Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam reunite, but the film doesn’t hit like it should

Thug Life review: The real problem with this Mani Ratnam Kamal Haasan film is that its story starts off with some promise, but somewhere around the halfway mark, it doesn’t leave the much-expected impact.

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR and Trisha Krishnan
Director: Mani Ratnam
Rating: ★★1/2

Mani Ratnam’s much-awaited film of the year Thug Life has got everything the viewers need – emotions, drama, action, suspense, and a star-studded cast. And of course, one of the best director-actor duo in the game. On paper, this clearly sounds like an absolute winner. However, somehow, it comes across as a bit of a surprise…. and not in a way the viewers had expected. Because when the most impeccable and respected director like Mani Ratnam teams up with a legend like Kamal Haasan, one expects a movie that is both special and striking, if not really a game-changer. Instead, what the viewers are offered is a typical massy film and not the one where Mani Ratnam does his usual magic.

Thug Life – with its story of an old gangster dealing with guilt, fate, love and death – sounds deep. Unfortunately, a major part of it comes across as flat and familiar, and there are moments when you begin to question if this is the film directed by Mani Ratnan. The movie begins with Kamal Haasan, whose back faces the camera and sets the tone with a bit of mystery right from the get-go. His dialogue ‘Ye mere aur Yamraj ke beech ki kahani hai’ is sufficient to know that it’s building up to something big, and his presence alone adds weight. Soon the things unfold, that strong start doesn’t really keep the same energy all the way through.

You may get Nayakan vibes in the movie’s black-and-white sequences shown in the first half. A clean-shaven Kamal Haasan will bring back the memories of Velu Naicker. One may also feel the sequences of a young boy at his dad’s funeral familiar. As the story (which started from 1994) progresses, we are told that the boy’s father was caught in a shootout between the cops and gangster Rangaraaya Sakthivel (Kamal Haasan). Sakthivel ends up taking the kid in, though the boy has no idea how his dad really died or that his sister, Chandra, is still alive. As he grows up, the boy – Amar (Silambarasan) becomes Sakthivel’s right-hand man. What exactly the gang does or how they operate out of a hazy version of Delhi? That part remains fuzzy.

While Sakthivel decides to raise his son, Amar, hee also make a promise to find his missing sister, Chandra, who couldn’t be found during the chaos. When we are taken to Sakthivel’s life in 2016, we are made familiar with his sweet moments with wife Jeeva (Abhirami), his affair with Indrani (Trisha), his bond with Amar (Silambarasan), and his animosity with Sadhanand, brother-in-law Deepak (Ali Fazal). With so much happening, you know it has all the right pieces, but unfortunately, Thug Life doesn’t stay grounded in the emotional core it kicked off with.
Nonetheless, the first half manages to move with sharp focus and is honestly, fun to watch. There are several moments that keep the viewers invested like Amar’s bond with Sakthivel, Amar’s dramatic desert entry, Sakthivel flirting with his mistress Indrani (Trisha), being an emotional father, and taking on rivals like a pro. Even though these moments keep the first half fast paced, you somehow feel that the real story only begins after Sakthivel’s betrayal.

Rengaraya Sakthivel is one of those characters you can’t quite pin down and this is why he is so riveting. He’s smart but a total rebel, and knows when he has to be cold-blooded. But this doesn’t stop him for voicing his thoughts on women’s education and shows no qualms in getting his daughter marry outside their caste. One may call him a contradictory character, but Kamal Haasan absolutely nails it. He brings different layers and nuance to Sakthivel in a way only he can.

Kamal impresses in every role – as a husband, a lover, a father and even in his beast mode. There’s a sequence in the film, where he is injected with a drug to make him sleep. Even though he is barely conscious, he is forced to enter a fight. He’s bleeds, laughs, throws punches and does everything to stay in control. That’s what Kamal is – impeccable in every way. And Silambarasan TR holds his own too as Amar. He impresses the viewers with a character that comes with an interesting blend of strength and softness. Even in Kamal Haasan’s presence, he manages to shine. All in all, the 163-minute-long Thug Life is gripping and enjoyable in parts, but don’t go fir it thinking it will recreate the Nayakan magic.