Mani Ratnam apologises for ‘Thug Life’: ‘It was never our intention to...’

It was the talk of the town when famed director Mani Ratnam announced that he would be reuniting with Kamal Haasan for a new film, titled Thug Life. Theire previous collaborative creative masterpiece Nayakan was the setting stone for that.

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Naturally, audiences approached the film with high expectations. While most walked into the theatres excitedly, the emotion fell short on the way to the exit.

A dejected Ratnam has now apologised for the film. In a statement to 123 Telugu, he said, “For those who were expecting another Nayakan from the two of us, all I can say is we are sorry. It was never our intention to go back. Why should we?”

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Acknowledging the expectation set on the film, the filmmaker said, “We wanted to do something completely different. I think more than over-expectation, it was another expectation. The audience expected something far removed from what we delivered.”

 

Thug Life received a lukewarm response, both critically and commercially, with Sajin Shrijith of THE WEEK writing, “Where do I begin? There is, maybe, 40 per cent of Thug Life that's quite solid — and most of it is the pre-interval segments — when the film remains in gangster movie mode, with some tense sequences... However, once we reach post-interval, the film reveals other, strange inclinations. Let's just say that it sometimes wants to be Nayakan 2.0 at others, Batman Begins and John Wick.”

The film faltered at the box office with the film earning only Rs 97 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, against a reported budget of Rs 200 crore.

About Thug Life

Mafia don Sakthivel and his brother adopted Amaran as a child. Years later, following an assassination attempt, Sakthivel’s suspicion turns to his family, particularly his son. This film explores strong themes of father and son bonds. Helmed by Mani Ratnam, the film stars Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, and Aishwarya Lekshmi.

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