solely at maximizing the ROI on my ticket money and time:

1. When you get started on your next movie, hire a professional to write the dialogs. Pssst...Suhasini is NOT one. While on dialogs, a response to a question is an answer. Not another question. Your characters should not be allowed to ask more than one question at a time. Watching your movies shouldn't feel like watching the rapid fire round in a quiz competition. One word dialogs? Niruthanam!

2. Stop experimenting with non-linear narration. As a remedy, I suggest you watch any SP Muthuraman/Bagyaraj movie. Or any random movie from the 80s and 90s for that matter. Each one is a study in linear narration with the audience being amply made aware of the single, regulation foray into the past with the aid of the "flashback"; complemented by a subtle defocus, a spinning disc and perhaps a little psychedelic music. Keep it simple.

3. Thirunelveli is a nice place. Agreed. But you must come out of that district and set your story in some other part of Tamilnadu instead. Quite frankly, you're using that place a bit like the reddish brown, generic gravy common to any and all *masala dishes in a cheap North Indian restaurant. So it is with utmost affection that I say, "Get the hell out of Thirunelveli."

4. Stop chasing a pan Indian audience. If you are trying to ensure a Dadasahib Phalke, I'm afraid that you are a "Madarasi". And no matter what you do/don't do, a Karan Johar or a Shah Rukh will beat you to it. Yes, we don't live in a fair world. Making Hindi movies is fine. But trying to make the same thing in both languages at the same time seems to result in two average movies. And I'll go out on a limb and say that people would rather like one good movie. I'll have to quote Visu/Balachandar/Poornam Vishwanathan again - "tamizhan tamizhana irukkanam, telungan telungana irukkanam."

5. Talking of a pan Indian audience, you should part ways with ARR. The problem is that while you are chasing all India audiences, ARR is busy wooing the world at large. As a result, your movies are "local" in neither content nor music, leaving Tamil audiences shortchanged. It was a good run with ARR for, what, about 10 movies? I say leave us with the good memories. On the same note, you should probably pay Ilayaraja a visit, and see if he will score music for you again. If he won't, and why would he, you should drive straight to Harris Jayaraj's place and seek an appointment. My point being: ditch ARR.

6. Two words: people watch. Wear a disguise and watch people go about their lives. And you'll probably realize that society, as you try to paint in your movies, does NOT exist. Hints: People don't quote literature all the time, stuff happens outside Thirunelveli too, people live in well lit houses and talk in complete sentences complete with a subject, an object and a verb in them. In other words, people behave normally.

Thanks.