New Delhi: Mani Ratnam has reunited with Kamal Haasan after 38 years for Thug Life. The film is seen as a spiritual sequel to their last film, the 1987 thriller Nayakan.
“Over the years, you’ve held us on your shoulders. We’re sorry, and Thug Life is our peace offering,” said Haasan during a press meet for the film.
Haasan has also penned the lyrics of the song Jinguchaa, which was released at the event held in Chennai. The film’s music has been composed by AR Rahman.
There has been growing anticipation among the audiences about the duo getting back together after three decades and what the film will offer. Haasan apologised to the audience for not working together with Ratnam earlier, and assured that the relationship has remained the same.
“We were in search of better scripts, that’s why it took this long for us to collaborate,” he said. Haasan has co-written Thug Life with Ratnam.
Haasan said Mani Ratnam reminded him of screenwriter and director K Balachander, his mentor. Haasan also shared that he calls the director, ‘Anju ara’ Mani Ratnam—5.30 am Mani Ratnam. A nod to the fact that the director was ready to shoot every day at that time.
Also read: Is Thug Life a sequel to Nayakan? Fans think so after Kamal Haasan-Mani Ratnam film teaser
An ensemble cast
Made on a budget of Rs 300 crore, the film will be a litmus test for the Tamil film industry which has been struggling, especially with big budget films like Vidaamuyarchi and Kanguva failing miserably. The low budget Dragon (2025) and mid-budget Amaran (2024) managed to keep the box office afloat with their collections. Dragon, made on a budget of Rs 55 crore earned Rs 147.5 crore, while Amaran brought in Rs 328.65 crore. It was made on a budget of Rs 120 crore.
Thug Life has an ensemble cast featuring Trisha, Silambarasan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Joju George, Abhirami, Nasser, Ali Fazal, and more. Trisha and Silambarasan are also reuniting after 15 years to work on the film, which is produced by Raaj Kamal Films International and Madras Talkies. They had earlier worked together for the romantic drama, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya (2010), popularly known as ‘VTV’ among fans.
While we don’t know if Thug Life has any romantic plots, Haasan addressed having two heroines with a joke. “The two ladies don’t say ‘I love you’ to me, instead it is Joju George. He said ‘I Love you sir’ every day on set and I consoled myself with that,” he said with a smile.
The movie is set to release on 5 June.
(Edited Theres Sudeep)