
Kamal Sridevi, a mysterious new venture unveiled
Actor and Producer, Rajavardan, who recently announced Jawa, his debut production venture under his home banner, Barn Swallow, is now following it up with his second project. And, what's grabbing attention this time is the bold and intriguing title — Kamal Sridevi.
While an official announcement from the production house about the title and cast details is expected soon, Rajavardan confirms that VA Sunil Kumar, who previously directed Gajarama, is directing Kamal Sridevi. Noted South Indian actor Kishore plays a key role in the film, while the rest of the cast is being kept under wraps.
Given that Kamal Haasan and Sridevi were one of Indian cinema's most iconic onscreen pairs, having worked together in over 20 films, the title naturally sparks curiosity. However, Rajavardan clarifies, 'Kamal Sridevi, as a title and subject, gives a whole new identity to the film. While people may instantly think of Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, this film has no direct reference to the actors or their films. It's a completely content-based subject,' says producer Rajavardan.

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Pink Villa
an hour ago
- Pink Villa
Thug Life 1st Monday India Box Office: Kamal Haasan's movie grosses an irredeemable Rs 2.25 crore on day 5
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Costume Designer Amritha Ram on designing Kamal Haasan's unconventional look in 'Thug Life': 'He's always done what others don't'
Amritha Ram discusses her creative journey designing costumes for Kamal Haasan in Mani Ratnam's 'Thug Life.' She highlights the collaborative process with Ratnam, whose precise vision guided the film's unique aesthetic, diverging from typical commercial styles. Ram details the evolution of Haasan's wardrobe across three distinct stages, emphasizing minimalism and character-driven choices, particularly in the Delhi and Nepal looks. Costume designer Amritha Ram has worked with Kamal Haasan on multiple projects, but Thug Life—directed by the legendary Mani Ratnam—offered a creative journey like no other. In this exclusive chat with ETimes, she opened up about building the layered wardrobe for Kamal's complex character, working closely with Mani Ratnam's precise vision, and how the film's aesthetics stand apart from typical commercial fare. Excerpts... What was the most exciting challenge about designing for Kamal Haasan in Thug Life under Mani Ratnam's direction? The answer to the question is in the question itself. It's just two names. The whole idea of working in a film with these two names is the most exciting part. It just can't get better. Were there specific inspirations or narratives that guided your designs? Yes, inspirations—a lot. Guidance was great. Mani sir guided me through the entire way and I think he exactly knew what he wanted. He had a specific aesthetic in mind, and with that, it was just so easy. This aesthetic is something I love too. So once you watch the film, you will know that this is something we've never done before—something nobody really does—because it's a little away from the regular commercial way the main actor or hero dresses. So hats off to Mani sir for going that way, and hats off to Kamal sir. Of course, he has always done what others don't do, and this will definitely be one of them. Can you share insights into how Kamal Haasan's character's wardrobe evolved throughout the film? How did you ensure the costumes reflected his character's journey? So with this film, I had three different stages of his character, and each stage was very clear. The first one was a very young look—it was a 90s look. So we focused on tones and everything, and it turned out to work well. The second and third looks were very important. You move from the younger look to the middle-aged look where he resides in Delhi. We looked at what a thug would generally wear in Delhi. Mani sir was very clear about keeping it minimal—not over-exaggerating or adding too much. He said Kamal sir's character speaks for itself. He's an actor who needs to be kept absolutely minimalistic. So we added one signature watch. Back then, digital watches were really fashionable and easily available in the black markets and bazaars, so we gave him a capsule digital watch—which you'll observe in the second look. Initially, he wears a gold watch that he gifts to Mr Simbu. Then, after he gets back from jail, we go with the digital watch and a very simple, understated khada. Not the regular one, but something slightly similar—we kept it very simple and clean. Everything else is just what you see—it all fell into place. The colour palettes were designed to be very neutral—white, beige, brown—and of course, midnight blue and black. We used warm and cool tones for that particular look, and hair that went with it. Mani sir had even given me an illustration of how he wanted everything else to look apart from the clothes. How Mani sir works is—first I come up with a costume board, then we sit and work on it together. He picks what he wants, and then we go ahead and make everything. Then we have a trial day—which is more than just a trial day. It's a day we finalize the looks. We try everything on Kamal sir, Mani sir takes pictures, and then we shortlist. There might be one more round, or we may end it there. By the time we reach the shoot, we know exactly what we want. Auditions and improvs are always there, but most of it is set—and if we need to do something extra, we know what that might be. Look three follows the character's journey completely. He's in Nepal, untamed—his beard grows bigger and wider. He grows his hair long and textured. We tried a lot with the hair. For the aesthetic, we looked at what comes from Nepal. It had to be understated but very relaxed. I prepared a board again, and sir went through it. We had two days of shoot for this look. On the first day, we made a set of outfits, tried them out, and then the director chose a bunch. We worked more on those. For this look, we decided on 'no color'—you'll see green and black, and that's about it. It had to reflect the mindset of the character. There was one more detail we focused on: for a man who lives in Delhi, who has always worn simple suits—shirts and trousers since his young age—to move into this look, we didn't want anything too stylish. We wanted something appropriate. There's even a dialogue in the film where his wife says, 'Oh my god, is this new? Did you pick all this for me? This looks like a costume for a movie.' That's how deeply it's woven in. Everything fell into place. It was a great process for me. Having worked extensively with Kamal Haasan across various projects, how would you describe your experience? Working with Kamal sir is—at the risk of repeating myself—an absolute learning experience. He knows so much about everything. Again, I'm repeating myself—he knows everything about fabric, textures, dyeing techniques, everything. If there is a brief, he'll give you so many inputs because he's done so much. There's nothing he hasn't done—in terms of very fancy costumes to very realistic ones. He's done everything. So working with him is a learning experience where you keep improvising, and he keeps improvising. You keep learning from time to time, and the learning just keeps growing. It's an amazing experience I will always cherish. With the recent controversy surrounding Kamal Haasan's comments, do you feel the noise has taken attention away from the film's visuals and your creative work? As someone who does purely creative work, I don't give much thought to anything outside my field. Once we finish our work, we are done. The rest is up to the team to take it forward. I know this is a team that puts enough emphasis on everybody's work. So I have nothing to say about it—I don't think it interferes with us or the scope of what we're meant to get out of this. Have you received any direct feedback from audiences or cultural commentators regarding the costumes in Thug Life, especially in the context of the ongoing debates? From the promotions to the trailer release, people loved the aesthetic. They thought it was something new—a fresh visual that hadn't been seen before. So I've only received appreciation, and I don't think it concerns anything else other than just the movie and the look. Yes, I've received a lot of appreciation, and I'm very thankful for the film.


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Thug Life box office collection day 5: Kamal Haasan film shows no growth, collects ₹40 crore
Thug Life box office collection day 5: Expectations were high with what was going to be Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan's first film in 38 years after Nayakan. The Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR, and Trisha Krishnan-starrer Thug Life was released in theatres on Thursday. However, the film has not met the expectations of many, as it received mixed reviews. The latest Sacnilk report states that Thug Life has seen a sharp dip in its first Monday, collecting just above ₹40 crore. (Also read: Thug Life worldwide box office collection day 4: Kamal Haasan film yet to surpass Indian 2, crosses ₹70 crore) On Monday, Thug Life collected ₹3.11 crore as per early estimates. It is the lowest single-day collection for the film so far. Thug Life opened on Thursday with ₹ 15.5 crore, and was unable to show further growth in the next few days. The total collection of the film now stands at ₹40.01 crore. Most of its earnings are in place because of the Tamil version of the film. The report also states that Thug Life had 17.21% Tamil Occupancy on Monday. Thug Life revolves around the decades-long story of a feared mafia kingpin who seeks revenge after betrayal. The film also stars Silambarasan TR, Trisha Krishnan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Ashok Selvan, Abhirami, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal and Rohit Saraf. The film released in theatres last week amid controversy over Kamal Haasan's comment that Kannada was born out of Tamil. He refused to apologise, and the film was not released in Karnataka. Later, Kamal wrote an open letter to the KFCC, where he said, "My words were intended only to convey that we are all one and from the same family and not to diminish Kannada in any way. There is no dispute or debate on the rich legacy of the Kannada language.'