Latest news with #SilambarasanTR
Pink Villa
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Netizens REACT to Dulquer Salmaan's exit from Kamal Haasan's Thug Life, call it ‘greatest' decision
Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR starrer Thug Life hit the big screens on June 5, 2025. As the Mani Ratnam directorial has been received with mixed-to-negative reviews, netizens have complimented Dulquer Salmaan's exit from the film. Taking to the internet, many users complimented the actor's departure from the project with one saying, 'Turning down the role in Thug Life was one of the GREATEST decisions Dulquer Salmaan ever made!' Another user said, 'After the trailer everyone trolled him from his decision now after watching the movie everyone is celebrating his decision.' Moreover, one netizen lauded the actor for his script selection over the years and said, 'Dulquer Salmaan, The Man of intellectual and fortunate. Great escape from #ThugLife. Thank you Bro.' For those unaware, Thug Life had previously announced that Dulquer Salmaan will portray a key role as one of the core cast members. The makers officially announced his inclusion along with actors like Ravi Mohan and Gautham Karthik. However, all three of them later opted out of the project due to the production delays. While it is not confirmed which role DQ was supposed to play, it is believed that he was later replaced by Silambarasan TR. Talking about the movie, Thug Life is a gangster actioner featuring the tale of Rangaraaya Sakthivel. A feared mafia kingpin, he once engages in a shootout with his rival, which causes an innocent man to lose his life. As Sakthivel adopts the late person's son, Amaran, he raises him as his own and makes him a mafia member. After several conflicts, the once beloved foster son turns into his biggest enemy, prompting a showdown that would lead to their deaths. With Haasan and STR in lead roles, the film has Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, Nassar, Joju George, Ashok Selvan, and many more in key roles. On the other hand, Dulquer Salmaan is currently involved in the shoot of his next Malayalam movie, I'm Game. With Aakasam Lo Oka Tara and Kaantha in his lineup, the actor is expected to make a cameo appearance in Kalyani Priyadarshan and Naslen starrer, produced by DQ himself.
Khaleej Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
'Thug Life' is a gangster drama that's not so tough
Language: Tamil Rating: 2 out of 5 Nearly 38 years ago, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan gave us Nayakan, the gangster drama made it to Time Magazine's all-time 100 best films and is often hailed as India's answer to Francis Coppola's The Godfather. As I stepped out of the theatre watching Thug Life, their latest collaboration, I just wished they had simply rehashed their cult classic and spared viewers disappointment. Thug Life tries too hard to be a lot of things — and ends up being tedious and predictable. A gangster drama, the movie captures the succession battle in a crime syndicate headed by Rangaraya Sakthivel (Haasan), with old Delhi serving as the backdrop. Hat-tip to cinematographer Ravi K Chandran for capturing the historical city in its full glory on screen. The movie starts with Sakthivel reflecting that death is his biggest enemy and that he has outwitted it on multiple occasions. In a beautiful twist of irony, we're immediately introduced to multiple characters who either want him dead or benefit from his passing. Early on, Sakthivel escapes a police shootout, thanks to Amaran (Silambarasan TR). In gratitude, he anoints him as his successor, leaving many long-standing members miffed. Eventually, Sakthivel becomes a victim of his success, often second-guessing and suspecting his aides, leading to friction. Watch out for the scene where Sakthivel, in a moment of contrition, apologises to Amaran, seated in a car backseat. 'Do you expect me to fall at your feet?' he asks. Ratnam reserves the best for Thug Life in its first half, for it runs out of steam in the latter. (For those unaware, Indian films are often divided into two halves sandwiched with an interval to boost sales at the theatre popcorn counter.) Generic, run-of-the-mill. Words you wouldn't normally reserve for his productions. What we get is a boilerplate betrayal and revenge drama. A character develops into an Oedipus Rex with not much payoff. The characters come in and go (Joju George, Ali Fazal, Ashok Selvan, Mahesh Manjrekar), as do the immaculately choreographed fight sequences, but they don't register on your mind as they ought to. However, where Thug Life falters the most is the portrayal of its women, bereft of any agency. Were there no women assistant directors to review the script and offer their inputs? Think Indrani (Trisha Krishnan), a woman who gets rescued from a place of abuse only to enter a gilded cage, or Jeeva (Abhirami), a woman who we're told had agency but gets a raw deal in life, and one can't miss that sentiment. This feels shocking for someone who gave us some memorable women characters on-screen — be it in 1986's Mouna Raagam, Dil Se (1998), the 2002 war drama inspired by a Time Magazine article, Kannathil Muthamittal. Or even Alaipayuthey (Saathiya). Even worse, excise most such roles from Thug Life and they may not make a dent on the plot. The sequence where Sakthivel gets the pass for adultery from his wife (Abhirami) with a mere apology didn't pass muster with me. The one female role that made a difference was that of Dr Anna (Aishwarya Lekshmi), but it deserved way more screen time. Forget Nayakan, Ratnam's 2018 gangster drama Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, which explored succession within a gangster family with the sons as claimants, felt more compelling. Thug Life' s writing feels underwhelming and takes the easy way out at crucial junctures. Oscar-winner AR Rahman's score and songs for the movie is one of its high points. The viral sensation Jinguchaa gets its pride of place in the movie, with the other, Muththa mazhai, edited out. We're told that this is one of Delhi's biggest crime gangs, but what do they do apart from moving in large numbers in SUVs around? Whatever happened to 'show, don't tell?'
India.com
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Thug Life box office collection: Day 1: Kamal Haasan starrer breaks Akshay Kumar starrer Kesari 2 on first day, earns…
Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR's much-awaited film Thug Life was released in theatres on Thursday. This release happened after many controversies. Due to the controversy, Thug Life could not be released in Karnataka. Despite this, Kamal Haasan's film has earned a lot at the box office on its first day. Not only this, but it has also left the Akshay Kumar-starrer period drama Kesari 2 behind in terms of earnings. Thug Life Gains Momentum On First Day According to industry tracker Kamal Haasan's action-thriller grossed about Rs 13.25 crore net in India across all languages on its first day, due to which it broke Kesari 2 record which had an opening of Rs 7 crore on its first day. The Tamil version of the film had 48.72% occupancy on its opening day, whereas the Hindi 2D version had only 5.73%. Tamil occupancy in IMAX 2D was 32.86%, Telugu occupancy was 21.92% and Hindi occupancy was 7.17%. In the 4DX edition in Tamil circuit occupancy was recorded at 34.25%, which shows that the film is initially getting a huge response in Tamil Nadu. The Controversy Of Thug Life Down Huge Numbers From Karnataka As per reported by The Hindu, Thug Life may incur massive loss of up to Rs 40 crore due to the film's release being halted in Karnataka. Producer and distributor G. Dhananjay stated that if the film is not distributed in Karnataka, it may lose a gross collection of Rs 35-40 crore, with producers losing a share of Rs 12-15 crore. However, the action-thriller flick is performing well in numerous states across the country. At the same time, several trade analysts predicted that this film will perform well in the upcoming days. As per box office report, the film has been made on Rs 300 crore budget as per its remunerations. More about Thug Life Apart from lead stars, the film also features Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, Nassar, Joju George, Mahesh Manjrekar, Tannikela Bharani, Ali Fazal, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi and many others in crucial roles, which is helmed by Mani Ratnam . The action-drama flick has received a mixed response from the masses due to its predictable storytelling and underutilised female characters.
Pink Villa
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Thug Life Movie Review: Kamal Haasan's gangster saga is stylish but falls flat on impact
Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR starrer Thug Life has finally hit the big screens on June 5, 2025. The film, directed by Mani Ratnam, marks his reunion with Haasan after the iconic Nayakan. With the duo returning in a gangster action drama once again, here's the Pinkvilla review of the movie. The Plot: Thug Life presents the tale of Rangaraaya Sakthivel Naicker, a gangster whose shootout with his rival results in the death of a man. This leaves the latter's son and daughter stranded and separated from each other. Amidst the chaos, Sakthivel and his brother, Manickam, adopt a young Amaran, with the former raising him as his own son. Years later, a conflicting occurrence takes place, leading to the mafia kingpin's imprisonment. However, upon his return, the foster son is treated as the head instead of him, leading to animosity. What transpires between the father and son in this violent world narrates the rest of the tale. The Good: Thug Life may have a veteran star like Kamal Haasan in the lead, but the show stealer with the performance was Silambarasan TR. Standing strong alongside a legend like the Virumaandi actor, STR shone well within his space. With Kamal Haasan having a brilliant and skillful portrayal of Sakthivel, the characters within the world were nuanced and grey-shaded. The glamorous narration, substantiated by the stylization, makes the film an entertaining venture. Despite having flaws with its writing, AR Rahman, with his powerful album and exceptional soundtrack, once again proves why he is considered the GOAT. The musician has managed to craft a musical bouquet, with each track having a distinct personality, even though the film is a gangster venture. As Ravi K Chandran helmed the cinematography, he must be credited most for the stylish visuals that capture the audience's attention. The Bad: Thug Life was hyped up before release, being the reunion of Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan after Nayakan. However, the occasion has fallen flat with their writing. The film, which was intended to be a more ambitious attempt at telling an engaging gangster saga, did not make significant progress from a writing perspective. Even with several interesting characters, aided by a magnificent cast, the space for them wasn't given to be completely fleshed out. A story on paper, which would have been grander if adapted into a web series, suffered from being simplified for the movie space, taking hits from a writing perspective. The cliched narratives that seem to be taken from the 1990s of Tamil cinema make one question whether this was written by two legends like Haasan and Ratnam. With poor transitions and a lack of momentum in the screenplay, the screenplay faces another hit from editing standards. Despite an award-winning editor like Sreekar Prasad handling the cuts, it felt more like an amateurish attempt. Even song placements were terrible, hitting the film's progression. The Performances: While Kamal Haasan's writing may not have been the best in this film, the 65-year-old actor still manages to stay energetic throughout. His surrender to portraying a character like Sakthivel, a conflicting nature for that matter, makes him one of the few superstars who don't rely on churning out the same personality for each of his films. As mentioned earlier, Silambarasan TR surprised the most, making this film a major milestone in his career, and hopefully, more consistent projects will follow. However, while Abhirami still charmed us similarly to Virumaandi days, Trisha Krishnan was the major letdown in terms of performance standards. Her character, despite being an interesting one, was executed sheepishly, considering how her choices in recent films are subpar, at best. Watch the trailer of Thug Life The Verdict: Thug Life is nowhere close to being the next Nayakan, nor does it supersede it. While the movie has certain moments from an action perspective, it lacks the flair that matches its substance, making it one of the weakest films by Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam. Even though the film may not be a total miss from theaters, one should check it out when it hits the OTT space for the visuals.
Khaleej Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Why Mani Ratnam said he 'can never make' comedy films
Critically acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam admitted that he cannot make comedy films despite how much he loves the genre. Filmmaker Ratnam interacted with the media during the promotion of his upcoming film Thug Life in Delhi, which also stars Kamal Haasan and Silambarasan TR and Trisha Krishnan in the lead. During a press conference, the Nayakan director opened up about his favourite genre and said he chooses to only watch comedy films. "The genre I like most, I am not good at them, so I don't make them. I just watch it. He (Kamal Haasan) does comedy, and it's unbelievable the comedy films he does, and I can never make them," Ratnam said. "So, I just watch." However, Haasan said it isn't that Ratnam cannot make comedy films, but he just chooses not to. "...That's what I think. I have spoken to him. He is not those people who are very serious when we joke, this gentleman laughs," Haasan said. "So he gets it. But somewhere, he has kept himself that way." During a recent interview with ANI, Ratnam got candid about being called a "dream director". "Some people would like the dream to remain a dream," he quipped. Explaining his collaborative process with the actors, the Anjali, Thalapathy and Roja director said, "So, it's not like you wanting to work with several actors ..(It's a two-way process)... But that just shows how much you appreciate their talent and how much they like this kind of film. You should have something, especially if they really like to work with you." "I should have something to offer," he said. "I can't just take a film because they want to work with me," Ratnam said. "I should be able to give them something a little more or almost as good as what they've done before." Co-written by Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam, Thug Life will release in theatres on June 5. The film also features Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Nassar, Ali Fazal, and Rohit Saraf.
