Mani Ratnam

He embraced a career as a management consultant in India before becoming a filmmaker. His first feature film Pallavi Anu pallavi (1983) won the Karnataka State Award for Best Screenplay. In 2002, he was awarded the distinguished Padma Shri by the President of India for his contribution to the Arts. He has consistently walked the career path as a filmmaker. His films have been screened at BIFF several times.