Yet, for all his belief in the goodness of life, Mani's films show that life is too complicated for goodness to permeate it completely.
As superstar Rajinikanth begins shooting his newest film Kaala Karikalan in Mumbai, there is much speculation about which Tamilian ganglord the Thalaivar is bringing to life.
Kamal is the second Tamil actor after Sivaji Ganesan to be awarded this honour.
'You have to understand the realities of Tamil Nadu politics before you decide if you want to be a politician,' A Ganesh Nadar advises the actor.
Vijay giving an amazing performance in Thalaivaa which is full of action, drama and emotion.
Veteran actor Vinod Khanna passed away on Thursday after battling cancer. He was 70.
Watching a Rajnikanth film in Mumbai's Aurora Theatre can only be compared to watching a Salman Khan film in Bandra's Gaiety-Galaxy, but multiplied 100 times over, feels Saisuresh Sivaswamy.