Mani Ratnam on Thug Life’s title: ‘Kamal came up with the idea and it just felt right..’

The entire cast and crew of Thug Life, headlined by Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan, are busy promoting the film across cities in India. In the recent press meet that happened in Mumbai on Tuesday, Mani Ratnam spoke about how he picked the title for his sophomore collaboration with Kamal Haasan.

Speaking to the media, Mani Ratnam said that Kamal Haasan suggested Thug Life as the film’s title. “He (Kamal Haasan) came up with the idea, and it just felt right. We also felt that the title would work perfectly with the Gen-Z population,” he shared. On how the concept came to him, he went back to crediting his film’s protagonist. “The first thing that came was Kamal Haasan, and then Thug Life came in. So, it started from there,” he said.

Furthermore, shedding light on the genre of his upcoming directorial, Mani Ratnam added, “This is actually an emotional drama set in the world of crime. It has all blended very seamlessly.” On the scope and scale of Thug Life, the auteur narrated, "I believe the story determines the project's scale. It's always a pleasure, and it greatly simplifies a director's work, to have the ideal cast and crew. I've been lucky enough to have the best, making the entire experience fantastic."

In the same press meet, the team was also asked about the OTT premiere of Thug Life, to which Kamal Haasan confirmed that it would be available to stream only eight weeks after the film’s theatrical release. “See, it was not even an experiment; it was the pragmatic thing to do. I am glad the OTT agreed. It was not a negotiation; it was a plan which maybe others can follow too, to make the industry healthier,” he said.

Thug Life’s extended ensemble cast comprises Trisha, Silambarasan, Abhirami, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Nassar, Joju George, Mahesh Manjrekar, Tanikella Bharani, Vadivukkarasi, Chinni Jayanth, Vaiyapuri, Bagavathi Perumal, Baburaj, Ali Fazal, Rohit Saraf, Arjun Chidambaram, Chetan, and Rajashri Deshpande.

Thug Life marks Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan's reunion after 36 years since their hit outing, Nayakan. The technical crew of Thug Life features cinematographer Ravi K Chandran, music director AR Rahman, editor Sreekar Prasad and action directors Anbariv. The film is a co-production between Udhayanidhi's Red Giant Movies, Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Film International, and Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies.

Thug Life is all set to hit theatres on June 5.