Thug Life: Hit Or Flop? Audience Verdict On The Kamal Haasan-Silambarasan Film Directed By Mani Ratnam

Thug Life: Hit or Flop? Thug Life is a Tamil gangster action drama film helmed by Mani Ratnam, who collaborated with Kamal Haasan in writing the screenplay. The film brings together an ensemble cast including Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Joju George, Nassar, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Ali Fazal. This project marks the much-awaited reunion of Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan since their collaboration on Nayakan back in 1987.

The film was first announced in November 2022 under the working title Kamal Haasan 234, highlighting Haasan's 234th film as a lead actor. The official title, Thug Life, was unveiled about a year later. Filming commenced in January 2024 and spanned several locations, including Chennai, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, New Delhi, and other parts of North India, concluding later that year.

Thug Life features a soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman, while cinematography was handled by Ravi K. Chandran. Editing was done by A. Sreekar Prasad. The film was released globally on June 5, 2025, and was available in multiple formats such as standard, IMAX, and EPIQ.

Thug Life: The Early Viewers' Verdict

Following its release, viewers have taken to social media platforms-especially X (formerly Twitter)-to discuss the film. While public reactions have been varied, the film has certainly sparked conversation given the combination of the star cast and the director.

The production involved several notable technicians and artists. Action sequences were coordinated by Anbariv, with Sharmishta Roy as production designer. Choreography was managed by Kruti Mahesh, and costume design was led by Eka Lakhani. Kamal Haasan's personal costume and makeup were overseen by Amritha Ram and Akihito Ikeda, respectively.

The sound design was managed by Anand Krishnamoorthi, with the chief re-recording mixer Craig Mann and color grading by Ashirwad Hadkar. Vocal performances in the soundtrack feature singers such as Charulatha Mani and Shruti Haasan. The lyrics were written by Karthik Netha, Siva Ananth, and Kamal Haasan himself.

The film's production was carried out under the banners of Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and Red Giant Movies, with creative producers Shaad Ali and Bejoy Nambiar. The music was released by Saregama India Limited, an A RPSG Group company.

While Thug Life has generated a mix of reactions online, it continues to be a focal point in Tamil cinema given its prominent cast and crew, as well as its ambitious scale and technical scope.