Thug Life movie review: Legendary duo Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam create ‘unconventional’ magic

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha, Ali Fazal
Director: Mani Ratnam
Rating: 3.5/5

Thug Life, also because of its such an English title, is the most unusual, borderline bizarre, film from master director Mani Ratnam’s repertoire. Add Kamal Haasan’s unique understanding of the milieu, where he oscillates between Vellu and Grandmaster Shifuji, and you have a strange film in front of you that would remind you of cinematic brilliance like The Godfather, Kill Bill and Gangs of Wasseypur. For such an artistic piece of work, it’s not easy for anyone to take a stand on whether they liked it for its distinctiveness or disliked it for the same reason! However, in between the cinema hall and my writing desk, I have decided to like it. So, from here onwards, I will be trying my best to drive home my point, even at the cost of sounding a little biased at times. It’s Mani Ratnam after all!

And one more thing, I have seen the Hindi dubbed version, so pardon any linguistic nuances.
                  
Shaktivel (Haasan), in an obvious throwback to Nayakan, is a Delhi-based Tamil gang leader full of human fallacies—gutsy yet internally scared, dubious character, loose tongue, bloodthirsty and suffering from God syndrome. Amar (Silimbarasan), who has become his shadow due to a dark stroke of fate, is Shaktivel’s next-in-command. Indrani (Trisha) is their common point of interest. Reminds of Maqbool! So many other films as well.

After way too many twists and turns, Shaktivel and Amar are pitted against each other, and now it’s a game of survival. But a lot happens in between in this 165-minute peculiar drama that only a visionary like Mani Ratnam could have pulled off.

Thug Life stays true to its name—God’s plan, baby! You only float along. The director and Haasan, probably India’s most experimental mainstream star at the age of 70, have gone for technical brilliance. We know how Haasan has explored distinct aspects of martial arts in many of his films; he has taken fistfights to a whole new level by surrendering to the dynamic nature of various forms. His body language, movements across the screen and eye axis, everything speak of a warrior-like personality. Combine this with amazingly designed background themes, Ravi K Chandran’s stunning, exciting cinematography and A Sreekar Prasad’s outstanding editing, and you have Thug Life with all its brazenness and defiant pretention. A film that challenges your sensibilities and asks you to look beyond the obvious.

Cynical characters take the centre-stage in the National Capital, but they do travel to many locations in Tamil Nadu, Goa and the NCR. It’s bloody mayhem everywhere they go, but they also satisfy the viewer's primal instincts.

It's debatable whether you expected Mani Ratnam to go so tangentially different, but now that he has gone into uncharted territory, I have wholeheartedly decided to appreciate this movement.

About Silimbarasan, Ali Fazal, and Trisha, they are great performers and you should visit them in the cinemas to appreciate them in their entirety.
Thug Life is another gem delivered by Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan. Watch it with a 360-degree approach.