Mani Ratnam was born as G. Subramaniam on June 2, 1956, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. After graduating with a degree in commerce from Vivekananda College Madras University and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, he embarked on a career as a management consultant before becoming a filmmaker. He got into film direction with the help of his late brother, film producer G. Venkateswaran. He is married to Suhasini Mani Ratnam, a Best Actress Indian National Film Award winner, daughter of actor Chaaru Haasan, cousin of Anu Haasan and Shruthi Haasan and niece of the actor Kamal Haasan.