Mani Ratnam apologises for letting down the audience with Thug Life: 'We wanted to do...'

From the moment Mani Ratnam announced his new film with actor Kamal Haasan, the audience and loyal fans of the director and actor have been eagerly waiting for their film. Thug Life was launched amid great fanfare. The team left no stone unturned to promote the film and it even courted controversy. All the buzz around the film, good and bad- naturally raised curiosity among fans. But the film left critics as well as the audience disappointed.

Now, weeks after the film released theatrically, a dejected Ratnam has apologised to fans 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?”
Ratnam and Haasan's Nayakan which released in 1989 is considered a cult classic.

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.”

The film faltered at the box office with the film earning only Rs 97 crore (Rs 970 million), according to industry tracker Sacnilk, against a reported budget of Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion).

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-son bonds. Helmed by Mani Ratnam, the film stars Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha Krishnan, Abhirami, and Aishwarya Lekshmi.

WION's review of Thug Life

In her review of Thug Life, WION’s Shomini Sen called the movie illogical and formulaic. “The film is terribly formulaic. At a time when Hindi films are relying heavily on south-inspired action thrillers, one had hoped Ratnam and Haasan would be able to change the narrative. But Thug Life sticks to the usual tropes of action films, where the lead protagonist is presented as larger than life. Haasan’s character is shot at, thrown off a cliff, and even gets caught in the middle of an avalanche, yet he survives,” wrote Shomini.