Thug Life Movie Review

Contrary to what many might say, Indian 2 doesn’t deserve to be called Kamal Haasan’s worst film, and Kadal isn’t the low point of Mani Ratnam’s career either—at least not anymore. This new film could easily take that title. From the title announcement to every bit of promotional material, it promised a gritty, ensemble gangster drama in the vein of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, but the final product falls far short. Though it carries echoes of that film, they’re only superficial.

Kamal Haasan plays an eccentric old man—one who used to be, and still sort of is, a Casanova. His character’s morality is quite flexible, but he's undeniably skilled. He rambles incessantly, claims innocence, and lives in his own head. His dynamic, especially with Simbu around, is strongly reminiscent of Gajraj Bhai from Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu.

Simbu plays a man whose life seems handed to him on a silver platter. He’s convinced that the world—or someone close—has betrayed him, even though no such betrayal has occurred. It’s as if Mani Ratnam either perfectly cast these roles or simply wrote the characters to match the actors playing them. Kamal, true to form, delivers a standout performance with powerful screen presence. Among the cast, only Kamal’s and Aishwarya Lekshmi’s characters feel like real, breathing people. Everyone else—including Simbu—feels like an obstacle or object placed in the protagonists’ way, with no real depth or autonomy.

Musically, the album is rich and layered, but the film fails to give these songs any meaningful placement. “Mutha Muzhai” is a prime example—it’s a haunting and intense track that builds expectation for a gripping on-screen moment, yet the sequence never arrives. It’s like a kid getting a new toy only to discover there are no batteries, or a teen importing an iPhone only to find it’s carrier-locked.

While Chekka Chivantha Vaanam balanced its music with a sense of poetic justice and clever misdirection, this film doesn’t even attempt that kind of narrative elegance. Instead, it ends up resembling movies like Dheena, Jilla, and Vivegam. But even those had something to redeem them—be it action, emotion, or style. This one, however, drowns in repetitive, uninspired fight sequences. It lacks all the narrative and visual sophistication usually associated with a Mani Ratnam film.

Every character seems to lack clear motivation or stakes. Watching the story unfold feels like being thrown into a sport where you don’t understand the rules or know which team to root for. While there are a few visually interesting shots, the majority feel like they’re pulled from a generic gangster-movie starter kit.

For general audiences, this film is an easy skip. For Mani Ratnam fans, it’s best treated as an unfortunate misstep—something to acknowledge and move past.