Always on location: Anupama Chopra on filmmaker Mani Ratnam

Forty years in, the auteur still tours theatres to check on their sound systems. This dedication to detail is part of what makes his movies unique.

“What is BTS?” Mani Ratnam asked Basil Joseph. The two filmmakers, along with Vetrimaaran and Rishab Shetty, were part of a panel discussion at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s CII Dakshin event in Chennai last week.

Basil — whose 2021 film Minnal Murali, about a young village tailor who becomes a superhero, was a smash hit — was speaking about how he tries to stay plugged into pop-culture. His efforts, he said, include listening to BTS. He explained to Ratnam