Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan took to social media to share a heartfelt birthday message for filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s 67th birthday. He wrote that Mani is inspiring the upcoming generation of filmmakers who will carry on his legacy. He also wished Music director Ilaiyaraja, who is celebrating his 80th birthday, on his social media page.
Sharing a happy picture of himself and the director, Kamal wrote “If one were to count life by the happiness that they create around them and if age is calculated by the friends around you, my dear #ManiRatnam you are going to be a much older man today! A doyen of Indian Cinema who has touched the hearts of millions through his art and one who transformed dialogues into a lovely visual experience.”
He added, "You have constantly pushed the boundaries of cinema unmindful of the scale of challenge by constantly learning. Today you are a master inspiring the next generation of filmmakers through whom your legacy shall reverberate perpetually. From Nayakan to #KH234, our journey together has been personally rewarding and enriching for me. Many more happy returns of the day and more to come my friend! #HappyBirthdayManiRatnam."
Kamal Haasan also praised Mani for Ponniyin Selvan. The actor wrote on Twitter, "Mani Ratnam takes a lot of valour to do a film of this size like a production. Mr. Mani Ratnam, the team, the cinematographer, the musician, everybody they have worked together to make Tamil cinema international. And this is people that have embraced it which is a good sign that Tamil Cinema is probably moving towards the golden age and expected to go in that direction. It's a very moving moment for two friends who started speaking about cinema and he has gone ahead and done it."
Kamal had played the lead role in Mani's 1987 Tamil film Nayakan. He also lent his voice to Mani's Ponniyin Selvan 2 which has Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Trisha, Karthi, and Sobhita Dhulipala in the lead roles.