Multiple media outlets including the Hindustan Times are reporting that director Mani Ratnam has been admitted to a hospital in Delhi for unspecified cardiac problems. No further information was available, and both the hospital and Ratnam’s family are refusing to comment any further.
According to a report in the Mumbai Mirror, Ratnam suffered a heart attack on Tuesday when holidaying in Srinagar. He was stabilised at a local hospital before being moved to Delhi. The report also added that Ratnam would be moved to a hospital in Chennai in the next few days.
The filmmaker has a history of cardiac problems, including three heart attacks in 2004, 2006 and 2009. Ratnam had, in a 2012 question and answer session blamed the heart issues on his “tendency to get involved in a movie.” Ratnam suffered his first heart attack in 2004 when he was shooting for his bilingual Yuva; and the 2009 attack happened during the filming of the Abhishek Bachchan – Aishwarya Rai starrer Raavan.
Heart attack is giving me alarms now and then.Once I start working on a film,I forget my health & get completely involved with work.The alarm says this is wrong.I hav corrected myself now.I play tennis.I laugh a lot.If your mind is young, your health will also start co-operating.As Bharathiar had said,’Like a ball that has been thrown, a body that will go in any direction as the mind says is what I ask for.’ [Link]
His most recent film, OK Kanmani, released in April and has done well at the box office. The movie was Mani Ratnam’s first hit in recent years after a string of box office failures including Kadal and Raavan.
Update (1030 AM): Mani Ratnam’s wife Suhasini ManiRatnam, through their publicist, has denied reports that he suffered a heart attack. She said that Ratnam was hospitalised for a regular phsycial exam (a “Master Health Check”), and that he would return to Chennai tomorrow. Silverscreen will continue making update to this developing story.
